Michel Ney
Michel Ney | |
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Born | Sarrelouis, France; modern-day Germany | 10 January 1769
Died | 7 December 1815 (aged 46) Paris, France |
Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
Buried | |
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Branch | French Army |
Service years | 1787–1815 |
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Michel Ney, 1st Prince de la Moskowa, 1st Duke of Elchingen (pronounced [miʃɛl nɛ]; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815) was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
The son of a cooper from Saarlouis, Ney worked as a civil servant until 1787 when he enlisted in a cavalry regiment, right before the outbreak of French Revolution. Distinguishing himself as a cavalry officer in the War of the First Coalition, he quickly rose through the ranks and, by the Battle of Hohenlinden (1800), he had been promoted to divisional general. On Napoleon's proclamation of the French Empire, Ney was named one of the original 18 Marshals of the Empire. He played an instrumental role during Napoleon's subsequent campaigns, seeing action at Elchingen (1805), Jena (1806) and Eylau (1807). Ney commanded the French rearguard during the disastrous invasion of Russia, for which he was lauded "the bravest of the brave" by the emperor.
After Napoleon's defeat by the Sixth Coalition in 1814, Ney pressured the emperor to abdicate and pledged his allegiance to the restored Bourbon monarchy. He rejoined Napoleon during the Hundred Days but met defeat at the Battle of Waterloo (1815), after which he was charged with treason by the restored monarchy and executed by firing squad.
Early life
Ney was born in the town of Sarrelouis, in the French province of Lorraine, along the French–German border. He was the second son of Pierre Ney (1738–1826), a master cooper and veteran of the Seven Years' War, and his wife Marguerite Greiveldinger.[1][2]
His hometown at the time of his birth comprised a French enclave in the predominantly German region of Saarland, and Ney grew up bilingual, due to his German roots.[3] He was educated at the Collège des Augustins in Sarrelouis until 1782, when he began working as a clerk in a local notary's office, and in 1784 was employed in mines and forges.[4]
Military career
French Revolutionary Wars
Life as a civil servant did not suit Ney, and he enlisted in the Colonel-General Hussar Regiment in 1787.[2] Under the Bourbon monarchy, entry to the officer corps of the French Army was restricted to those with four quarterings of nobility (i.e., two generations of aristocratic birth). However, Ney rapidly rose through the non-commissioned officer ranks.
Following the French Revolution, Ney continued to serve in what was now the French Revolutionary Army, in the Army of the North. In September 1792 he saw action at the Battle of Valmy and in October was commissioned as an officer under the Republic. As an officer he participated in the Battle of Neerwinden in 1793 and was wounded at the Siege of Mainz, also in 1793. in June 1794, he was transferred to Army of Sambre-et-Meuse.
Ney was promoted to brigadier general in August 1796, and commanded cavalry on the German fronts. On 17 April 1797, during the
Napoleonic Wars
On 19 May 1804, Ney received his marshal's
Russia to Fontainebleau
Ney was given command of the
Ney crossing the Dniepr
Ney lost more than half his strength; almost all the cavalry and all the artillery, with the exception of two guns, had disappeared.[10] The terrible defeat of the III Corps was thorough enough to induce the chivalrous Miloradovich to extend another honorable surrender to Ney.[11] In the early evening during a heavy fog Ney decided to draw back with 3,000 men.[12] Ney escaped passing around the Russian at Mankovo, following the brook Losvinka for two hours, about 13 km north. At midnight he was informed that the enemy was approaching. In the middle of the night Ney decided to cross the Dnieper, supposedly near the remote hamlet Alekseyevka at a spot which could be used in summer to cross the river but with an almost vertical slope.[13] Ney literally got down on all fours.[14] One by one, but not without heavy losses, leaving guns, horses, part of the detachment and wounded who could not go on.[15] (The river, 110 m wide and the depth could reach up to 2 m, was only frozen for a couple of days, leaving it fragile, and the ice broke in several places. When they reached the other bank, they had to climb twelve feet (3.7 m), a very steep slope:[16]) The elements and the Cossacks reduced Ney's contingent to only 800 (900, 2,000?) diehards.[17][18] In the previous 24 hours, 3,000 armed men and 4,000 stragglers had either died or strayed from its ranks.[19] Armand de Briqueville increased the number of abandoned cannons to 6 and increases the number of people who cross to 5–6000.[20]
