After the initial orgy of looting the soldiers were content to make their billets as comfortable as possible while they rested, and enjoyed whatever food they found in the abandoned city. It was an opportunity for the wounded to recover in the comfort of proper beds and not on the overcrowded, jolting bed of an army wagon. Many men used the time to patch their worn uniforms, repair their boots, or find more comfortable replacements. They were happy to believe the proclamations issued from the Emperor’s headquarters that congratulated them on having fought the campaign to a glorious and successful conclusion. All that remained was for the Emperor and the Tsar to negotiate a peace and then the men of the Grand Army could return home, laden with the spoils of war and tall tales of having fought and bested the wild Cossacks of the steppes.
The days passed, and there was no sign of any Russian officials approaching the city to discuss peace terms. Despite the lack of an armistice Murat’s cavalry patrols reported that their Cossack counterparts were happy to fraternise and exchange spirits and other gifts. The only worrying intelligence was that the Russian officer appointed to command the Tsar’s forces, General Kutusov, was marching his men to the west of Moscow, threatening the Grand Army’s communications.
September drifted into October and there was a noticeable drop in the temperature as the end of autumn drew near. Napoleon instructed Berthier to prepare the army to march once more. There was a distant possibility that the Russian army might have to be fought again to shatter whatever was left of the Tsar’s desire to continue the struggle. Still the Emperor waited for the Russians. He expected them hourly, and spent most of his time in the Tsar’s study, waiting to receive the war-weary and dispirited representatives of the Tsar. It was difficult to concentrate his mind on anything else, and in order to cope with the wait Napoleon began to read the romantic novels in Alexander’s private collection, numbingly banal as they were. At mealtimes, his closest comrades were surprised to see the Emperor lingering over his food, picking at it carefully where before he had treated a meal as a necessary waste of time.
On the fifth day of the month Napoleon abruptly gave orders for a delegation headed by General Delacorte, who had once served in the Russian embassy, to be sent to Kutusov to request an audience with Alexander. They returned six days later and Delacorte was brought before the Emperor to make his report. Napoleon greeted him warmly.
‘I am glad to see you have returned safely.’
‘Thank you, sire.’ Delacorte bowed his head.
‘So tell me what happened.’
‘We found Kutusov’s army easily enough and were escorted through his picket lines and on to his field headquarters. He welcomed us, insisting that we dine with him and his officers before we discussed the purpose of our mission. I gave him your letter first, sire, asking that an armistice be agreed while I was given safe conduct and taken to the Tsar. Kutusov refused to let me proceed. He took your letter and said that he would ensure that it was delivered safely into the Tsar’s hands.’
Napoleon frowned. ‘I gave you strict orders to deliver that letter in person.’
Delacorte shrugged. ‘I didn’t see what else I could do, sire.’
Napoleon stared at him for a moment. ‘Very well. Continue.’
‘Yes, sire. We were kept at Kutusov’s headquarters while we waited for the reply. He continued to treat us well, and claimed that he and his men would like nothing more than peace between Russia and France. Then, yesterday morning, there was a reply from the Tsar.’
‘A reply? Then where is it?’
Delacorte hesitated, and then reached into his jacket and extracted a single sheet of paper, folded, without any seal. He handed it to Napoleon, who opened it out and read the short message, written in French in a neat small hand.
To his imperial majesty, Napoleon of France, greetings.
I thank you for your letter requesting me to state my preliminary terms for discussing a peace treaty between our nations. However, I am resolved not to discontinue the state of war between us, and therefore I regret that I must refuse your request. Sadly, I refute your claim that the campaign is concluded. Indeed, this is the moment when my campaign begins. Alexander,Tsar of Russia.
Napoleon lowered the note. ‘Is that all there is? Is there nothing more?’
‘No, sire.’
Napoleon read the note again. ‘This must be a joke.’
‘I don’t think so, sire. I recognise the Tsar’s hand from my days in the embassy. That’s his signature, I am sure of it.’
Napoleon shook his head. ‘Then he mocks me . . . Or his mind is troubled. Yes, perhaps that’s it. After all, his father was reputed to be insane. He must have written this in haste. After the defeat at Borodino and the loss of Moscow his mind is bound to be disturbed. When he has had time to think it over he will write again and accept my offer.’
Delacorte looked at his Emperor in surprise for a moment, then nodded. ‘Yes, sire. I imagine you are right. Will that be all?’
‘What?’ Napoleon looked directly at him. ‘Yes, you may go. And I thank you for your efforts, Delacorte.’
The general left the study, closing the door softly behind him. Napoleon read the letter once again, then smiled faintly before screwing it up and tossing it into the fire.
There was still no further word from the Tsar three days later and Napoleon summoned Delacorte again and tasked him with leading another delegation to Kutusov. This time they were not permitted to hand over any letters, and Kutusov brusquely informed them that no further delegations would be received. Once he had dismissed the officer Napoleon sank into his chair and stared down the room towards the portrait of Alexander. He had spent many hours gazing at it already, trying to read the expression the artist had caught.
Napoleon knew that portraits rewarded close study. The sitter would be conscious of how they wished to be presented to those who would view the completed portrait down the years. So they crafted a pose which would embody their virtues, as they saw them. It was the task of the artist to study and amplify his subject’s qualities, yet at the same time a good artist could not resist subtly inflecting his depiction according to his opinion of the person sitting before him.
It might have been a trick of the light, but for the first time Napoleon saw a glint of cruelty in the eyes of Alexander, and the lips were not set in a faint smile of beneficence any more. It was another man who stood before him, no longer the impressionable young ruler who had only recently taken the throne and wanted to improve the lot of his people and be loved by them. An icy chill rose up in the nape of Napoleon’s neck and he shuddered.
A knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts and he sat forward and called out, ‘Come!’
The door clicked open. Berthier entered and crossed the room to stand before the Emperor’s desk.
‘What is it?’ Napoleon asked hopefully.
Berthier pulled out a loose leaf folder from under his arm and flicked it open. ‘There are a few issues that I need to bring to your attention, in accordance with your order to prepare the army to march, sire.’
‘Oh?’ Napoleon sank back in his chair.
‘I’ve spoken with the cartography staff, sire, and they calculate that it will take a minimum of fifty days to return to the Niemen.’
‘I did not say that we would be retreating to Poland,’ Napoleon cut in.
‘No, sire, but as chief of staff it is my duty to prepare for all contingencies. ’
Napoleon was silent for a moment before he nodded.‘You are right. Continue.’
‘Yes, sire. Even if we were to leave Moscow at once, we cannot reach the Niemen before the winter sets in. The first snow will fall in November, and the temperatures will drop far below freezing. Our men are still in the uniforms they were wearing for a summer campaign. They need warm clothing, sire. Thick coats, gloves, scarves and boots.’
‘Then see to it. Have them issued with whatever they need from stores.’
‘Sire, I have already spoken to the chief of the commissary. Dumas has hardly any stock of winter clothing. If your majesty recalls, it was decided not to overburden the supply wagons with unnecessary equipment. It was anticipated that the campaign would be over in time for the army to return to winter quarters in Poland.’
‘Yes. I remember.’
‘Whatever clothing Dumas has now has been picked up along the route, as the wagons emptied of rations.’
‘A wise precaution.’ Napoleon nodded vaguely. ‘Dumas is a clever fellow.’
‘The problem is that there is not nearly enough winter clothing for the entire army. Our latest strength returns give us ninety-five thousand men. Dumas can provide for no more than twenty thousand.’
‘Then requisition some more coats, and whatever else is needed.’
‘Where from, sire?’
‘I cannot believe there is not enough winter clothing to be had in Moscow.’
‘The fire destroyed the shopping and warehouse districts,’ Berthier explained evenly. ‘The only clothing that is left is whatever is in the houses that survived. Even then, the Russians took nearly everything with them when they evacuated the city.’
‘Then do what you can,’ Napoleon replied tersely. ‘Anything else?’
‘Yes, sire. Murat reports that he has fewer than ten thousand cavalry mounts remaining and many of those are lame, and all of them are short of forage. The same is true for the artillery. The city’s stock of feed was also lost in the fire.’
‘Then we must have fresh horses. An army is nothing without cavalry and artillery. Tell Murat to send his men out to buy horses from the towns and villages around Moscow.’
Berthier took a deep breath.‘Sire, the city is surrounded by Cossacks. In any case, Murat’s patrols report that every settlement within twenty miles of Moscow has been evacuated and torched. There are no horses to be had.’
‘Why do you tell me this? What can I do?’ Napoleon waved his arms wide. ‘I can’t just make horses appear!’
Berthier kept his mouth shut, closed his file and tucked it back under his arm and then stared straight ahead, refusing to meet the Emperor’s eyes. Napoleon tilted his head back and stared at the intricate ceiling mouldings, painted with gold leaf. He smiled grimly. He had a fortune in gold in the army’s war chest, enough to buy all the coats and horses he needed. Now the gold would be little more than a burden if the army was forced to retreat through the harsh Russian winter. He leaned forward and looked across at Berthier.
‘Send for my marshals.’
A servant built up the fire before drawing the long curtains across the window and leaving the study. Outside the night was cold and a chilly wind moaned down the streets of Moscow, bringing with it brief squalls of rain that drove those men of the Grand Army still searching for spoils into the shelter of their billets.
Inside the room in the Kremlin, Napoleon faced his marshals, bracing himself to admit the truth.
‘The Tsar does not want peace. He refuses to even contemplate it.’ Napoleon frowned.‘It seems that he will not admit defeat, in spite of all that he has lost.’
‘Why would he?’ asked Davout. ‘Every day that we sit in Moscow and wait on events, his army grows stronger. By now, he will have gathered in men from his garrisons, and from the army that was facing Turkey. Sire, if we are not careful, Moscow will turn from a trophy into a trap.’
‘Then what do you suggest we do?’
‘There’s no question about it. We must retreat, while we still can.’
‘Retreat?’ Ney snorted. ‘When we have won all that we have? Kutusov is still too afraid to fight. That’s why he sits out there and does nothing.’
‘He doesn’t have to do anything,’ Davout replied,‘but sit and wait for the winter to do his work for him. Soon this city will run out of food, and then wood for the fires. We shall have to start eating the horses. When spring comes whatever is left of the Grand Army will not be fit to fight.’
‘Then we don’t stay here,’ Ney responded. ‘If the Tsar won’t sue for peace when we have taken Moscow, then I say we march on St Petersburg instead. Let’s see how reluctant he is to talk when we burn down the most prized of his palaces.’
Napoleon smiled sourly. ‘I suspect that it would make no difference to his resolve. Besides, our communications are already stretched enough and it is four hundred miles from here to St Petersburg. It is out of the question.’ He drew a breath. ‘Our position in Moscow is already growing tenuous. The Cossacks have started attacking Murat’s patrols and they are gradually closing in around the city. The road to Smolensk was cut three days ago, and has only today been cleared by General Sulpice . . . The danger is clear enough. I have made my decision. We will quit Moscow and fall back to Smolensk. There are enough rations there to last the army through the winter. It is possible that General Kutusov might feel bold enough to try to block our retreat. If so, he will hand us another chance to crush his army. In any case, that must be the explanation that we give to the army. They must not be allowed to think of this as a retreat. As far as the soldiers are concerned, we are marching out to find and destroy Kutusov. Is that clear?’