The grand folly begun on the 24th - Russia 1812

Salve,

I have been listening to the '1812' audiobook version of prof. Adam Zamoyski's great work.- Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow.

on this day the 24th of June but in 1812 the great Grand Army begun crossing the Niemen  River from Duchy of Warsaw  into the Russian Empire - the Polish hopes and expectations for the restoration of Poland in her pre-1792 border were at the highest. Unfortunately, the fickle Fortuna   and Napoleon would disappoint them absolutely. 

the huge armies - one commanded by Napoleon and the other by tsar Alexander - 'gathered' around Kown(Kaunas, present day Lithuania), both separated by the steep banks of the Niemen River.

Polish cavalrymen were in the avant-garde or advanced guard of the French army.  Young cavalry captain,

Roman Soltyk, Soltyk coat of arms, was the commanding officer of the squadron of the 6th Ulan Lancer regiment ( commanding officer colonel Michal Pagowski of Duchy of Warsaw army), was  stationed with his command on the Polish side of the Nieman River (near Poniemon, whereas the Russian side of the river had the town of Kowno) that June 1812, these Polish lancers, one of the best Polish ulan lancer regiments,  were attached to the French cavalry division  under general Bruyeres (Soltyk's version - in fact  Bruyere).

On the eve of June 24, 1812 ,  at the camps of the  6th Uhlans a travel carriage pulled by 6 horses and surrounded by a small detachment of the mounted chasseurs of the guard stopped suddenly at the lancers' outpost. 

From the carriage, to to astonishment of those present, emerged Napoleon and Berthier, prince of Neuchatel. They were met by the officers of the regiment and the emperor demanded Polish uniforms for Berthier and he. Napoleon took colonel Pagowski's coat and off duty cap , the ulan's czapka being to heavy said the emperor. He then mounted colonel Pagowski's horse and Bertheir, also dressed as Polish ulan officer, took the other horse of Pagowski.

 2nd Lieutenant Nikodem Zrelski, advance-post commander with his company of the 6th Ulans, went along with the emperor and Berthier, as their guide and scout. 
They rode to Aleksota (nowdays part of Kown/Kaunas, Lithuanian) on the left bank of the Nieman River and there Napoleon reconnoitered the whole Kowno area. The next day the Grand Army marched across into the war and mayhem.

 

Hundreds of thousands  of men and horses would suffer, perish and die during this campaign.

Pacem Aeternam

enjoy