NEY, MICHEL

NEY, MICHEL, French marshal, was born at Saarlouis, 10th January 1769. He was a non-commissioned officer in a hussar regiment when the Revolution began, but in the new order of things his merit quickly brought him promotion, and during the blockade of Mainz (1794) Kléber made him his adjutant-general. In 1796 he served under Jourdan, and earned the rank of general of brigade on the field of Forchheim. For the capture of Mannheim by a daring coup de main he was made a general of division in 1799. He was interim commander of the Army of the Rhine for a short time, during which he frustrated by a bold diversion an important movement of the Archduke Charles against Masséna and the Army of Switzerland. After the peace of Lnnéville Bonaparte brought about his marriage with Aglae Louise Auguié de Lescans, a young friend of Hortense Beauharnais, and appointed him inspector-general of cavalry. On the establishment of the empire he was made marshal of France. In 1805 he stormed the entrenchments of Elchingen, for which he was created Duke of Elchingen. He distinguished himself anew at Jena and Eylau, and his conduct at Friedland earned him the title from Napoleon of 'le brave des braves,' and the grand-eagle of the Legion of Honour. He next served in Spain, but quarrelled with his superior Masséna about the plan of the campaign and returned to France, where he remained inactive till in 1812 he received the command of the third corps in the Grand Army. He covered himself with glory at Smolensk and Borodino (q.v.), and was rewarded with the title of Prince of the Moskwa. He led the rear-guard in the disastrous retreat, and his sleepless vigilance alone saved the remnant of the Grand Army. In 1813 he opened the battle of Lützen, and showed his usual capacity and courage at Bautzen, but was defeated by Bülow at Dennewitz. He fought heroically throughout the fatal struggle at Leipzig, and was also in the last defensive campaign of 1814; but after the capture of Paris he urged the emperor to abdicate, and submitted to Louis XVIII., who loaded him with favours. On Napoleon's return from Elba Ney was sent against him at the head of 4000 men; but the old enthusiasm proved too much for him, and with most of his soldiers he went over to his old master's side. In the final campaign he commanded the first and second corps, opposed Brunswick at Quatrebras (June 16), and led the centre with more than bravery at Waterloo; twice—once at the head of the cavalry, last with the Old Guard—he strove to break the English force in vain. During the day he had five horses shot under him. After the capitulation of Paris he yielded to the entreaties of his family to set out for Switzerland; but a costly Egyptian sabre, the gift of Napoleon, led to his being suspected by an official, and arrested near Aurillac. He was condemned to death for high-treason, and was shot in the garden of the Luxembourg on 7th December 1815—a cruel act of revenge that might well have been spared the bravest among the sons of France. Even the cost of the prosecution, 25,000 francs, was extorted from his unhappy widow. He left three sons, who published his Mémoires (2 vols. 1833). See a French Life by Welschinger (1893).