The Lion of the Grande Armée

Michel Ney, one of Napoleon’s most celebrated marshals, earned his place in military history through extraordinary acts of courage during the disastrous Russian campaign of 1812. As the rearguard commander during the retreat from Moscow, Ney’s leadership became legendary, with British Field Marshal Wolseley later comparing his exploits favorably to the heroes of Homer’s epics. This article explores Ney’s pivotal role in what became one of history’s most catastrophic military campaigns, examining how his actions saved what remained of Napoleon’s Grande Armée while revealing the brutal realities of warfare in the Russian winter.

The Road to Moscow: Triumph Before the Storm

Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in June 1812 began with high hopes of forcing Tsar Alexander I to comply with the Continental System against Britain. The Grande Armée, numbering over 600,000 men from across Europe, crossed the Niemen River confident of victory. Marshal Ney commanded the III Corps, part of the central invasion force that marched toward Moscow.

The campaign’s early stages saw major battles at Smolensk and Borodino, where Ney distinguished himself through bold leadership. At Borodino on September 7, Ney’s troops captured critical Russian positions in brutal fighting that left both armies devastated. Though technically a French victory, the battle failed to destroy the Russian army, which withdrew in good order under Marshal Kutuzov’s command.

By mid-September, French forces reached Moscow, expecting the occupation of Russia’s ancient capital would force peace negotiations. Ney’s corps, reduced to just 8,000 men from its original strength, was ordered to camp on western hills overlooking the city. From this vantage point, soldiers marveled at Moscow’s golden church domes and the Kremlin’s towers, unaware of the catastrophe about to unfold.

The Turning Point: Moscow in Flames

On September 14, as Marshal Murat’s cavalry entered Moscow, the city appeared abandoned by its inhabitants. That night, fires broke out across Moscow, deliberately set by Russian patriots and possibly sanctioned by Governor Rostopchin. The flames, fanned by strong winds, quickly became an inferno that would burn for six days, destroying three-quarters of the city.

Ney’s troops watched helplessly from their hillside camp as Moscow burned. The disaster shattered French morale – the comfortable winter quarters and abundant supplies Napoleon had promised his army turned to ashes before their eyes. Though looting was officially prohibited, discipline broke down as desperate soldiers sneaked into the smoldering city seeking food and valuables. Ney pragmatically allowed controlled foraging parties, recognizing that strict enforcement would provoke mutiny.

The Moscow fire marked the campaign’s turning point. With no Russian surrender forthcoming and his supply lines overextended, Napoleon faced the grim reality that continuing the campaign was impossible, yet retreating would mean admitting failure. For five weeks the French emperor remained in Moscow, vainly hoping for peace overtures from Alexander I while his army’s situation grew increasingly desperate.

The Retreat Begins: Ney Takes Command of the Rearguard

On October 19, Napoleon finally ordered the retreat, initially hoping to take a southern route through untouched territory. Ney’s corps was assigned to guard this “new road” as a decoy while the main army attempted to slip past Kutuzov’s forces. When the Russians discovered Napoleon’s plan, they moved to block the French at Maloyaroslavets on October 24. The bloody battle forced Napoleon to abandon his southern route and retreat along the devastated Smolensk road his army had ravaged during the advance.

As the Grande Armée turned northward, Ney’s role became critical. His III Corps, now numbering about 10,000 men (just two-fifths of its original strength), formed the rearguard protecting the retreating army from Kutuzov’s pursuing forces. The marshal faced impossible conditions – his men were starving, poorly clothed for the worsening weather, and constantly harassed by Cossacks. Yet Ney maintained discipline through sheer force of personality, sharing his soldiers’ hardships and leading from the front.

Disaster at Krasny: Ney’s Finest Hour

By mid-November, the retreat had become a death march. Temperatures plummeted, supplies ran out, and discipline collapsed. When Napoleon reached Smolensk on November 9, he found the supply depots either empty or looted by earlier arrivals. The army’s disintegration accelerated as freezing, starving men abandoned their weapons and equipment.

The crisis reached its climax at Krasny on November 17. Napoleon’s main force had slipped past Russian positions, but Ney’s rearguard became isolated with 6,000-8,000 men against Kutuzov’s 80,000. Surrounded and outnumbered ten-to-one, Ney refused a Russian demand to surrender, declaring “A Marshal of France never surrenders!”

What followed became one of history’s most remarkable military exploits. After a day of desperate fighting, Ney led his surviving 3,000 men on a daring nighttime escape across the frozen Dnieper River. Using makeshift bridges of ice and snow, about 900 soldiers made it to the northern bank, abandoning all artillery and wagons. For three more days, Ney fought running battles against Cossacks before miraculously rejoining the main army at Orsha on November 20.

Napoleon, who had believed Ney lost, reportedly exclaimed: “I have three hundred million francs in my coffers at the Tuileries! I would have given them all to save Marshal Ney!” The emperor recognized that Ney’s actions had saved the army’s remnants from complete annihilation.

The Final Agony: Crossing the Berezina

By late November, the Grande Armée reached the Berezina River, its last major obstacle before safety. Russian forces under Admiral Chichagov and General Wittgenstein threatened to trap the French against the freezing river. In desperate fighting from November 26-29, Napoleon’s engineers built makeshift bridges while Ney and other marshals held off the Russians.

The crossing became a nightmare of chaos and death. Thousands of stragglers and camp followers drowned or were crushed in stampedes onto the bridges. When Ney finally crossed on the 28th, he took command of the western bridgehead after Marshal Oudinot was wounded. His leadership helped prevent total disaster, though the army lost perhaps 25,000 men in the crossing.

The Last Defender: Ney’s Final Acts of Heroism

After the Berezina, the retreat became a rout. Temperatures dropped to -30°C (-22°F), and the army essentially dissolved into mobs of freezing, starving men. Ney continued commanding the rearguard with ever-dwindling forces – from 2,000 men in early December to just 60 by December 10 when the army reached Vilna (modern Vilnius).

At Kovno (Kaunas) on December 14, Ney performed his final act of defiance. As the last organized French forces crossed the Niemen River back into Prussia, Ney reportedly stood alone on the bridge, firing the army’s final musket shots at pursuing Cossacks before swimming his horse across the icy river. Of the 30,000 men who had served under him six months earlier, fewer than 200 remained.

Legacy of the Iron Marshal

Ney’s conduct during the Russian campaign became legendary. While the Grande Armée was destroyed (only about 25,000 of the original 600,000 men returned), Ney’s heroic rearguard actions saved Napoleon and the army’s core from complete annihilation. His leadership under impossible conditions demonstrated extraordinary courage, tactical skill, and devotion to his men.

The marshal’s reputation for bravery was cemented – soldiers called him “the bravest of the brave,” a title that endured long after his eventual execution following Napoleon’s final defeat in 1815. Modern military historians still study Ney’s rearguard tactics as masterclasses in defensive warfare under extreme conditions.

The Russian campaign fundamentally altered European history, breaking Napoleon’s aura of invincibility and setting the stage for his eventual downfall. Within this epic tragedy, Michel Ney’s story stands out as a testament to human resilience and leadership in the face of unimaginable adversity. His actions remind us that even in defeat, extraordinary valor can etch a commander’s name permanently in the annals of military history.