Military career of Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte
Bonaparte at the Pont d'Arcole by Antoine-Jean Gros
Nicknames	"General Vendémiaire " "The Little Corporal" "Napoleon the Great" "God of War"
Born	(1769-08-15)15 August 1769 Ajaccio, Corsica
Died	5 May 1821(1821-05-05) (aged 51) Longwood, Saint Helena
Allegiance	France
Branch	Trained as an artillerist
Years of service	1785–1815
Rank	Commander in Chief (head of state)
Commands	Army of the Interior Army of Italy Army of England Army of the Orient French Army Grande Armée Army of Germany Army of the North
Wars / campaigns	See § List of battles for more info. French Revolutionary Wars War of the First Coalition Italian campaign of 1796–1797 Montenotte campaign French invasion of Egypt and Syria War of the Second Coalition Marengo campaign Napoleonic Wars War of the Third Coalition Ulm campaign War of the Fourth Coalition Peninsular War War of the Fifth Coalition French invasion of Russia War of the Sixth Coalition German campaign Campaign in north-east France Six Days' Campaign War of the Seventh Coalition Waterloo campaign
Awards	Grand Master of the Legion of Honour Grand Master of the Order of the Reunion Grand Master of the Order of the Iron Crown
Relations	House of Bonaparte
Other work	Sovereign of Elba, writer

The military career of Napoleon spanned over 20 years. He led French armies in the French Revolutionary Wars and later, as emperor, in the Napoleonic Wars. Despite his comprehensive battle-winning record, Napoleon ended his career in defeat. Nevertheless, European history has since regarded Napoleon as a military genius and one of the finest commanders in history. His battles, campaigns and wars have been studied at military schools worldwide. Such campaigns as the Italian campaign of 1796–1797, the Ulm campaign and the Six Days' Campaign demonstrated his strategic and tactical genius. He fought more than 80 battles, losing only ten, mostly towards the end when the French army was not as dominant. ^[1] As historian Alexander Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky observed, Napoleon was a "despotic sovereign of the battlefield, in whose presence but few generals ventured to maneuver, striving only to ward off his blows." Napoleon never sought refuge behind ridges, redoubts, etc.; he was a proponent of the offensive principle. ^[2]

The French dominion collapsed rapidly after the invasion of Russia in 1812. Napoleon was defeated in 1814 and exiled to the island of Elba, before returning to France. He was finally defeated in 1815 at Waterloo. He spent his remaining days in British custody on the remote volcanic tropical island of Saint Helena. In his long military career, Bonaparte celebrated 64 victories and suffered 10 defeats; 6 battles ended with an uncertain outcome. ^[3]

Battle record summary

Napoleon especially proved his tactical genius in major encounters, worthy examples of which may be such as of Toulon, Rivoli, Austerlitz, Friedland and Dresden.

The siege of Toulon is notable for Napoleon's identification and capture of a key fortified position for the shelling of the Allied fleet, which entered Toulon, as it made further defence useless; Southern France was saved from invasion by sea.

The Rivoli battle, from Napoleon's point of view, consisted of noting the exhaustion of the main Austrian column, which was pushing back the French, and its lack of sufficient artillery and cavalry support, then sending of supervacaneous French troops from that area to repel the flanking Austrian column, which was breaking through a narrow passage, meeting it with infantry, cavalry and artillery from all sides, and afterwards sending French troops from there to repel the main attack. The strategic and tactical result was devastating for the Austrian army.

By Austerlitz, the French Imperial Army became the best in Europe, according to one point of view. Largely due to Bonaparte's corps innovations. ^[4] The Allies, however, were in a formidable defensive position. The Austerlitz battle took place during foggy weather. The French decisive victory was achieved thanks to Napoleon's plan, which weakened his right flank, thereby lured them out to attack, and delivered a massive blow to the weakened heights. "The Sun of Austerlitz" cleared the fog and encouraged the Frenchmen as they were pushing up the heights. Hence Napoleon cut the allied army in half and routed it; the casualties were catastrophic for the Allies. Austerlitz ended the War of the Third Coalition.

