Retreat from Moscow
Description:
A great amount of snow covers the ground in this image. Many soldiers are partially or completely buried by it, and one soldier sits atop a horse whose legs are also buried. Each soldier wears an expression of terror. To their right, four men huddle in an open tent around a fire, a pot resting beside it. One of them is buried up to his neck in snow, and one is completely shrouded in a blanket. The only sign of plant life is a large pine tree behind the tent. One French flag remains flying near the tent.
Copyright:
Copyright 2009, Department of Special Collections, Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Accession Number:
CA 8938
Height (in centimeters):
11
Width (in centimeters):
20
Printing Context
The Life of Napoleon: A Hudibrastic Poem in Fifteen Cantos (1815) by William Combe (aka Doctor Syntax)Associated Events
August-December 1812Associated Places
To Alexander I, Moscow was only the “holy” capital; St. Petersburg was the empire’s capital. While the city was set ablaze, Napoleon safely waited in the Kremlin, the city’s citadel (S. Englund, Napoleon: A Political Life 377).Associated Texts
Text from the book which corresponds to the image:He sought in vain a lurking place,
Destruction star’d him in the face;
Hemm’d in—he sought for peace in vain—
No peace cou’d Bonaparte obtain;
He swore, when peace he cou’d not getm
The Russians were a barb’rous set.
(W. Combe, Life of Napoleon 228)A great reward, as it is said,
Was offer’d for our hero’s head
Poor Bonaparte got safe away.
When he to Wilna’s borders came,
He very wisely chang’d his name;
And in a sledge—t’was so contriv’d,
At Paris in the night arriv’d
While Nap was absent, we must own,
He very nearly lost his throne.
(W. Combe, Life of Napoleon 229)
Subject
This image depicts the retreat of Napoleon and his forces from Moscow, with particular emphasis on the harsh and nightmarish conditions of their journey.Theme
On top of the French flag, which is flying lower than in the book's previous images, is an eagle. The eagle is a symbol of imperialism. Because Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow was the sour turning point in the Napoleonic Wars, this symbol is loaded with irony. Like the majority of the objects in the image, the flag and the eagle are stuck in the snow: imperialism has failed.Significance
“Following naturally from the Romantic fascination with the old and exotic was an attraction to the supernatural, bizarre, or nightmarish” (N. King, Romantics 10). Being trapped in the snow, as the soldiers in the image are, is precisely that: nightmarish. Again, the sublime is a driving force in this image; however, terror is the predominant emotion it invokes. Birds are lurking above the men and the viewer can only see grayness in the distance. Although it was believed during the Romantic period that “to be alone in wild, lonely places was for the Romantics to be near to heaven,” this scene is far from the divine (N. King, Romantics 8).Function
The function of this image is to satirize Napoleon and his troops’ departure from Moscow. Its purpose is to incite humor, which is effected by the men’s entrapment in the snow. Additionally, its function is to portray Napoleon as a greedy and selfish leader, as he is safe and warm inside a tent.Bibliography
Asprey, Robert. The Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. New York: Basic Books, 2000.Long Title
4 v. : col. fold. plates, fold. ports. ; 22 cm.Featured in Exhibit:
Engraver:
Delineator:
Image Date:
23 January 1815
Publisher:
Thomas Tegg
