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Here we see the situation on 24 July. Davout
is nearly able to block Bagration's retreat while Barclay has turned
momentarily to conduct a rear guard action at Vitebsk. Meanwhile in the south
west Tormassov has moved around the Pripet marsh to threaten the Grand Army
rear but Reynier is shifting units to hold him. In the north Wittgenstein has
pulled out of the Russian camp at Drissa and still covers the roads to St
Petersburg, should Napoleon decide on shifting his axis of advance to the
north. He is keeping Oudinot, busy while Ney and Murat move south to join
Eugene in Napoleon's main force. The Grand Army is being spread more and more
in the vast theater of war. DAvout, Grouchy and Ponyatovski are all spread out
between Bagration and Barclay. But Napoleon still has a chance to keep the
Russian field armies separated. Note Smolensk at the right edge of the map.
That is where both Bagration and Barclay de Tolly are headed to unify their
forces. Can the French beat them there?
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