Ancient DNA Analysis Reveals Diseases That Killed Napoleon's Soldiers in 1812 Russian Campaign
By
reaperducer
Sat on the counter overnight. Well past its best.
Summary
Scientific analysis of ancient DNA from Napoleon's soldiers' teeth reveals that diseases like typhus, trench fever, and other infections were major causes of death during the 1812 Russian campaign, rather than direct combat. The research shows how illness combined with extreme cold, starvation, and exhaustion decimated the French army.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledBy fall, his ill-fated troops began to leave for encampments along the Russian border, where an estimated 300,000 of them were eventually mowed down not by military might, but by illness coupled with extreme cold, starvation and exhaustion.
Scientists analyze ancient DNA to uncover the diseases that killed Napoleon's troops in 1812.
The Russians retreated but burned the countryside as they withdrew, using scorched-earth tactics that eventually left Napoleon's troops occupying a ruined Moscow.
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