Louis XVIII of France Dies

‘…Louis XVIII. in his distress, had recourse to the assistance of another man of the Revolution, who, without possessing the abilities of Fouche, was perhaps, had he been disposed to do so, better qualified than he to have served the king's cause. Marechal Ney was called forth to take the command of an army destined to attack Napoleon in the flank and rear as he marched towards Paris, while the forces at Melun opposed him in front. He had an audience of the king on the 9th of March, when he accepted his appointment with expressions of the most devoted faith to the king, and declared his resolution to bring Bonaparte to Paris like a wild beast in an iron cage. The marechal went to Beaancon, where, on the llth March, he learned that Bonaparte was in possession of Lyons. But he continued to make preparations for resistance, and collected all the troops he could from the adjoining garrisons. To those who objected to the bad disposition of the soldiers, and remarked that he would have difficulty in inducing them to fight. Ney answered determinedly, "They shall fight; I will take a musket from a grenadier and begin the action myself,—I will run my sword to the hilt in the first who hesitates to follow my example." To the minister at war he wrote, that all were dazzled by the activity and rapid progress of the invader; that Napoleon was favoured by the common people and the soldiers; but that the officers and civil authorities were loyal, and he still hoped "to see a fortunate close of this mad enterprise."…’

The text above is from Walter Scott’s “The Life of Napoleon Buonaparte”.  Michel Ney disappointed Louis XVIII with respect to Napoleon, but Louis outlived the Emperor by three years, returning to France after Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo.  Having been restored to the throne twice, Louis XVIII ended up being the only French monarch of the 19^th century to die in power, passing of various health issues on September 16, 1824.

Battle of Bautzen Ends

As reported yesterday, The Battle of Bautzen ended in victory for Napoleon.  The victory came on May 21, 1813, but it came at a cost, and Count Gebhard von Blucher's Prussian soldiers avoided a devastating rout when they escaped from Bautzen past Marshal Ney's troops.  Sir Walter Scott provides some human color to this episode in the Napoleonic Wars, in his "Life of Napoleon Bonaparte":

 '...The victories of Lutzen and Bautzen were so unexpected and so brilliant, that they completely dazzled all those who, reposing a superstitious confidence in Bonaparte's star, conceived that they again saw it reviving in all the splendour of its first rising. But the expressions of Augereau to Fouche, at Mentz as the latter passed to join Bonaparte at Dresden, show what was the sense of Napoleon's , best officers. "Alas!" he said, "our sun has set. How little do the two actions of which they make so much at Paris, resemble our victories in Italy, when I taught Bonaparte the art of war, which he now abuses. How much labour has been thrown away only to win a few marches onward! At Lutzen our centre was broken, several regiments disbanded, and all was lost but for the Young Guard. We have taught the allies to beat us. After such a butchery as that of Bautzen, there were no results, no cannon taken, no prisoners made. The enemy everywhere opposed us with advantage, and we were roughly handled at Reichembach, the very day after the cattle. Then one ball strikes off Bessieres, another Duroc; Duroc, the only friend he had in the world. Bruyeres and Kirchenner, are swept away by spent bullets. What a war! it will make an end of all of us. He will not make peace; you know him as well as l do; he will cause himself to be surrounded by half a million of men, for, believe me, Austria will not be more faithful to him than Prussia. Yes, he will remain inflexible, and unless he be killed, (as killed he will not be,) there is an end of all of us."?...'

Battle of Brienne

'The result of the battle of Brienne was indecisive, and the more unsatisfactory to Bonaparte, as the part of Blucher's force engaged did not amount to 20,000 men, and the sole advantage gained over them, was that of keeping the field of battle. Napoleon's principal object, which was to divide Blucher from the grand army, had altogether failed. It was necessary, however, to proclaim the engagement as a victory, and much pains was taken to represent it as such. But when it was afterward discovered to be merely a smart skirmish, without any material results, the temporary deception only served to injure the cause of Napoleon....'


On January 29, 1814, French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte defeated combined Prussian/Russian forces at the Battle of Brienne.  Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher led the Prussian forces.  Marshal Michel Ney was instrumental in securing the town of Brienne.  Blücher was nearly captured, but escaped and later met Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.  The text above is from Walter Scott's "Life of Napoleon Bonaparte".

Marshal Michel Ney

"Le brave des braves", as Napoleon called him after commanding the rear guard in the retreat from Moscow, Michel Ney was killed this day in Paris, in 1815. It was no stray bullet that felled one of Napoleon's elite marshals, but the work of a firing squad. Soon after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo and subsequent exile, Ney was charged with treason, tried, and found guilty by the Chamber of Peers.

The Chamber of Peers consisted of nobles under the Bourbon reign, which was restored to power following Napoleon's first defeat; at Paris. Ney facilitated Napoleon's abdication after this defeat, for which King Louis XVIII raised him to the level of Peer. When Napoleon returned from exile, Ney intercepted him with the stated intent of supporting Louis. Napoleon convinced him otherwise, and the 100 days campaign ensued. Marshal Ney was in charge of the left wing of the French army at Waterloo, which became trapped; a direct cause of the French defeat.

True to his Napoleonic sobriquet, Ney faced his firing squad without a blindfold, and in fact issued the orders to fire upon himself.

Scott includes the Marshal Ney in his "Life of Napoleon", his name appearing in the text more than 50 times.