Ney ordered everyone to move to the Dnieper in the hope of crossing to the opposite bank on the ice. Everyone, from soldiers to officers, was amazed by this decision. To surprised and incredulous stares, Ney declared that if no one supported him, he would go alone. And the soldiers knew very well that this was not posturing. When, finally, the lucky ones reached the opposite shore and already considered themselves saved. To get to the shore, they had to climb another steep icy slope. Many fell back on the ice. Of the three thousand soldiers who accompanied Ney, 2,200 drowned during the crossing.[21][22]
Ney fought at the Berezina and helped hold the vital bridge at Kovno (modern-day Kaunas), where legend portrays Ney as the last of the invaders to cross the bridge and exit Russia.[8] On 25 March 1813, Ney was given the title of Prince de la Moskowa.[8] During the 1813 campaign, Ney fought at Weissenfels, was wounded at Lützen, and commanded the left wing at Bautzen. Ney later fought at Dennewitz and Leipzig, where he was again wounded. In the 1814 campaign in France, Ney fought various battles and commanded various units. At Fontainebleau, Ney became the spokesperson for the marshals' revolt on 4 April 1814, demanding Napoleon's abdication. Ney informed Napoleon that the army would not march on Paris; Napoleon responded, "the army will obey me!" to which Ney answered, "the army will obey its chiefs".[23]
When Paris fell and the
Hundred Days
When he heard of Napoleon's return to France, Ney, determined to keep France at peace and to show his loyalty to Louis XVIII, organized a force to stop Napoleon's march on Paris. Ney also pledged to bring Napoleon back alive in an iron cage. Aware of Ney's plans, Napoleon sent him a letter which said, in part, "I shall receive you as I did after the
At Waterloo on 18 June, Ney again commanded the left wing of the army. At around 3:30 p.m., Ney ordered a mass cavalry charge against the Anglo-Allied lines. Ney's cavalry overran the enemy cannons but found the infantry formed in cavalry-proof square formations which – without infantry or artillery support – he failed to break. The action earned Ney criticism, and some argue that it led to Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.[26] Debate continues[citation needed] as to the responsibility for the cavalry charge and why it went unsupported. Ney's cavalry also failed to spike the enemy cannons (driving iron spikes into the firing holes) while they were under French control (during the cavalry attack, the crews of the cannon retreated into the squares for protection, and then re-manned their pieces as the cavalry withdrew). Ney's cavalry carried the equipment needed to spike cannons, and spiking the cannons would probably have made them useless for the rest of the battle. The loss of a large number of cannon would have weakened the army and could have caused the Anglo-Allied Army to withdraw from the battle.[29] Ney was seen[30] during one of the charges beating his sword against the side of a British cannon in furious frustration. During the battle, he had five horses killed under him,[31] and at the end of the day, Ney led one of the last infantry charges, shouting to his men: "Come and see how a marshal of France meets his death!"[32] It was as though Ney was seeking death, but death did not want him, as many observers reported.[33]
Trial and execution
When Napoleon was defeated, dethroned, and exiled for the second time in the summer of 1815, Ney was arrested on 3 August 1815. Marshal
After (the King and) the
Soldiers, when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her ... Soldiers, fire![38]
Ney was buried in Paris at Père Lachaise Cemetery.
Family
Ney married Aglaé Auguié (Paris, 24 March 1782 – Paris, 1 July 1854), daughter of Pierre César Auguié (1738–1815) and Adélaïde Henriette Genet (1758–1794, sister of Henriette Campan and Citizen Genêt), at Thiverval-Grignon on 5 August 1802.[39][40] they had four sons:[citation needed]
- Joseph Napoléon, 2nd Prince de la Moskowa (Paris, 8 May 1803 – Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 25 July 1857). He married Albine Laffitte (Paris, 12 May 1805 – Paris, 18 July 1881) in Paris on 26 January 1828. Albine was the daughter of Jacques Laffitte, Governor of the Bank of France. They had two children, whose male blood line ended.
Joseph also had an illegitimate son who was married and died childless.[citation needed]
- Michel Louis Félix, recognized as 2nd Duc d'Elchingen in 1826 (born 24 August 1804 in Paris – died 14 July 1854 at Versailles, 1 July 1889), daughter of Joseph Souham, in Paris on 19 January 1833.[citation needed]
- Eugène Michel (Paris, 12 July 1806 – Paris, 25 October 1845). He died unmarried.[citation needed]
- Edgar Napoléon Henry, recognized as 3rd Prince de la Moskowa 1857 (Paris, 12 April 1812 – Paris, 4 October 1882). He married Clotilde de La Rochelambert (Saint-Cloud, 29 July 1829 – Paris, 1884) in Paris on 16 January 1869. Their marriage was childless and the title of Prince de la Moskowa then reverted to Michel's descendants.[citation needed]
It is questionable if Ida Saint Elme, ‘Courtisane de la Grande Armée’, was a lover of Michel Ney.[41]
In literature and the arts
- Literature
- Ney appears briefly at the beginning of Stendhal's novel The Charterhouse of Parma, when Fabrizio del Dongo inadvertently joins his Bodyguard at the Battle of Waterloo.