At Friedland, the troops of Marshal Jean Lannes managed to avoid being broken on the first day of battle against superior forces. Then, Napoleon arrived with his main force, insightfully saw the weakness of the Russian position, which was located with its back to the river and divided by a stream, and dealt crushing blows, defeating the Russians piecemeal and ending the War of the Fourth Coalition.

By Dresden, Napoleon's army was inferior to the allied Austrian, Russian and Prussian armies in terms of quality due to the great depletion of manpower during the earlier wars, but he quickly and unexpectedly arrived with reinforcements into the fortified city from the east (where he chased another allied army), smashed the twice-superior allied forces by counterattacking and inflicting relatively monstrous casualties. Thus a brilliant tactical victory was achieved.

Lodi, Mount Tabor, Jena (Auerstedt is Marshal Davout's achievement) and Ligny are also examples of strong famous victories won by Napoleon on a battlefield. In the First Italian campaign (1796–1797), Napoleon's army splits two opposing armies, creating a central gap between them, and crushes individual forces in dozens of battles, knocking Piedmont out of the war, and then Austria. In the Ulm campaign, Napoleon's superior, newly formed corps encircle and destroy an entire army. In the Six Days' campaign, he takes advantage of the dispersed enemy army, which outnumbers him twice as much, and strikes at the battles of Champaubert, Montmirail, Château-Thierry and Vauchamps; the enemy army loses more than half its strength. Napoleon had a similar campaign to the Six Days' in his career as well, the "four-day campaign," during which his army with quick maneuvers divided the Austrian army into two parts and confidently defeated it 4 times in 4 days, namely, at Teugen-Hausen, Abensberg, Landshut, and Eckmühl.

List of battles

The full list of Napoleon's victories, defeats, and drawn battles is shown in the table below. It excludes engagements such as La Maddalena or Heilsberg, where the outcome did not depend directly on Napoleon's actions.

