(The following paragraphs would go with the historical inaccuracies of Tolstoy)
At the time of writing War and Peace, it would have been impossible for Tolstoy to know the cause behind Typhus, which is a bacterium spread through the body and feces of body lice (not to be confused with Typhoid Fever). However, while the cause of Typhus was not well known until 1911, by 1835, its name and symptoms were accurately listed by a French hospital chief, way soon enough for Tolstoy to have encountered the phenomenon (Roberts, 589). **correction** although estimates of Typhus’ death toll are inexact, by the end of his Russian campaign, roughly one quarter of Napoleon’s army had been killed from Typhus, and many, including Napoleon himself, contracted Typhus at some point along the campaign.
A fascinating fact Tolstoy confusingly overlooks (as he could’ve used it to further his own denouncement of Napoleon and his point on the uselessness of leaders is that on the march from the Niemen to Moscow, during the hot, dry, and stifling summer months, most of the army had thrown all their winter clothing to the side of the road. Nor does the Russian winter (the popular understanding of Napoleon’s failure) have no mention in War and Peace. While Napoleon had apparently researched the previous twenty winters of Russia and concluded that sub-zero temperatures start in November, and remain mild until December, in 1812 late October saw a temperature of -4º C, and by November 7th, Napoleon’s army was experiencing -30º (-22ºF).
Big Book 2019 