COBI Napoleon Battle of Moscow Set 20091

COBI's Napoleon – Battle of Moscow is a diorama built from 145 blocks: Napoleon mounted, with hat, cape, epaulettes and a telescope, set against a framed reproduction of a period painting. All markings are printed; the set contains no stickers.

A backdrop painted by a witness

The picture behind the figure is not a generic battle scene. It is by Louis-François Lejeune, who painted it having been at Borodino himself — he served as aide-de-camp to Marshal Berthier and spent the war on campaign, painting the battles he had ridden through. It is an eyewitness account that happens to be in oils.

Borodino, 7 September 1812

Around 120,000 French troops faced roughly 135,000 Russians under Kutuzov, and by evening somewhere near 75,000 men were dead or wounded — the bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars. The French held the field, which made it a victory on paper.

It was not one in practice. Napoleon refused to commit the Imperial Guard, his last intact reserve, a thousand miles from home. The Russian army withdrew in order instead of being destroyed, and stayed in being. Moscow fell a week later and turned out to be worth nothing: the city burned, no peace was offered, and in October the retreat began. The army that had crossed into Russia at over half a million men came back at a fraction of that.

In the COBI range

Part of the Napoleonic Wars series, which also includes the Egyptian campaign (20092), French artillery (20093) and figure sets for the Prussian and allied armies (20094, 20098).

Specifications

Pieces: 145 · Figures: 1 with horse · Also included: framed painted backdrop and collector's plaque
Model dimensions: 16 × 9 × 13.5 cm (6.3 × 3.5 × 5.3 in)