Napoleon Bonaparte as One of the Greatest Military Leaders of all Time

Napoleon Bonaparte as One of the Greatest Military Leaders of all Time

Napoleon Bonaparte is considered one of the greatest military leaders

of all time. His victories were decisive, powerful and brought

greatness to a suffering France. His military power reigned supreme

for over fifteen years until the drive that got him to where he was

brought him to ruin. The question that I am plagued by is; How was

Napoleon able to win almost every battle so decisively? His forces

were often out numbered and out supplied but some how Napoleon was

still able to defeat the opposing forces. This paper hopes to answer

that question and; Why was his generalship considered to be so

genius? These questions will be answered through extensive research

using reliable sources.

Summary of evidence

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, Corsica,

and was given the name Napoleone (in French his name became Napoleon

Bonaparte). Through his fatherÂ’s influence, Napoleon was educated at

the expense of King Louis XVI, at Brienne and the École Militaire, in

Paris. Napoleon graduated in 1785, at the age of 16, and joined the

artillery as a second lieutenant.

After the revolution began, he became a lieutenant colonel (1791) in

the Corsican National Guard. In 1793, however, Corsica declared

independence, and Bonaparte, a French patriot and a Republican, fled

to France with his family. He was assigned, as a captain, to an army

besieging Toulon, a naval base that, aided by a British fleet, was in

revolt against the republic. Replacing a wounded artillery general, he

seized ground where his guns could drive the British fleet from the

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...often used was to move his troops into the heart of the

opposing troops splitting them into two. On the Battlefield Napoleon

was nothing more than ordinary but he gained most of his advantages in

the movement and placement of his Troops.

NapoleonÂ’s true talent was his ability to motivate his troops even

under the bleakest conditions. The Irony in this is the fact that

Napoleon stood a mere five foot two and really wasnÂ’t someone the

troops could look up to but Napoleon was able to appeal to the troops

with all of his interaction. He made himself appear to be a common

troop that experienced the same hardships that they did. This was

exemplified by Napoleon being there every step of the way in the

battle, often seen in the heart of the battle. The troops admired

Napoleon for this and really connected with him.