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A detachment of Polish Line Uhlans wade through a swamp in search of new mounts after being broken at the First Battle of Smolensk, August 17, 1812.
Since almost the beginning of the Russian campaign Napoleon and the Grande Armee were engaged in fight and fade battles with the Russians. Whenever encountered, the Russians would put up a defence for a short time before withdrawing. In an attempt to confront the enemy, Napoleon devised the Smolensk Manoeuvre in an attempt to sweep behind the enemy and defeat them once and for all. On August 14, 1812 forces crossed the river Dnieper at Rassna on bridges constructed in the middle of the night. The plan was to rush toward the city of Smolensk, take it without a fight, but when the French forces arrived at the city on the August 16, they found it heavily garrisoned with Russian troops. 
Around dawn of August the 17th Polish forces within the Grande Armée successfully breached the walls, and in a few hours the main French forces entered the city. Barclay retained forces on the other side of the river preventing a crossing until the night of August the 18th. The city of Smolensk was almost completely destroyed.

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