After capturing Moscow, Napoleon took many steps to restore and maintain public order as well as to continue to advance his military goals in Russia.
After capturing Moscow, Napoleon took many steps to restore and maintain public order as well as to continue to advance his military goals in Russia.
Book 13, Chapter 9
After capturing Moscow, Napoleon took many steps to restore and maintain public order as well as to continue to advance his military goals in Russia.
Summary:
After capturing Moscow, Napoleon took additional military actions to fortify the city, to continue to pursue Kutúzov, and planned for a future campaign against Russia. He also reached out diplomatically to Petersburg and sent a negotiator to Emperor Alexander. In addition, Napoleon took many steps aimed at restoring the normal functioning of the city. For example, he gave orders to find and execute the incendiaries, punished Rostopchín’s mismanagement, set up a municipal government, reestablished the police force to suppress crime, and reopened churches. He called on everyone to come home and to go back to work, promised to pay them, and to return to normal life, as long as they obeyed the military and civil authorities. To support the army, he authorized them to confiscate needed provisions. He opened public markets where peasants could sell their produce at fair prices and with police protection. He also opened a theatre and supported public charities. He provided for public relief. In short, Napoleon did his best to bring back normal life to Moscow, although sometimes he used forged currency to do so.
quote from the chapter:
Your fellow citizens are returning every day to their homes and orders have been given that they should find in them the help and protection due to their misfortunes. These are the measures the government has adopted to re-establish order and relieve your condition. But to achieve this aim it is necessary that you should add your efforts and should, if possible, forget the misfortunes you have suffered, should entertain the hope of a less cruel fate, should be certain that inevitable and ignominious death awaits those who make any attempt on your persons or on what remains of your property, and finally that you should not doubt that these will be safeguarded, since such is the will of the greatest and most just of monarchs. Soldiers and citizens, of whatever nation you may be, re-establish public confidence, the source of the welfare of a state, live like brothers, render mutual aid and protection one to another, unite to defeat the intentions of the evil-minded, obey the military and civil authorities, and your tears will soon cease to flow!
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