On June 24, 1812, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and some 500,000 of his troops invaded Russia. Although the French incursion into Russia was a success, the Russian army led by General Mikhail Kutuzov burned everything, as they retreated - a tactic known as "scorched earth" - leaving Napoleon and his forces without resources to forage food for themselves and their horses. Over the ensuing months, Napoleon and his men find themselves unable to sustain the counter attacks from the Russian forces while withstanding the bitterly-cold Winter climate that Napoleon's army had to endure. In the end, Napoleon had to withdraw back to France and his army of 500,000 soldiers was reduced to around 100,000.