- Ney is a character in Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace. See List of War and Peace characters.
- Ney is mentioned and/or appears in several of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Brigadier Gerard stories, including Brigadier Gerard at Waterloo (1903).
- Ney's patriotism, his intelligence, and his courage during the Battle of Waterloo was extensively mentioned and praised by Victor Hugo in his novel Les Misérables.
- Ney appears as a minor character in two volumes of Richard Sharpe series, Sharpe's Siege and Sharpe's Revenge
- Ney appears in Miloš Crnjanski's novel A Novel of London, where the novel's protagonist, a Russian aristocrat Count Repnin praises Ney in contrast with Napoleon. [42]
- Film
Ney has been portrayed by (among others):
- Carl de Vogt in the 1929 film Waterloo.
- Aleksandr Stepanov in the 1944 Russian film Kutuzov.
- Dan O'Herlihy in the 1970 film Waterloo.
- John Burton in the 1938 film Bravest of the Brave.
- John Hollingworth in the 2023 film Napoleon. [43]
- Television
Ney has been portrayed by (among others):
- John Baker in the 1972 British series War and Peace.
- Alain Doutey in the miniseries Napoléon.
- Colin Bean in the episode "A Soldier's Farewell" of the British sitcom Dad's Army.
- Jordi Martínez in the episode "El ministerio del tiempo" of the Spanish television series El ministerio del tiempo.
- Carolina folk culture
Rumors that a school teacher in Rowan County, North Carolina was Marshall Ney in exile circulated in Carolina in 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Records in Charleston, South Carolina indicate the arrival of one "Peter Stewart Ney" the year following Michel Ney's execution (Michel Ney's father was named Peter, and his mother's maiden name was Stewart). Peter Ney served as a school teacher in Rowan County until his death on 15 November 1846. According to legend, Peter Ney slashed his throat and almost died upon hearing of the death of Napoleon in 1821. His last words upon his death were reportedly "I am Ney of France",[44] and he supposedly claimed to be Marshall Ney when drunk, although denying it when sober.
However, there was evidence contradicting this legend, the main being that the execution of Michel Ney is well documented and verified. And Marshall Ney, though fluent in German,[45] is not known to have spoken English. One researcher claims evidence exists that Peter Stewart Ney was one Peter McNee, born in 1788 in Stirlingshire, Scotland.[46]
Peter Stewart Ney's body was exhumed twice, in 1887 and 1936,[citation needed] but both times no conclusive proof emerged. A new investigation was made in 2022, and while third exhumation found no usable remains, DNA was extracted from a flute that had belonged to Peter Stewart Ney. According to the researchers, this proved conclusively that Peter Stewart Ney was not Michel Ney, although it is possible that he had believed he was.[47][48]
See also
- HMS Marshal Ney, a British warship named after Ney
Notes
- ^ Riotor, Léon (1934). Amours et tragédie de Michel Ney, maréchal de France (in French). Fasquelle éditeurs. p. 7.
- ^ a b Chandler 1999, p. 360
- ^ Young 1987, p. 360.
- ^ Atteridge 1912.
- ^ Atteridge 1912, p. 25.
- ^ a b c Six 1934, p. 253.
- ^ Phipps (2011), p. 164.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chandler 1999, p. 314
- ISBN 9781473852747.
- ^ Paul Holzhausen (1912) Die Deutschen in Russland, 1812. Leben und Leiden auf der Moskauer Heerfahrt. Morawe & Scheffelt, Berlin, p. 73
- ^ Leadership by Inspiration: An Episode of Marshal Ney during the Russian Retreat By Wayne Hanley West Chester University of Pennsylvania
- ^ Holzhausen, p. 74
- ^ [1] [2] [3] Photos of the Losvinka and Dniepr by Elena Minina, Smolensk
- ^ The real places of the crossing of Marshal Ney's 3rd Corps on November 6/18 and how it took place
- ^ "The bravest of the brave, Michel Ney, marshal of France, duke of Elchingen, prince of the Moskowa 1769–1815" by A. Hilliard Atteridge
- ^ The real places of the crossing of Marshal Ney's 3rd Corps on November 6/18 and how it took place
- ^ Rickard, J (26 June 2014), Second battle of Krasnyi, 15–18 November 1812, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_krasnyi_2nd.html
- ^ A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East by Spencer C. Tucker
- ^ Michel Ney’s Retreat by Jeremy Green
- ^ The real places of the crossing of Marshal Ney's 3rd Corps on November 6/18 and how it took place
- ^ Marshal Ney by Sergey Zakharov
- ^ Y. Tarlé (1938) Napoleon's Invasion of Russia, 1812. Chapter X
- ^ Gates 2003, p. 259.
- ^ (Markham 2003, p. 261).
