The date for the start of the invasion, 23 June, was largely chosen for logistics reasons. Napoleon thought the crops in Russia would be sufficiently developed and provide adequate forage for the thousands of horses upon which he relied for transportation and as weapons of war. He also had the horses bear a larger-than-traditional load in an attempt to ensure an adequate supply of food for both man and beast. Unfortunately, the addition of the extra loads increased the horse’s consumption of food, in essence negating or worsening the effect of the additional provisions. In very short order after crossing the Niemen River, Napoleon would see his fleet of horses cut down by a third because of an outbreak of colic, the relative lack of edible forage (on which he was counting), and incredibly hot weather. The loss of those horses had a cascading effect. Men who had been mounted were now forced to advance on foot, and horses were diverted from other details to fill vacancies in horse-drawn artillery teams. The net effect was to distribute the transportation and logistics burden over an ever-decreasing population of beasts of burden. The burden increased with the onset of heavy rains, which turned the Russian roads into impassable bogs. Throughout the campaign, the ever-dwindling supply of horses and the ever-worsening weather contributed to the complete destruction of Napoleon’s ability to provide for his forces.
