Michel Ney

Under the Old Mode

Wire of a workman Wet cooper, it gave up a peaceful clerical work to enter strong young person to the service, like simple hussard in the regiment of Colonel-General to Metz, in 1787, against the opinion of his father. After having passed by all the lower ranks, he had become warrant officer with the French revolution.

Wars of the Revolution

The general Kléber made it name lieutenant of the Armée with the Rhine in 1792, captain in 1794, then Major and Adjudant-general. It is one of the first generals to locate its talents. Its men already gave him a nickname: “ Untiring the ”.

Brigadier general on the battle field in 1796, it had just taken Würzburg with 100 men of cavalry only, and had forced the passage of the Rednitz and taken Forcheim, 70 parts of gun and immense provisioning. In 1797, it contributes to the head of its hussards to the victories of Neuwied and Dierdoff. In 1798, Ney republishes its exploit and seizes Mannheim by the trick, with only a hundred and fifty men. It is promoted major general.

Major general in year IV. In September 1799, it ordered temporarily the Armée with the Rhine. The Coup d'etat of the 18 brumaire did not have its total support. He married Aglaé Auguié, friend of pension of Hortense de Beauharnais.

Then, Kléber left with the troops the Countryside of Egypt, the future Ney marshal was useful under the orders of the not less prestigious general Moreau. Both reflect fine with the wars of the Revolution, by gaining the Bataille of Hohenlinden, the December 3rd 1800.

First Empire

Extraordinary envoy and Plenipotentiary minister near the Swiss Republic in 1802, it could impose to the unit government desired by the First Consul and pacify this country threatened of the civil war. What was worth to him the regard of Talleyrand.

Then, ordering Armed with Compiegne in 1803, it ordered the Camp of Montreuil and belonged to the promotion of marshals of empire of the May 19th 1804, and large eagle the 1^er February 1805.

Restoration

With Fontainebleau, it strongly encouraged the Emperor to abdicate and adopted the Bourbons, which was worth to him to be named even of France by Louis XVIII. It was the first of the marshals which gave up Napoleon after the capitulation of Paris.

The Restoration was one period contrasted for the Ney marshal like all the others " parvenu " French revolution. The France filled it honors (Commander-in-chief of the cavalry of France, governor of the 6^e military division), but the aristocrats mediums and the former emigrants, scoffed this new nobility manufactured by l'" usurping ".

The Hundred Days

At the time of the unloading of Napoleon with Gulf-Juan on March 1st 1815, it proposed to the king Louis XVIII to bring back Napoleon “ in an iron cage” but on the contrary was joined the Emperor. Contrary to many generally accepted ideas, there was no confrontation between the troops of the Ney marshal and Napoleon.

The famous meeting of Auxerre between the marshal Ney and Napoleon, was in fact a meeting behind closed doors. Testimonys diverge. It seems that the two men strongly raised the tone. Some claim that Napoleon would have strongly tancé his marshal for his “ defection ” of 1814.

The Ney marshal supported during his lawsuit to have required of Napoleon: That he does not play tyrant any more.
In any case, the two characters emblematic seemed angry and were not re-examined any more until the June 12th 1815, when Napoleon pointed out the Ney marshal to order 1st and 2nd army corps in the countryside of Belgium which started.

Waterloo and the countryside of Belgium

The campaign of Belgium was badly conducted beginning with the end. The Ney marshal, called of last minute, arrived at the Four-arm only the June 15th 1815. As of the following day started the Bataille of the Four-Arms where a weak detachment of British and Dutchman resisted in spite of weak troops and a lack of ammunition.

Follows the Bataille of Waterloo. For some, the Ney marshal is the losing one of Waterloo, and for others it is truth vainqueur.

In a few moments the battle rocks, the British squares are reformed, and a little later the Prussian cavalry arrives at the contact.

