In 1812, a desperate river crossing saved the remnants of Napoleon's army
Trapped between a freezing river and the Russian army, Napoleon's retreating forces executed a daring engineering feat that saved thousands from certain death during the disastrous invasion of 1812.
In late November 1812, the remnants of Napoleon's Grande Armée faced total annihilation at the Berezina River. With the Russians closing in and the bridges destroyed, Dutch engineers worked neck-deep in ice-cold water to construct two makeshift bridges. Most of these brave sappers died of hypothermia within hours, but their sacrifice allowed the French emperor and his core guard to escape.
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