Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Back to the firing line...scoff....he still ran from the field on multiple occasions and was often found way behind the lines.... A younger Napoleon was a brave man, the Napoleon who was an Emperor as you pointed out, was a coward!

The whole elephant thing shows that your "beloved" Emperor was beat by a mad ferocious fighter and his genius staff!

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Generalfeldmarschall Scott Kronprinz "Vorwärts" Ludwig von Preußen
Kommandeur des Königlich-Preußischen Armee-Korps
Chief of Staff (CoS) of the Allied Coalition
Allied Coalition Webmaster & Club Website Support

Why thank you Colin! I think Ol' Welly is a little overrated too. I must say I am a fan of Davout....I never understood why he wasn't better employed when it mattered most. Guess Nappy needed someone he could trust back home. I also like very much Eugène de Beauharnais and Józef Poniatowski. I think these men did more of Nappy than most of his Marshal's did combined. They are the true embidoment of the Napoleonic and Revolutionary Spirit and are sadly nowhere to be found in the current French Army here..... (See I can compliment the French... )

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Generalfeldmarschall Scott Kronprinz "Vorwärts" Ludwig von Preußen
Kommandeur des Königlich-Preußischen Armee-Korps
Chief of Staff (CoS) of the Allied Coalition
Allied Coalition Webmaster & Club Website Support

The genius rests with the Allies for never directly facing Nappy after Dresden et al. To defeat his Marshal's in wholescale, which they did. It was Nappy's fault and his alone for placing those men in command....the Prussians and allies just had a more superior plan by then. But don't think that anyone cost Nappy his crown but Blucher....no man worked harder to defeat him...save maybe Nappy and his own Marshal's themselves...who quite a few betrayed him in the end...

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Generalfeldmarschall Scott Kronprinz "Vorwärts" Ludwig von Preußen
Kommandeur des Königlich-Preußischen Armee-Korps
Chief of Staff (CoS) of the Allied Coalition
Allied Coalition Webmaster & Club Website Support

Scott- valid points indeed on the allied strategy - but to my point if Davout, or Eugene were with him instead of Ney, Macdonald......et el especially during the spring campaign things may have turned out much better and Leipzig might never have happened - there was no one more loyal to Napoloen than Davout - remember it was Davout who blocked Blucher's advance after Waterloo to enable Napoleon to escape Paris.

Dear Colonel,

I think the general was talking about the battle of Jena-Auerstedt One of those many French victories...

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Général David Guegan

3ème Régiment de Grenadiers - Bataillon d'élite du 3ème Légère
2ème Brigade
Grenadiers de la Réserve
Réserve
La Grande Armée
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"From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step."
Napoléon Bonaparte

Military justice is to justice what military music is to music.
Groucho Marx

Roy - true, true Davout or Eugene being with him would of probably made things more difficult for the Allies. It would only serve to protract the war further though in my opinion. Eugene displayed great skill and getting the many men out of the forts when Prussia rose up and is often a mere footnote for his actions in securing as much of Southern Europe and Italy as possible and for as long as possible during these two years. It was twice the betrayal of another French Marshal, Murat that did Eugene in or made his work very hard. Napoleon was not wise in his choice of those whom he entrusted with important tasks. Betrayal is evident in the French Army over and over again in this war and of course when men see their Emperor flee from the field and not return it only serves as an example. Such acts are hardly known in the Prussian and most Allied Commands. Napoleon's most loyal were the most under utilized.

If you are referring to the Battle of Rocquencourt as Davout checking the Prussians, it was a small cavalry skirmish and one in which Davout was a little sly to force good terms. The Battle of Issy a PRUSSIAN victory sealed the deal in 1815 and ended all serious attempts of resistance and forced Nappy to surrender to the British. Again the most Loyal of Loyal and Noble of Noble, Davout was overseeing operations at this time, not the cowards....

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Generalfeldmarschall Scott Kronprinz "Vorwärts" Ludwig von Preußen
Kommandeur des Königlich-Preußischen Armee-Korps
Chief of Staff (CoS) of the Allied Coalition
Allied Coalition Webmaster & Club Website Support

I believe they returned in 1813 to kick some French tail Colin.

