2-750-896 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'Der Flanken-Marsch! Oder: Die Bedrohung Von Petersburg!', 1813, (1921). 'La marche de flanc, ou la menace contre Pétersbourg'. Satirical depiction of Napoleon's army retreating from Russia in 1812: Napoleon sits in the back of a sleigh, whipping the horse, as his men collapse around him. The Russian winter took its toll on the French army. Lack of grass and feed weakened the remaining horses, almost all of which died or were killed for food by starving soldiers. Without horses, the French cavalry ceased to exist; cavalrymen had to march on foot. From "Napoleon", by Raymond Guyot, [H. Floury, Paris, 1921]