Minard's Visualization of Napoleon's Russian Campaign

Napoleon's Russian Campaign of 1812

Visual representation of the successive losses of the French Army. The width of the line is proportional to the number of troops.

Advance to Moscow (June-Sept 1812): 422,000 men began campaign

Retreat from Moscow (Oct-Dec 1812): 10,000 men returned

Charles Minard's 1869 diagram shows the fate of Napoleon's Grand Army in the Russian Campaign. The thickness of the line represents the size of the army at each position. The tan band shows the path of Napoleon's advance on Moscow; the black band shows the path of their retreat. At the bottom, a temperature scale shows the harsh conditions they faced during the retreat.

June 24: The campaign begins with 422,000 men crossing the Niemen River.
September 14: The Grande Armée reaches Moscow with only 100,000 remaining troops.
October 19: Retreat begins as winter approaches and supplies dwindle.
November 26-29: Crossing of the Berezina River in temperatures of -20°C; a catastrophe.
December 14: Only 10,000 soldiers cross back over the Niemen River. The campaign ends.

Based on Charles Joseph Minard's flow map (1869). The visual combines six types of data: geography, time, temperature, troop direction, location, and number of troops.

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