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Field Marshal Sir Edward Blackburn, 1st Duke of Aberdeen K.G.
85th (Buck's Light Volunteers) Regiment of Foot
16th British Brigade
7th Division
III (Peninsular) Corps
2nd Battalion, Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards

As for Blucher vs Napoleon - Ligny!

Blucher had more men, an excellent defensive position behind steeply banked stream, stout walled villages, and still got beaten.

Perhaps if he had listened to the advice of Wellington, and placed his ranks of infantry behind the cover of reversed slopes, then maybe he would have had a better chance... but he didn't.

Regards,

ps two of my favorite French commanders are Davout and Eugene, and two of my favorite Prussians are Yorck and Bulow.

Prussians don't hide like the British and they come to the aid of their allies even when wounded, unlike the British as well.

But the battle took most of the day and cost the French a lot of needed men and also cost them victory the next day when Prussia came to the aid of the British and basically ended the war....yet again!

Yorck and Bulow are interesting officers and did their fair share during the wars as well....

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Generalfeldmarschall Scott Kronprinz "Vorwärts" Ludwig von Preußen
Kommandeur des Königlich-Preußischen Armee-Korps
Chief of Staff (CoS) of the Allied Coalition
Allied Coalition Webmaster & Club Website Support

Todd
What source are you quoting that Wellington advised Blucher of ANYTHING other then he would support him if attacked ? which as we know he didn't follow through with. It took the Guard to push the Prussians out of Ligny, a largely inexperienced Prussian army at that. An inexperienced Prussian army that gets beaten at Ligny,rallies and marches most of the night and the next day making it to Waterloo in time to support Wellington if not to save the day,personally I think its the latter.

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Generallieutenant Walt GroßHerzog Moehle von Neuhardenberg
Kommandeur der Korps Artillerie-Brigade
Kommandeur der Gardegrenadier
Königlich Preußische Korps

How did this go from 1813 Oct 14 to 1806 and 1815???? Bravo for all sides the battle was lost by the French. If and could he are all hindsight. Leadership I would say came into play in all these battles and most battles Napoleon fought were won by luck someone showed up in the nick of time. And what do I know am just a poor Islander.

Colonel,

There is only one 14 of October... 1806 the Battle of Jena-Auerstädt

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Général David Guegan

3ème Régiment de Grenadiers - Bataillon d'élite du 3ème Légère
2ème Brigade
Grenadiers de la Réserve
Réserve
La Grande Armée
--------------------------
"From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step."
Napoléon Bonaparte

Military justice is to justice what military music is to music.
Groucho Marx

A bottle fell to the floor and shattered, prompting all to stop mid sentence and look towards the sound. There, sitting in a comfy chair, feet propped up on the table was the cause of the disturbance, ......

Yes, Der Wurger is in the Haus.

Oh my head, too much French whine Talk, talk, talk......Why if you gentlemen must know, today is the anniversary of the end of the Battle of Wattignies. What, you have not heard of it? My, my, the French do not understand that this is the day that will lead to the end of so many lives across Europe. It is the proof in der pudding that Lazare Carnot managed to mold the enthusiastic mobs of the Vendee into what would become La Grande Armee. It is the day that will allow a Corsican roach to use that construct to torment the world until his final undoing.
But, October is full of great dates, why in a few days it will be the 19th, does that ring a bell? ...A hint, you need a hint? Vell, hmmmm.... Ach, how about...... snow. Ja, ja, think about it....... Ja, ja, the retreat from Moscow began, Doh!

Now, please, my head hurts, go outside to talk or I'll have to sing a song.

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Der Würger ist im Haus, Jawohl!

Der Wurger,a song if you please !!

Helga a glass of the house's best for the Lieutenant !!

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Generallieutenant Walt GroßHerzog Moehle von Neuhardenberg
Kommandeur der Korps Artillerie-Brigade
Kommandeur der Gardegrenadier
Königlich Preußische Korps