After the defeat, came time from the settlings of score. Napoleon as of his return to the Elysium made feel guilty his marshals and in particular the Ney marshal, and the marshal of Grouchy. The marshal Davout took the defense of the Ney marshal

The arrest

Rewriting of the history of Napoleon, and the revenge on the royalists made his work. With the second Restoration, the Ney marshal is hated by all the parties, except by the Republicans who were then too minority.

It was decided that those which had been put at the service of the Emperor before the March 20th 1815, date on which Louis XVIII had left the capital, were traitors.

Only one marshal on this list (ordinance of the July 24th 1815) and all in top: the Ney marshal. In spite of kindnesses of Fouché, then Minister for the Police force, which gave him two passports to flee in Suisse or with the the United States, the Ney marshal, remained in France, in a cousin of his wife. It is then stopped with the Château of Bessonies, close to Aurillac.

The marshal arrives at Paris under escort the August 19th. He is imprisoned at once with the Conciergerie. He is transferred to the prison from Luxembourg while crossing cities where one wishes either to lynch it, or to deliver it.

The council of war

The Conseil of war was to judge the Ney marshal. It however remained to compose. It was to necessarily include/understand Marshals of France and the presidency returned from there from right to their senior, the marshal Moncey, duke of Conegliano. But this one was challenged in a letter addressed to the King

Dissatisfied, the King relieved Moncey and three months of prison inflicted to him. The marshal Jourdan was then appointed to chair the Conseil of war. Ney is assisted by Berryer father and Dupin.

The Ney marshal does not wish to be judged by his former comrades of which it fears resentment following last incidents. Ney was high with peerage by Louis XVIII; it can thus require to be judged by the Room of the pars. Thus, in front of the floor of marshals and generals who compose the Conseil of war, the defendant scorns to answer the interrogation of identity and declares, with general amazement, to decline the competence of the court. Pair of France at the time when the facts proceeded of which he is shown, he requires, while being based on articles 33 and 34 of the Charter, its reference in front of the Room of the pars.

The council is withdrawn and by 5 votes against 2 decides for the incompetence.

Thus, the November 10th, the the Council of war, making right to the request of the defenders of Ney, being declared inefficient, Ney was judged by the Chambre of the pars.

The lawsuit

It is thus the Room of Pars which judges the Ney marshal. Several eminent characters are made exempt. The debate is obviously with one way, the Room of the pars being with strong monarchist majority.

Also defense approaches the discussion of the facts little, and makes carry its effort on a means of right. The Davout marshal had signed with the Allies on July 3rd a convention whose article 12 specified that no continuation could be exerted against the officers and soldiers for their control during the Hundred Days. To condemn the Ney marshal amounted violating this convention. The Room of the pars decided to prohibit defense from developing this means, because “ it should have been pled before any discussion of the basic issues ”.

An ultimate bounce occurs the December 6th. Dupin thus declares that Ney cannot be judged, because it is now Prussian. Obviously, the Ney marshal, rises, stops his lawyer, and known as: “ I am French and I will remain French! ” the cause is heard. Three issues of fact thus are initially posed. Their formulation is such as the judgment appears inevitable.

First question: did the Ney marshal receive emissary in the night of the 13 to the March 14th? Second question: did the Ney marshal read, the March 14th, a proclamation inviting the troops with the defection?

Third question: did the Ney marshal make an attack against the state security?

The last question relates to the sorrow to apply. Lanjuinais, supported by Malville, Lemercier, Lenoir-Laroche and Cholet, tries to make adopt the sorrow of deportation which 17 pars voted. Finally, 139 votes, reduced to 128, because of similar opinions between parents, claim the capital punishment.

Moreover, nonglad to have obtained the judgment of the marshal, Bellart requires that it is striped executives of the Légion of honor.

The sentence is delivered at eleven hours and half of the evening. The Pair S observe the rule of the council of war and read it in the absence of the defendant.

The defenders having understood that any hope is lost do not attend the reading of the stop and go in the cell which for two days the marshal has occupied, with the Palais of Luxembourg.

