Nogent is just one of multiple villages that is described as destroyed or damaged in some form. In "History of a Six Weeks' Tour" they attribute the damage to the Cossacs, perhaps in retribution for the distruction of some Moscow villages. It seems to have happened in such a recurring manner that the French don't bother to fix things up, for fear it will make another target. I wonder how the desolation might have inspired some of the language and destitution in Frankenstein.
This Russian port is one of the last reference points during Robert Walton's letters. So when he first sees the creature, and brings Victor on board, he is quite north of Archangel by this point. Still, Archangel provides us with important geographical details for where Victor's story may have ended, as well as the creature.
