MICHEL NEY, MARSHAL OF FRANCE 255 MICHEL NEY, MARSHAL OF FRANCE* 4 By Louise Chandler Moulton (l 769-1815) AMONG the marshals of the great Napoleon, Ney has always held in my mind the place of honor. " The Bravest of the Brave " was the sobriquet bestowed on him by the men of his own nation and his own time ; and the briefest record of his life cannot fail to prove how well the title was deserved. I could wish for a larger canvas on which to paint his portrait ; but the space allotted to me here will at least suffice to reveal his character, and chronicle the main events of his career. Michel Ney was born on January 10, 1769, in the small town of Sarre-Louis, in Lorraine which province had at that time only recently been annexed to France. He was in reality, therefore, more German than French. His fa- ther was a working cooper by trade, but he wished his son to be something better, and arranged for him to study law. Life at a desk, however, had no interest for the future marshal, who, even then, had no doubt as to what should be his future career. In 1787 he enlisted, at Metz, as a private hussar. His rise was rapid from the first. He greatly distinguished himself in the Netherlands, where revolutionary France, under Dumouriez and others was holding her own against allied Europe. He became lieutenant in 1 793, and captain in 1 794. In 1 796, after a brilliant conflict under the walls of Forchheim, which resulted in the taking of that town, and on the field of battle, he was made General of Brigade. Next year, in trying to save a gun from capture, he was taken prisoner by the Austrians ; but General Hoche, who was then commanding the army of the Sam- bre and Meuse, soon effected his exchange. In 1798 he served with great distinc- tion under Massena, in Switzerland, and was made general of division. In 1 799 he was transferred to the army of the Rhine, which he commanded for some time, fighting with varying success, but with unvarying energy and courage. He fought under Moreau at the famous battle of Hohenlinden, and at the peace of Luneville was appointed inspector-general of the cavalry. In 1802 Napoleon having discovered that Switzerland "could not settle her intestine divisions except by the interposition of France," sent Ney, with 20,000 men, to dissolve the Diet and disband its forces. This mode of settling intestine "Copyright, 1894, by Selmar Hess.
