Napoleon letters from Russian campaign on sale as hat bags record

This image courtesy the Raab Collection in Philadelphia shows a letter sent by Napoleon during the Russian campaign. Eleven letters sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, including dispatches from the Kremlin, have gone on sale following the blockbuster sale of the diminutive French emperor's hat for US$2.1mil at auction. Photo: AFP

Eleven letters sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, including dispatches from the Kremlin, have gone on sale following the blockbuster auction of the diminutive French emperor's hat for US$2.1mil (RM9.8mil).

Among them is one dated Sept 18, 1812, in which he arrives in Moscow at the height of his Russian campaign and reports that the city is ablaze amid a scorched-earth policy adopted by the Russian side.