PICTURE GALLERY "RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN OF 1812"

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In front of Moscow - Waiting for the "boyards deputation" (The picture by Vereschagin) At last that significant day Napoleon, his marshals and soldiers had been waiting for long time has come. They reached Moscow. On September,2 at 2 p.m. Napoleon rode to the Poklonnaya Hill 3 versts (about 2 miles) far from Moscow and stopped... The splendid view he had never seen before spread before his eyes! He saw Moscow with the numerous domes of churches glaring in the bright sun and crowned by the fantastic Kremlin, majestic in its unique beauty. It was a strange and mysterious city, the ancient capital of Russia... Napoleon rode to the Dorogomilovskaya gate and stopped again. He was sure there he should be met with the deputation from Moscow entreating him to spare their city... But nobody came to him. After some time aome offices rode to him and reported Moscow was empty..