CARTE FIGURATIVE des pertes successives en hommes de l'Armée Française dans la campagne de Russie 1812-1813
Drawn by M. Minard, Inspector General of Bridges and Roads in retirement. Paris, November 20, 1869.
Advancing troops to Moscow (June-Sept 1812)
Retreating troops from Moscow (Oct-Dec 1812)
Charles Minard's 1869 chart shows the devastating losses suffered by Napoleon's army in the Russian campaign of 1812. The width of the colored bands indicates the size of the army at each position. The tan band shows the advancing Grande Armée, which began with 422,000 men. The black band shows the retreating army, reduced to only 10,000 men by the end of the campaign. The bottom graph tracks the falling temperatures during the retreat, dramatically illustrating the harsh conditions faced by the soldiers.
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June 24, 1812: The Grande Armée of 422,000 men crosses the Neman River, beginning the invasion of Russia.
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September 14, 1812: After numerous battles and losses from disease and desertion, 100,000 troops reach Moscow, only to find it abandoned and set ablaze.
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October 19, 1812: With supplies dwindling and winter approaching, Napoleon orders the retreat from Moscow.
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November 25-29, 1812: The disastrous crossing of the Berezina River, where the freezing temperature (-20°C) claimed thousands of lives.
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December 6-7, 1812: Temperature plunges to -30°C, accelerating deaths from hypothermia and starvation.
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December 14, 1812: The remnants of the Grande Armée, fewer than 10,000 soldiers, cross back over the Neman River, marking the end of the campaign.
Recreated based on Charles Joseph Minard's 1869 flow map. The visualization combines six types of data in a single graphic: geography, time, temperature, direction, troop location, and the diminishing size of the army. Edward Tufte has called this "probably the best statistical graphic ever drawn."