The Battle of the Neys
Keeping on with the Ney theme, I thought I'd address some of the comments made:
1. I should say the book, Empire's Eagles, does NOT push any agenda that P.S. Ney was Marshal Ney. Mostly it just gives you the different perspectives, 40 eyewitness accounts, the things that point to the similarities and the ones that don't and let's you draw your own conclusions.
2. Thanks to qsy-complains-a -lot on the explanation of the ammunition. I admit, I am not good on the Napoleonic Warfare and what the weapons were and weren't. I thought too at the time that heavy ammunition wouldn't have the same meaning as we have today.
3. Josefavomjaaga brought up the point that why would Ney not return to France after pardons had been issued (as Lavalette did) This is brought up in the book too as a problem why P.S. Ney couldn't be Marshal Ney. Also, if Ney was so afraid of being found out and was sticking to backwater towns and counties as he did, why would he continue to use the name Ney at all? There is some theory that perhaps the pardons didn't technically cover Ney for various reasons as the language is somewhat ambigious. But that is merely a theory of maybe why he wouldn't have returned. There was also never any guarantee that Napoleon's son would regain the throne even if he hadn't died. So to have Ney waiting around on a possibility seems also not legit. Not to mention, P.S. Ney was a flaming Bonapartist (and a political Whig in the American political system at the time) and Marshal Ney never came across as a flaming Bonapartist.
What is even more intriguing (for me) is not whether Ney was executed but who is P.S. Ney? The book has done some more research after Hoydt (who wrote about this and declared P.S. Ney to be a con.) But Hoydt's findings now fall out when you do more in depth research. Hoydt had P.S. Ney as some man born in Scotland named Peter McNee (a Scottish variant of the name Ney). Even Hoydt had trouble with explaining away some of the eyewitness accounts.
Including a list found in Empire's Eages that shows the things in common and the differences between the two men:
"In conclusion, the eyewitness accounts show that P.S. Ney, among other things: --Bore a highly similar, if not exact, physical resemblance to Marshal Ney.
--Was of the same physical constitution and possibly the same approximate height as Marshal Ney.
--Had, with the exception of the head wound, what appeared to be the same wounds that Marshal Ney was known to have.
--Appeared to be the same age as Marshal Ney, although a handful of people judged him to be younger.
--Was an exceptional swordsman an equestrian.
--Had a knowledge of military affairs as well as a military bearing and approach.
--Had detailed knowledge of the Napoleonic campaigns in which Marshal Ney participated.
--Spoke German, French, and English (as did Marshal Ney), plus Latin and Greek (and possibly Hebrew as well as some Polish and Russian, none of which Marshal Ney was recorded knowing, although he likely knew at least some Latin from his school days).
--On multiple occasions was recognized as Marshal Ney by soldiers who fought under him visiting or living in America.
--Played the flute, as did Marshal Ney, but also composed poetry and acrostics and painted, none of which Marshal Ney was recorded as doing.
--Like Marshal Ney, drank (but unlike him to excess on occasion) and used tobacco in the form of chewing tobacco, while Marshal Ney is known to have smoked cigars.
--Variously claimed his mother was Scottish or Irish, which does not accord with the generally accepted origin of Ney's mother.
--On occasion described his wife and children in accord with Marshal Ney's family and (as will be seen) in detail such as probably only Marshal Ney would have known.
--Exhibited personality traits completely consistent with those of Marshal Ney, as summarized at the end of Chapter 8.
--Generally avoided commenting on his origins, but, especially when under the influence of alcohol, would freely state he was Marshal Ney and reminisce accurately about details in Marshal Ney's life.
--Was an ardent Bonapartist who hoped to return to France on the accession of Napoleon's son the Duke of Reichstadt.
--Made a deathbed confession that he was in fact Marshal Ney.
So who was P.S. Ney? Either he was (1) a calculating imposter, (2) a delusional imposter who truly believed he was Marshal Ney, or (3) Marshal Ney in fact."
(Empire's Eagles, Thomas Cockner, pages 292-293)
Maybe P.S. Ney was a man who served under Ney in the army? But with his intellect he would have probably been an officer. Maybe a family member? For awhile he said he was the nephew of Ney. A Ney super-stan? Some guy who just adored Ney and like a groupie knew everything about him. But...I don't know how much of historical record at the time would have been released.
It should also be noted, like Anastasia of Russia, impostering and impersonating known personages was a thing. There were other people who tried to say they were various people of Napoleon's court. In fact, there is also a story of a doctor in the United States by the name of Neyman who claimed he was the son of Marshal Ney. On his headstone it's even inscribed that he is the son of Marhsal Ney and there is no proof ever to be found that he was.
