What mistakes did Napoleon make in the Russian campaign?

(My answer on Quora)

The negative outcome of the Russian campaign in 1812 was a function of several key errors, misjudgements and logistical factors that would ultimately prove to be deleterious for the Grande Armée. Much of this by virtue of the chain of command, points back to Napoleon and significant failures of planning and necessary anticipation.

These factors were:

1. The wholesale underestimation of Russian resistance and the competency of their Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov (a master of the war of attrition).
2. Russian Dirt Roads. They proved to be a nightmare for French transportation and supply lines who at the best of times were overextended.
3. The Russian Scorched Earth policy which took a heavy toll on an army that historically marches on its stomach.
4. The Grande Armée was ill-equipped for the Cold winter (by French standards). Bivouac shelters used by the soldiers were ineffective. Oddly enough the Russians considered this a mild winter.
5. The Russians kept robbing the French of decisive victories by skillful retreat. They also used guerilla warfare and Cossack hit and run techniques to wear down the French.
6. Disease - namely diphtheria, dysentery and typhus - this spread rapidly through the French army and proved difficult to control.