VILNIUS, LITHUANIA: In a fascinating breakthrough, scientists have uncovered the pathogens that silently ravaged Napoleon Bonaparte’s army during its disastrous retreat from Russia in 1812 — rewriting a key chapter of European military history.
Researchers analyzing ancient DNA from 13 soldiers buried in a mass grave in Vilnius discovered traces of paratyphoid fever and louse-borne relapsing fever — infections that, until now, had not been identified among Napoleon’s troops. The mass grave, believed to contain up to 3,000 soldiers, served as a grim reminder of the Grande Armée’s tragic collapse amid freezing temperatures, hunger, and disease.
Led by Dr. Nicolás Rascovan of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, the research team extracted genetic material from soldiers’ teeth, revealing that multiple infectious diseases spread simultaneously as sanitation broke down and medical care became impossible. “Ancient DNA allows us to identify infections that historical accounts alone could not confirm,” Rascovan said.
The findings show that four soldiers carried paratyphoid bacteria, while two others were infected with relapsing fever pathogens. Both diseases cause extreme fever, fatigue, and recurring illness — symptoms that match historical descriptions of the suffering endured by Napoleon’s men as they marched through the brutal Russian winter.
Historians have long blamed typhus and starvation for the army’s downfall, but this new genetic evidence paints a broader, darker picture of disease and desperation — where epidemics may have killed more soldiers than enemy bullets.
The discovery marks a major step forward for paleogenomic research, offering scientists a window into how infectious diseases shaped one of history’s most catastrophic military retreats. Future studies across other European sites could further illuminate how microbes, not just warfare, helped determine the fate of empires.
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