Michel Ney (The Bravest of the Brave)
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Military Leaders & Strategists • Historical Archive • 🇫🇷 Kingdom of France • 4 views

Michel Ney (The Bravest of the Brave) 🇫🇷

Michel Ney, duc d'Elchingen, prince de la Moskowa (Known as "Marshal Ney")
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Born Jan 10, 1769 🇫🇷 Sarrelouis (Lorraine), Kingdom of France
Passed Away Dec 07, 1815 Paris, Kingdom of France
Lifespan 46 years old
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Notice / Correction
"Soldiers, listen to me: when I give the command, fire straight at my heart! Long live France!"

Archival Overview

Marshal of France immortalized by Napoleon as 'The Bravest of the Brave' (Le Brave des Braves), who commanded the heroic rear guard during the retreat from Moscow.

Biographical Record

Michel Ney (1769–1815), 1st Duke of Elchingen and 1st Prince of the Moskowa, was Napoleon's most legendary combat commander, renowned for fearless physical courage. Son of a cooper in Alsace-Lorraine, Ney enlisted as a private hussar in 1787 and rose through sheer battlefield bravery to become one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created in 1804.

Ney won immortal fame during the disastrous 1812 retreat from Moscow. Commanding the III Corps rear guard in freezing sub-zero blizzards, Ney fought off hordes of Cossacks day after day with a musket in his own hands, becoming the last Frenchman to cross the bridge over the Niemen River into safety. During the Hundred Days, he rallied to Napoleon, commanding the left wing at Quatre Bras and leading the massed cavalry charges at Waterloo. Condemned to death for high treason by the Bourbon monarchy, he refused a blindfold and commanded his own firing squad: 'Soldiers, straight to the heart!'

Key Life Milestones

The Rearguard from Moscow

The Bravest of the Brave at Krasnoi

Fought his way through Russian encirclement in waist-deep snow with a musket in hand, preserving the remnants of the Grande Armée.

The Cavalry Charges at Waterloo

Five Horses Slain Beneath Him

Personally led the desperate French cavalry charges against the British squares at Waterloo, shouting: 'Come and see how a Marshal of France dies!'

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Père Lachaise Cemetery (Division 29)
Paris, France
GPS: 48.8601, 2.3942
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