Tactics had always been a part of Napoleon’s military successes. His army used its Column attack to great effect against the powers of Central Europe. However, tactics did not play a significant role in the Russian campaign. Napoleon was unable to force the decisive battle that he always sought in his campaigns, and so his tactics were not put to the test. The only major battle in Russia, at Borodino, ended in a draw, although both sides claimed victory. It is possible that if the French tactics had been either far superior or far inferior to the Russian army then the outcome of the battle would have been different. But rather than being affected by tactics, the result of the Borodino conflict was more likely to have been altered by the strategy Napoleon employed.
Napoleon’s most famous military strategy was to try to occupy a central position between two of the enemy’s armies, and then defeat each one individually. In the Russian campaign he did not have a chance to do this. The Russian commander, Kutusov, only engaged Napoleon directly once, at the battle of Borodino. Kutusov did not split his army; meaning Napoleon could not take up his desired central position. Still hoping for a decisive victory Napoleon ordered a frontal assault, he did not plan carefully, apparently expecting little resistance from the Russians. As mentioned above, the battle was indecisive. If Napoleon had planned the battle with more care, listening to the advice of Marshal Davout who urged him to send in a strong flanking attack, then possibly the outcome would have been different. A French victory would have given Napoleon his desired decisive victory, and the Russians would most likely have signed a peace agreement.
In terms of Grand strategy, the initial decision to invade Russia can be seen as very important. If this decision had not been made, the Grande Armee would have remained intact, and Napoleon’s fate could have been very different. But the decision to invade was most likely due to Napoleon’s leadership and personality rather than simple strategy.
Napoleon’s leadership undoubtedly had a big effect on all his campaigns. In Russia, his bad pre-planning a the battle of Borodino meant the battle was not decisive. But more importantly, his decision to retreat from Moscow during the winter was the largest contributing factor to his defeat. The soldiers of the Grande Armee could have been garrisoned in Moscow for the winter, instead of being allowed to loot and burn the city. Although this would not have been ideal, delaying the attack until the next Spring and keeping the Grande Armee mostly intact would undoubtedly have been preferable to retreating back through Russia incurring terrible losses on the way. Napoleon’s decision to retreat may in part have been due to his personality. Perhaps he could not stand the thought of waiting motionless for the whole winter, and instead would prefer do something decisive, even if it were to order a retreat.
The Russian campaign of 1812 was not the only defeat Napoleon suffered. His campaigns in Spain also contributed significantly to his eventual defeat. Ever since the French occupation of Spain in 1807, the forces stationed there had been under constant attack from Spanish Guerrillas, who accounted for 100 deaths per day during the French occupation. Although these losses not as rapid or on the same scale as the defeat in Russia, they were a constant drain on Napoleon’s resources. Napoleon also suffered an early defeat in Egypt, where the Royal Navy prevented a victory. But this early campaign was less important than those that came later, and didn’t affect his career in any significant way.
The largest factor contributing to Napoleon’s eventual defeat in Europe was his failed invasion of Russia. The Grande Armee’s strategies and tactics were only put to the test once, at the battle of Borodino, where the outcome was indecisive. Therefore they did not play a significant role in their eventual defeat. Logistics played a part in increasing the losses of Napoleon’s forces, but alone it did not have a major effect on the outcome of the campaign. Napoleon’s invasion failed mainly because of his decision to retreat from Moscow at the end of 1812, instead of garrisoning his troops there for the winter. This decision was based on Napoleon’s personality and leadership traits.
