The Making of a Marshal

Michel Ney’s journey to becoming one of Napoleon’s most celebrated marshals began in humble circumstances. Born in 1769 in Saarlouis to a barrel cooper father, young Ney joined the French army as a hussar in 1787. His rise through the ranks during the Revolutionary Wars demonstrated both his military talent and personal integrity. Unlike many contemporaries who advanced through political connections, Ney earned promotions through battlefield valor.

By 1804, Napoleon recognized Ney’s abilities by including him among the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire. His leadership at the Battle of Elchingen in 1805 earned him the title Duke of Elchingen, yet despite these honors, Ney remained somewhat apart from Napoleon’s inner circle. His straightforward character and refusal to engage in the corruption rampant among imperial officers paradoxically slowed his advancement even as it earned him the respect of his men.

The Spanish Interlude and Professional Exile

Ney’s career reached a crossroads during the Peninsular War in Spain. Assigned to command the VI Corps in 1808, he found himself embroiled in bitter disputes with his superior, Marshal Masséna. Ney’s refusal to compromise his principles led to his recall to France in 1811, effectively a professional exile that might have ended a lesser officer’s career.

This period of disgrace proved formative. Stationed at the Boulogne camp in northern France, Ney had time to reflect while overseeing the neglected coastal defenses. The once-bustling camp, now reduced to crumbling barracks, served as an appropriate metaphor for Ney’s own stalled career. Yet this forced respite tempered the marshal’s famous impetuosity, preparing him for the greater challenges to come.

The Russian Gamble Begins

When Napoleon prepared his invasion of Russia in 1812, he recalled Ney to command the III Corps. The Grande Armée that assembled that spring bore little resemblance to the veteran force that had dominated Europe. Of the 600,000 men who would cross the Niemen River, fewer than one-third were French, with the rest drawn from across Napoleon’s empire and allied states.

Ney’s III Corps reflected this patchwork composition. Initially comprising two French divisions (Ledru des Essarts and Razout), it later incorporated a Württemberg division under Jérôme Bonaparte. The marshal faced significant challenges with this multinational force, including language barriers and varying levels of training and equipment. His artillery commander, General Fouchet (no relation to the famous minister of police), and new chief of staff, General Gouré, were unfamiliar faces, though the return of his old comrade General Marchand provided some continuity.

Into the Russian Heartland

The campaign began on June 24, 1812, when French forces crossed the Niemen River near Kovno (modern Kaunas). Ney’s corps formed part of the central column under Napoleon’s direct command, positioned between Davout’s I Corps and Oudinot’s II Corps. The initial weeks of marching through Lithuania proved grueling but uneventful, with the Russian armies under Barclay de Tolly and Bagration consistently retreating eastward.

Ney saw his first significant action at Krasny on August 14. Here, his infantry successfully dislodged Russian forces from the town, though Marshal Murat’s subsequent cavalry charges against Neverovsky’s division proved less effective. This engagement, fought on Napoleon’s birthday, demonstrated Ney’s ability to coordinate infantry and artillery effectively, though the marshal characteristically downplayed the achievement, noting he fired the celebratory salutes using captured Russian guns.

The Battle for Smolensk

The campaign’s first major confrontation occurred at Smolensk on August 16-17. Ney’s initial assault on the city’s bastions met fierce resistance, costing 300-400 casualties and leaving the marshal himself slightly wounded. When Russian reinforcements appeared across the Dnieper River, Napoleon hoped to force a decisive battle, but Barclay de Tolly again withdrew after two days of heavy fighting.

The capture of Smolensk proved pyrrhic. Russian forces systematically burned the city as they retreated, leaving little for the invaders. Ney joined other marshals in urging Napoleon to halt the advance, warning of overextended supply lines and the approaching Russian winter. Their counsel went unheeded.

