In the spring of 1812, Napoleon 1 an army of six hundred thousand men on the borders of Russia. The soldiers were well trained, 2 , and well equipped. Shortly afterwards, Napoleon's army crossed the Neman River into Russia. In August, the French and Russian armies 3 at Smolensk, in a battle that left over ten thousand dead on each side. Napoleon 4 of pressing on to Moscow, 448 kilometers away. On September 7, 1812, the French and Russian armies met in fierce battle at Borodino, 112 kilometers west of Moscow. Again, the Russian army retreated to safety. Napoleon had a clear path to Moscow, but the 5 of the city became an empty victory. Napoleon soon realized he could not feed, clothe, and 6 his army in Moscow during the winter. In October 1812, he ordered his Grand Army to retreat from Moscow. At the Berezina River, the Russians nearly trapped the retreating French by burning the bridges over the 7 river. But Napoleon, by a 8 of luck, was able to build two new bridges. Thousands of French soldiers escaped, but 9 fifty thousand dead. Once across the Berezina, the 10 survivors limped toward Vilna.