End

During the reading of the sentence, the defenders of the marshal will see it in his cell. After their departure, it starts to write its last provisions and is thrown very equipped on its bed to sleep there peacefully.

At 3 o'clock in the morning, the secretary-archivist of the Room of the pars, Cauchy, awakes it to communicate the sentence to him. The general of Rochechouart, which orders the place of Paris, the formless one that it can receive three visits: its wife, her notary and his confessor.

One proposed a confessor with Ney which retorted, “ You annoy me with your prêtraille! ” Then it accepted finally, convinced by a former soldier of the Campagne of Russia, become believer on this occasion.

Ney writes last once at his/her brother-in-law

Then it discusses with the priest Saint-Sulpice. To 8:30 a car comes to seek Ney. It carries its behavior of marshal not but a simple middle-class costume. Last once, the marshal's wife went to require thanks to Louis XVIII, and his/her brother the count d' Artois, future Charles X, accepted it and says to him curtly: “ Madam, your request does not have any more an object. ”

It falls face against ground. In accordance with the habit, the skin remained fifteen minutes only. An incident occurred.

Learning the news, Napoleon would have said “ It was a brave man, nobody was not it more than him; but it was insane! He died without carrying the regard of anybody ”.

The legend

But the heroes do not die. And it is here that the legend of the Ney marshal starts. Like Masséna, Louis XVIII and Wellington, the Ney marshal was freemason.

A claiming himself man of its identity died in Brownsville in North Carolina in 1846. He was called Peter Stuart Ney. Disconcerting name because, Pierre was the first name of the father of the Ney marshal, and it is said that his/her mother went down from the dynasty of Scottish Stuart. This Peter Stuart Ney taught French, German, Hebrew and mathematics.

He revealed his identity only twice

Several soldiers identified this mysterious character, and were categorical, he acted well for them of the marshal who had led them to the combat. Two graphological expertises took place. They gave contradictory results.

The tomb of Peter Stuart Ney raises a small French flag and an inscription ambiguity

What one can say, it is that several things are disconcerting. First of all witnesses present during the execution found surprising that it collapses face against ground.

But the principal mystery is the following: in 1903, the Third Republic French decides to give to the Ney marshal a worthy burial. Indeed, it was since 1815 buried under a simple flagstone. One thus builds the current one fall, massive and worthy. For that, the coffin is exhumed. The grave-digger who opens the coffin notes and testifies with which wants well to listen to it, that the coffin is empty!

Posterity

Several monuments celebrate the Ney marshal. The tomb official with the Cemetery of the Father-Lachaise, division 29, with the angle of the way of the Acacias and the Masséna way.

In 1831 Louis Philippe 1st, rehabilitates the marshal Ney and reinstates it on the lists of the Légion of honor. In 1848, the provisional government of the Second French Republic, decides to build a statue of the Ney marshal to the site even where he was shot. Work is entrusted to the sculptor François Rude. This statue is finished in 1853, and is inaugurated under Napoleon III. The Emperor is absent and the speech is very tepid.

This statue can currently see place of the Observatoire in Paris. It was slightly moved during construction of the RER B.

See too

Descent

It had four wire:

Napoleon Joseph, prince of Moskowa
Michel Louis Felix, known as " Alloys" , duke of Elchingen
Eugene, count Ney (1808-1845), diplomat.
Edgar, prince of Moskowa

The descent of the Ney marshal is extinct with Laetitia Ney, duchess of Elchingen, princess of Moskova (1940-2005). The indirect descent of the Ney Marshal is with Suzanne Bétain

Partial source

Evariste Dumoulin, complete History of the lawsuit of the marshal Ney (two volumes, Paris, 1815)
Henri Welschinger, the Ney marshal, 1815 , (2nd edition, Paris, 1893)
Henri Bonnal, military life of the marshal Ney (Paris, 1910)

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