Date	Battle	Conflict	Opponent	Location	Outcome
August 29, 1793 – December 19, 1793	Siege of Toulon	War of the First Coalition		French Republic	Victory
April 24, 1794 – April 28, 1794	Saorgio	War of the First Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
September 21, 1794	First Dego	War of the First Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
October 5, 1795	13 Vendémiaire	French Revolution		French Republic	Victory
April 11, 1796 – April 12, 1796	Montenotte	War of the First Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
April 12, 1796 – April 13, 1796	Millesimo	War of the First Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
April 14, 1796 – April 15, 1796	Second Dego	War of the First Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
April 16, 1796	Ceva	War of the First Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
April 21, 1796	Mondovi	War of the First Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
May 7, 1796 – May 9, 1796	Fombio	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
May 10, 1796	Lodi	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
May 30, 1796	Borghetto	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
July 4, 1796 – February 2, 1797	Siege of Mantua	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
August 3, 1796 – August 4, 1796	Lonato	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
August 5, 1796	Castiglione	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
September 4, 1796	Rovereto	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
September 8, 1796	Bassano	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
September 14, 1796 – September 15, 1796	San Giorgio [5]	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
November 6, 1796	Second Bassano	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Defeat
November 12, 1796	Caldiero	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Defeat
November 15, 1796 – November 17, 1796	Arcole	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
January 14, 1797 – January 15, 1797	Rivoli	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
January 16, 1797	La Favorite  [ fr ]	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
March 16, 1797	Valvasone	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
March 21, 1797 – March 23, 1797	Tarvis	War of the First Coalition		Habsburg Italy	Victory
June 10, 1798 – June 12, 1798	Invasion of Malta	Mediterranean Campaign		Malta	Victory
July 2, 1798	Alexandria	French invasion of Egypt and Syria		Mameluk Egypt	Victory
July 13, 1798	Shubra Khit	French invasion of Egypt and Syria		Mameluk Egypt	Victory
July 21, 1798	Pyramids	French invasion of Egypt and Syria		Mameluk Egypt	Victory
October 21, 1798 – October 22, 1798	Revolt of Cairo	French invasion of Egypt and Syria		French-occupied Egypt	Victory
January 11, 1799 – January 19, 1799	Siege of El Arish	French invasion of Egypt and Syria		Mameluk Egypt	Victory
March 3, 1799 – March 7, 1799	Siege of Jaffa	French invasion of Egypt and Syria		Ottoman Empire	Victory
March 20, 1799 – May 21, 1799	Siege of Acre	French invasion of Egypt and Syria		Ottoman Empire	Defeat
April 16, 1799	Mount Tabor	French invasion of Egypt and Syria		Ottoman Empire	Victory
July 25, 1799	Abukir	French invasion of Egypt and Syria		French-occupied Egypt	Victory
May 14, 1800 – June 1, 1800	Siege of Fort Bard	War of the Second Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
May 26, 1800	Chiusella River	War of the Second Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Disputed
May 31, 1800	Turbigo	War of the Second Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
June 14, 1800	Marengo	War of the Second Coalition		Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
October 15, 1805 – October 20, 1805	Ulm	War of the Third Coalition		Electorate of Bavaria	Victory
December 2, 1805	Austerlitz	War of the Third Coalition		Archduchy of Austria	Victory
October 14, 1806	Jena	War of the Fourth Coalition		Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
October 24, 1806	Capture of Berlin	War of the Fourth Coalition		Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
December 23, 1806	Czarnowo	War of the Fourth Coalition		Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
February 3, 1807	Allenstein	War of the Fourth Coalition		Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
February 7, 1807 – February 8, 1807	Eylau	War of the Fourth Coalition		Kingdom of Prussia	Disputed
June 14, 1807	Friedland	War of the Fourth Coalition		Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
November 30, 1808	Somosierra	Peninsular War		Spain	Victory
December 1, 1808 – December 4, 1808	Siege of Madrid [6]	Peninsular War		Spain	Victory
April 19, 1809	Teugen-Hausen	War of the Fifth Coalition		Kingdom of Bavaria	Victory
April 20, 1809	Abensberg	War of the Fifth Coalition		Kingdom of Bavaria	Victory
April 21, 1809	Landshut	War of the Fifth Coalition		Kingdom of Bavaria	Victory
April 21, 1809 – April 22, 1809	Eckmühl	War of the Fifth Coalition		Kingdom of Bavaria	Victory
April 23, 1809	Ratisbon	War of the Fifth Coalition		Principality of Regensburg	Victory
May 21, 1809 – May 22, 1809	Aspern-Essling	War of the Fifth Coalition		Austrian Empire	Defeat
July 5, 1809 – July 6, 1809	Wagram	War of the Fifth Coalition		Austrian Empire	Victory
July 10, 1809 – July 11, 1809	Znaim	War of the Fifth Coalition		Austrian Empire	Armistice
July 26, 1812 – July 27, 1812	Vitebsk	French invasion of Russia		Russian Empire	Victory
August 16, 1812 – August 18, 1812	Smolensk	French invasion of Russia		Russian Empire	Victory
September 5, 1812	Shevardino	French invasion of Russia		Russian Empire	Victory
September 7, 1812	Borodino	French invasion of Russia		Russian Empire	Disputed
September 8, 1812 – September 9, 1812	Mozhaysk  [ ru ]	French invasion of Russia		Russian Empire	Victory
October 24, 1812	Maloyaroslavets	French invasion of Russia		Russian Empire	Disputed
November 15, 1812 – November 18, 1812	Krasnoi	French invasion of Russia		Russian Empire	Defeat
November 26, 1812 – November 29, 1812	Berezina	French invasion of Russia		Russian Empire	Disputed
May 2, 1813	Lützen	War of the Sixth Coalition		Kingdom of Saxony	Victory
May 20, 1813 – May 21, 1813	Bautzen	War of the Sixth Coalition		Kingdom of Saxony	Victory
May 22, 1813	Reichenbach	War of the Sixth Coalition		Kingdom of Saxony	Victory
August 26, 1813 – August 27, 1813	Dresden	War of the Sixth Coalition		Kingdom of Saxony	Victory
October 16, 1813 – October 19, 1813	Leipzig	War of the Sixth Coalition		Kingdom of Saxony	Defeat
October 30, 1813 – October 31, 1813	Hanau	War of the Sixth Coalition		Duchy of Frankfurt	Victory
January 29, 1814	Brienne	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
February 1, 1814	La Rothière	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Defeat
February 10, 1814	Champaubert	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
February 11, 1814	Montmirail	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
February 12, 1814	Chateau-Thierry	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
February 14, 1814	Vauchamps	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
February 17, 1814	Mormant	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
February 18, 1814	Montereau	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
March 5, 1814	Berry-au-Bac	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
March 7, 1814	Craonne	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
March 9, 1814 – March 10, 1814	Laon	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Defeat
March 12, 1814 – March 13, 1814	Reims	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
March 20, 1814 – March 21, 1814	Arcis-sur-Aube	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Defeat
March 26, 1814	Saint-Dizier	War of the Sixth Coalition		French Empire	Victory
June 16, 1815	Ligny	Hundred Days		United Kingdom of the Netherlands	Victory
June 18, 1815	Waterloo	Hundred Days		United Kingdom of the Netherlands	Defeat

