November 1812: Berezina, La Glace s'est Brisée¹

The Berezina in Winter
Source

"The Russians are in Borizov?" Napoléon asked, looking at his map spread on the floor of the small peasant hut. The Emperor, as was his custom, was on his hands and knees to closely study the large scale map.

"Yes, Sire. But there is worse news." The scout stood at attention, he was very nervous.

Napoléon looked up, "At ease, my son."

The cavalryman, one of the Guard Chasseurs à Cheval visibly relaxed.

Grinning, the Emperor asked, "What could possibly be worse than a contested river crossing in the dead of winter?"

"The bridge is down, Sire, and the ice, the ice on the river, has broken. The Berezina is flowing."

Napoléon got to his feet, closed his eyes, and wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, that is worse. Much worse."

The Chasseur snapped to attention, "Apologies, mon Empereur."

Grasping the sleeve of the man's jacket with his left hand, he placed the right on the Chasseur's shoulder, "It isn't your fault lad, return to your squadron, you have my thanks. And ..." he turned to Berthier.

"A gold Napoléon for our intrepid scout." He noticed a look pass over the Chasseur's face.

"You'd rather something else?" There was a hint of disappointment in Napoléon's voice.

"Nothing to buy out here, Sire," nodding towards a small table near the door, he continued, "that heel of bread would be better, begging your pardon, Sire."

The Emperor nodded, smiling he said, "Take the entire loaf, I'm sure your messmates will appreciate it as well."

"Yes Sire, thank you."

After the man left, Napoléon turned to his generals, "Well gentlemen, it seems we are in the shit. What next?"

Lecerf nodded after reading the message from Maréchal Davout, "Thank you, tell the Maréchal we shall move at once."

Turning to his two remaining officers, he sighed, "Well boys, looks like the Russians have destroyed the bridge over the river."

"Can't we cross on the ice?" Leavitt asked.

Marais shook his head, the air had felt warmer that morning, "F**king ice is gone, isn't it?"

Lecerf nodded again, spat in the snow, then said, "The river ice has broken up, there will be no crossing over on the ice. Worse yet, we'd have to throw up a bridge under fire, with drift ice fighting the engineers all the way."

Marais spoke again, "We left the bridging trains behind, didn't we?"

Lecerf looked around, "Yes, we did. But right now, Davout wants us to move further up the river, to Studienka. Apparently we will cross there."

Source

"Eblé, just how do you intend to bridge the Berezina?" Napoléon hoped that Jean Baptiste Eblé had some trick up his sleeve. He had ordered the man to destroy the bridging train and especially the mobile field forges the Grande Armée used. There was no sense to letting that technology fall into Russian hands.

"We can tear down the village of Studienka for the necessary materials, I," here Eblé hesitated, "I still have my tools and forges, Sire. I deliberately disobeyed your order to destroy them. I assumed that there would be time enough to do so, if needed."

Napoléon stared at Eblé for a moment, his engineer paled under his gaze.

Then he spoke, "And thank God that you did. Get to work."

Anno 1812. Kapitein Benthien aan de Beresina²
Lawrence Alma-Tadema (PD)

Marais harried the tale of the column, cannon fire could be heard in the distance. He'd been told that three Russian forces were closing on the survivors of the Grande Armée.

"We need to get up to Studienka and screen the engineers. If they don't get a bridge across the river, we're all going to die here. March lads! Your lives certainly depend on it!"

The men left were the tough ones, the ones who refused to die. They didn't complain, they soldiered on with a grim resolve. Marais saw one man stumble, his comrades helped him up.

"I'm not dead yet, you bastards. I'll be back in Paris before the spring. I'll say hello to your girlfriends and tell them how bravely you all died!" the soldier yelled out as he resumed his place in the column. Several of the men near him simply nodded, there was no quit in these soldiers.

Marais ran his sleeve over his eyes, he blinked and thought to himself, "The Emperor doesn't deserve these men."

Dutch Soldiers at the Battle of the Berezina
Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht (PD)

The army was beginning to move. Eblé's men had built two bridges, a number of his men had been swept away during the construction, but the bridges were in, the army was crossing.

Russian forces under Wittgenstein were pressing Victor's men hard. But they stood and fought like lions. Many of the troops covering the crossing were Dutchmen, they seemed to fight all the harder knowing that their countrymen were the ones who had built the bridges.

They fought and they died, less than a third would survive the battle.

¹ The ice has broken. (French)

² Year 1812 Captain Benthien on the Berezina (Dutch) Général Eblé's men were mostly Dutch. He had taken untrained men, for the most part, and during the campaign turned them into very good bridging engineers. These men suffered badly from working in the icy water. Eblé himself would die in December from being in that water with his men. Well Seasoned Fool would know men like this!