The Bravest of the Brave!

I've just finished reading "The War of Wars", by Robert Harvey, which recount the history of the Napoleonic Wars. It was a very interesting, although lengthy read, and strangely, contrary to the writers intention I'm sure, I felt some sympathy for Napoleon by the end of the book and was actually hoping he'd win Waterloo, which was never going to happen. It was however a near run thing.

The Napoleonic Wars produced many memorable characters though, and it would seem that the greatest are largely forgotten. Take for instance the Scotsman Thomas Cochrane who was a far more talented, courageous and successful naval commander than Nelson ever was, but was despised and even betrayed by his contemporaries because of his success. On the French side, could there be anyone more amazing on the field of battle than Marshall Ney?

The answer is no, he fought in almost every battle under Napoleon, and unlike Napoleon he was constantly in the thick of it. He fought several amazing rearguard actions when hopelessly outnumbered, especially on the retreat from Moscow, and was apparently the last man out of Russia. The French soldiers called him "the bravest of the brave". Unfortunately, this amazing man was executed by a firing-squad in Paris only several months after Waterloo. Napoleon had held him to blame for the loss of that battle, but as the book clearly indicates, as per usual, the main mistakes were Napoleon's own. He never took the blame for anything though, it was always someone else's mistake!

The Path to Greatness!

I'm still reading "The War Of Wars" by Robert Harvey, an excellent overview of the war between Britain and France (1789 - 1815). I've been struck by the author's comparison and contrast of Napoleon and Nelson. With hindsight it's easy to assume that Napoleon was the bad guy and Lord Nelson, the brave hero of the British navy. However, both men were ruthless, reckless, opportunistic and ambitious megalomaniacs. The similarities run much deeper though, both men experienced a sequence of triumphs punctuated by disasters, and both on occasion comtemplated suicide.

Also, both men had a fatalistic outlook, determined that they would not live very long. A result of this may well have been their callous disregard for human life. They both had very troubled love lives; Napoleon was cuckolded by his Josephine, while Nelson openly courted his mistress Emma Hamilton, much to the distress of his wife Fanny, and his family. In terms of ambition and promotion Nelson used the old boy network to smooth his passage to the top. Napoleon on the other hand, had to earn his promotions, coupled with some cunning deceitfulness.

Neslon often fell ill, particularly with bouts of Malaria, and suffered many injuries (blind in one eye, loss of an arm) leading his men valiantly. Napoleon was also injured leading his men into battle, but unlike Nelson, seemed to be impervious to ill-health, striding among plague-ridden soldiers with the firm belief that he was divinely protected. On, the other hand, both men also blighted their careers by committing atrocities, Napoleon at Jaffa, and Nelson at Naples. I could go on, but you probably get the picture by now!