"Napoleon's BIGGEST Mistake?" Is a short that covers the historical fact that In 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France, led his army on an invasion of Russia. The French army consisted of more than 600,000 soldiers, but the vast and harsh territory of Russia proved to be a challenge. Despite initial victories, the Russian army retreated deeper into the country, leading to a battle in the city of Borodino, which resulted in a Russian victory. As the French army pushed towards Moscow, they encountered a scorched earth tactic, where the Russians burned down their own supplies to prevent the French from using them. When they finally reached Moscow, the city was nearly deserted and set on fire, forcing the French army to retreat without a clear victory. The harsh Russian winter, as well as skirmishes with Russian forces, caused the French army to suffer significant losses as they retreated, with only 100,000 surviving the invasion. Ultimately, the invasion was a failure and marked a turning point in Napoleon's career.