The Bloody Fields of Valutino

On August 19, Ney’s corps engaged Russian forces at Valutino (also called Lubino). Believing he faced only a rearguard, Ney committed his 12,000 men against what proved to be substantial forces protecting Barclay’s supply trains. The day-long battle saw Ney’s troops seize key heights, enabling Murat’s cavalry attacks. Though Davout’s reinforcements eventually arrived, Junot’s Bavarians failed to support effectively, allowing much of the Russian force to escape under cover of darkness.

The Valutino engagement cost Ney’s corps dearly, forcing its withdrawal from vanguard position. For the next two weeks, the III Corps marched with the central column as the Grande Armée advanced deeper into Russia, encountering only scorched earth and abandoned villages.

The Climax at Borodino

The campaign reached its bloody crescendo at Borodino on September 7. Marshal Kutuzov, newly appointed Russian commander, chose to make his stand near the village of Borodino, about 70 miles west of Moscow. The Russian position stretched along rolling terrain between the Kolocha and Moskva Rivers, anchored by fortified earthworks including the massive Raevsky Redoubt.

Ney’s III Corps occupied the center of the French line, facing dense woods held by Russian advance posts. The day-long battle became a brutal slugging match with little tactical subtlety. Ney distinguished himself through fifteen hours of continuous combat, particularly in the struggle for the Semyonovskaya flèches and the final assault on the Raevsky Redoubt.

The marshal’s frustration with Napoleon’s uncharacteristic passivity boiled over when requests for Imperial Guard reinforcements went unanswered. “What’s the emperor doing in the rear?” Ney reportedly exclaimed. “If he’s no longer a general, if he wants to be everywhere, he should return to the Tuileries and let us command the armies!” Despite this outburst, Ney continued leading from the front, miraculously escaping injury despite his conspicuous uniform and exposed position.

Borodino ended as the bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars, with combined casualties exceeding 70,000. Though technically a French victory that opened the road to Moscow, the failure to destroy the Russian army would prove decisive. Napoleon honored Ney by creating him Prince of the Moskva, a title commemorating his valor in the battle the French called the Battle of the Moskva.

The Terrible Retreat

After occupying a deserted Moscow, the Grande Armée began its disastrous retreat in October. Ney’s leadership during this catastrophe would cement his legendary status. Commanding the rear guard, he repeatedly saved the army from complete destruction, most notably at the Battle of Krasny in November where his 6,000 survivors staged a dramatic breakout through Russian lines.

When someone suggested surrender was inevitable, Ney famously retorted: “A Marshal of France does not surrender!” His actions earned him the nickname “the bravest of the brave” from Napoleon himself. Of the 600,000 men who invaded Russia, fewer than 100,000 would return, but Ney’s leadership in the retreat ensured it wasn’t total annihilation.

Legacy of the Russian Campaign

The 1812 campaign marked both the apex and beginning of the end for Ney’s career. His performance in Russia demonstrated unmatched courage and leadership under impossible conditions, yet the disaster fatally weakened Napoleon’s empire. In the campaigns of 1813-14, Ney continued to distinguish himself, but after Napoleon’s first abdication, he pledged loyalty to the Bourbons.

Ney’s ultimate fate—executed by the restored monarchy in 1815 after rejoining Napoleon during the Hundred Days—adds tragic depth to his Russian exploits. The marshal who had saved an army in 1812 couldn’t save himself from France’s political turmoil.

Today, historians recognize Ney’s Russian campaign as his finest hour. Unlike more politically adept marshals, Ney never sought glory for its own sake. His leadership at Smolensk, Valutino, and Borodino reflected professional dedication rather than ambition. Perhaps most remarkably, in an era of rampant military corruption, Ney maintained his integrity, earning the genuine affection of his men.

The Russian winter ultimately defeated Napoleon’s Grande Armée, but it couldn’t extinguish Ney’s courage. His actions in 1812 transcended mere military skill, embodying the stubborn resilience that makes his story resonate two centuries later. As both a brilliant tactician and a man of principle, Ney remains one of history’s most compelling military figures—a leader whose true worth emerged not in victory, but in catastrophe.