- ^ Le Journal de Paris, 22 novembre 1815; Journal des débats politiques et littéraires, 22 novembre 1815
- ^ a b Chandler 1999, p. 315
- ^ Roberts 2005, p. 116.
- ^ Markham 2003, p. 272.
- ^ Markham 2003, p. 276.
- ^ Howarth 1968, p. 132.
- ^ Parry 1901, p. 68.
- ^ "venez voir comment meurt un maréchal de France!" Coustumier 2011, p. 267.
- ^ Gillespie-Payne 2003, p. 111.
- ^ Welschinger, Henri. Le Maréchal Ney: 1815. Paris: Librairie Plon, 1893.
- ^ Le Journal de Paris, 22 novembre 1815; Journal des débats politiques et littéraires, 22 novembre 1815
- ^ "Je suis Français et je resterai Français!" Bellemare & Nahmias 2009, p. 149
- ^ Macdonell 1934, p. 328.
- ^ Tsouras 2005, p. 245
- ^ Atteridge 1912, pp. 107–109.
- Jeanne-Louise-Henriette Campan (Atteridge 1912, pp. 107–109).
- ^ Four Men and a Woman: Remarkable Dutch Experiences during the Russian Campaign of Napoleon in 1812 by: Mariska Pool and Mark van Hattem of the Royal Netherlands Army and Arms Museum
- ^ Jovanović, Višnja (1 January 2016). "Multilingualism in Translation: The Complexity of Translating Miloš Crnjanski's 'Roman o Londonu' (A Novel about London) into the English Language". Annual Meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association, Harvard University, US; 17–20 Mar. 2016.
- ^ Scott, Ridley (22 November 2023), Napoleon (Action, Adventure, Biography), Vanessa Kirby, Joaquin Phoenix, Ludivine Sagnier, Apple Studios, Apple, Dune Films, retrieved 31 October 2023
- ^ "Peter Stuart Ney Confesses to be Napoleon's Closest Aide". North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Kennedy Hickman (17 March 2017). "Napoleonic Wars: Marshal Michel Ney". ThoughtCo. Dotdash Merideth. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Taylor, George V. (1991). "Ney, Peter Stewart". In Powell, William S. (ed.). Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "The Plot Thickens: Did DNA Settle a Centuries-Old Conspiracy?". Davidson College news. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ David Whisenant (9 September 2023). "French researchers conclude that Napoleon's famed Marshal Ney is not the Peter Stuart Ney buried in Rowan Co. church cemetery". WBTV. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
References
- Atteridge, A. Hilliard (1912). Marshal Ney: The Bravest of the Brave. London: Methuen.
- Bellemare, Pierre; Nahmias, Jean-François (2009). La Terrible vérité: 26 grandes énigmes de l'histoire enfin résolues (in French). Albin Michel. p. 149. ISBN 978-2-226-19676-7.
- Chandler, David (1999). Dictionary of the Napoleonic wars. Wordsworth editions.
- Coustumier, Jacques Le (2011). Le Maréchal Victor (in French). Nouveau Monde éditions. p. 267. ISBN 978-2-36583-087-4.
- Gates, David (2003). The Napoleonic Wars, 1803–1815. Pimlico.
- Gillespie-Payne, Jonathan (2003). Waterloo: In the Footsteps of the Commanders. Pen and Sword. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-84415-024-3.
- ISBN 0-88365-273-0.
- Horricks, Raymond (1982). Marshal Ney, The Romance And The Real. Tunbridge Wells: Midas Books. ISBN 0-85936-276-0.
- Kircheisen, F.M. (2010). Memoires Of Napoleon I. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- Macdonell, A. G. (1934). Napoleon and His Marshals. London: Macmillan.
- Markham, J. D. (2003). Napoleon's Road to Glory: Triumphs, Defeats, and Immortality. Brassey’s.
- Parry, D. H. (1901). Battles of the Nineteenth Century. Vol. 1 (special ed.). London, Paris, New York and Melbourne: Cassell and Company. p. 68.
- Roberts, A. (2005). Waterloo, June 18, 1815: The Battle for Modern Europe. Harper-Collins.
- Six, Georges (1934). "Ney, duc d'Elghingen, prince de la Moscowa (Michel)". Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Empire: 1792–1814 (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Librairie Historique et Nobilaire. pp. 253–255.
- Tsouras, P. G. (2005). The book of Military Quotations. Zenith Press.
- ISBN 0-297-79124-9.
Further reading
- Dawson, Paul L. Marshal Ney at Quatre Bras: New Perspectives on the Opening Battle of the Waterloo Campaign (Pen and Sword, 2017).
- Kurtz, Harold (1957). The Trial of Marshal Ney: His Last Years and Death. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
- R. F. Delderfield (1966) Napoleon's Marshals