Which river did Napoleon cross to begin his 1812 invasion of Russia?

Napoleon began his 1812 invasion of Russia by crossing the Niemen River, also known as the Neman. On 24 June 1812, the opening forces of the multinational Grande Armée crossed from the Duchy of Warsaw into Russian territory.

The crossing marked the start of one of the largest military campaigns in European history. Napoleon assembled troops from France and many allied or dependent states, including Poland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The army advanced through present-day Lithuania and Belarus, hoping to force Tsar Alexander I to restore Russia’s participation in the Continental System.

The Niemen is sometimes called the Neman in English and Nemunas in Lithuanian. These names refer to the same river, so “Niemen River” is the conventional historical answer in many accounts of the campaign. The Don and Dnieper were important rivers in the wider region, while the Berezina became notorious during the retreat.

Napoleon’s army initially advanced rapidly, but Russian withdrawals, disease, hunger, supply failures, and extreme weather steadily destroyed its strength. The invasion ended in catastrophic retreat later that year.