Three wars that led to the defeat of Napoleon :: European Europe History

Three wars that led to the defeat of Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most powerful men ever to walk the face of the earth. Many believe him to be the first anti-christ, just as Nostradamus predicted. To the troops he commanded, he was known as the "friendly little corporal" , and to the monarchs and kings that he overthrew, he was the "Corsican Ogre" ("Napoleon Bonaparte" ). Some thought him to be a great reformer. Others thought that he was a monster. However, friend and foe alike could both agree on one thing; Napoleon I, Emperor of France and leader of most of Europe for sixteen years, was one of the greatest and boldest military geniuses of all time("Napoleon Bonaparte"). However, like every great leader, Napoleon too had his downfall. Napoleon participated in three wars that led to his downfall: "The Attack on Russia", "The War of Nations", and "Waterloo". Napoleon was once quoted as saying, "A battle is a dramatic action which has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The order of battle which the two armies take, the first movements to come to blows- this is the exposition; the counter- movement of the army under attack form the complication, which requires dispositions and and brings on crisis from which springs the result or Denouement (Gray 6)". Napoleon thought himself to be invincible and God-like. He felt that he had a destiny to be one of the greatest military leaders to ever live. The man thought that he could not be killed on the battle field, he was right. He went from a soldier to the Emperor of France in just ten short years; he fell in less than three. Napoleon led an army of six-hundred-thousand men into Russia (Reihn 159). Napoleon was always very concerned about his soldiers and made sure that they were well taken care of (Segur 58 ). Napoleon attacked Russia from the Neims River on June 24, 1812. As soon as they crossed the Neims, a Cossack surprised them and questioned them. They said they were French and that they had come to make war with Russia. Some of the soldiers chased the Cossack into the forest and fired at him (Segur 68). This made Napoleon very angry. They slept on the bank of the Neims with their weapons in hand. Napoleon also issued a fire ban so that they would be undetected by their enemy.