'Epic Fail' from StephenS - Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow

This is a story that really captured my interest when I read Adam Zamoyski's book 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow.

It is a tale that most people here probably know a bit about. Napoleon invaded Russia and captured a mostly deserted and burning Moscow. The Russians refused to surrender and Napoleon was forced to withdraw the same way he came. The Russian winter, a severe lack of supplies and repeated Russian attacks meant that only about 100, 000 of the original 600,000 made it back (exact numbers differ depending on your sources). 

These are the first Napoleonic figures I have ever painted! I knew straight away that I wanted to use some of the lovely figures from the Perry brother's range, which I am sure must have graced this blog before. It was also my first effort at replicating snow on this scale - I followed all the instruction that YouTube gave me, so hopefully it has turned out well. 

I particularly like the officer with his sword half drawn. Has he spotted some approaching Cossacks? Is he worried the stragglers might try to steal his lovely pelisse? Alternatively, perhaps he is warning the soldiers to stay away from the remains of a horse he has found.

I spent an inordinate amount of time looking at French uniforms, it took me ages to find out that one of the figures is wearing a 'Bonnet De Police'! I still have no idea if it is the right colour, I just copied the photo off the Perry’s website in the end. I had a great time researching and painting these figures and I hope you enjoy them.

Cheers,

Steve