^[a]

Notes

1. For comprehensive coverage, see Chandler (1973). ^[7] For an overall view of the military history of the era see Trevor N. Dupuy and R. Ernest Dupuy, The Encyclopedia of Military History (2nd ed., 1970) pp. 730–770.

References

1. Roberts says his losses came at Siege of Acre (1799), Battle of Aspern-Essling (1809), Battle of Leipzig (1813), Battle of La Rothière (1814), Battle of Laon (1814), Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube (1814), and Battle of Waterloo (1815). Andrew Roberts, "Why Napoleon merits the title 'the Great,'" BBC History Magazine (1 November 2014)
2. Napoleon's Strategy and Tactics
3. Andrew Roberts, Napoleon: A Life (2014)
4. Engles, Friedrich (August 1855). "The Armies of Europe". Putnam's Magazine (XXXII). Retrieved 4 November 2025.
5. Michael V. Leggiere; Phillip R. Cuccia. Napoleon and the Operational Art of War. BRILL, Leiden (2020). p. 166
6. United States Military Academy. Summaries of Selected Military Campaigns. West Point, New York (1953). p. 22
7. David G. Chandler, The Campaigns of Napoleon (1973) excerpt and text search

Further reading

Main article: Napoleonic Wars § Further reading

• Chandler, David G. The Campaigns of Napoleon (1973) 1172 pp; a detailed guide to all major battles excerpt and text search
• Crowdy, Terry. Napoleon's Infantry Handbook (2015)
• Dupuy, Trevor N. and Dupuy, R. Ernest. The Encyclopedia of Military History (2nd edition 1970) pp 730–770
• Elting, John R. Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grand Armee (1988)
• Esdaile, Charles. Napoleon's Wars: An International History 1803–1815 (2008), 621pp
• Gates, David. The Napoleonic Wars 1803–1815 (NY: Random House, 2011)
• Hazen, Charles Downer. The French Revolution and Napoleon (1917) online free
• Nafziger, George F. The End of Empire: Napoleon's 1814 Campaign (2014)
• Parker, Harold T. "Why Did Napoleon Invade Russia? A Study in Motivation and the Interrelations of Personality and Social Structure," Journal of Military History (1990) 54#2 pp 131–46 in JSTOR.
• Pope, Stephen (1999). The Cassel Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. Cassel. ISBN   0-304-35229-2.
• Riley, Jonathon P. Napoleon as a General (Hambledon Press, 2007)
• Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1988). "The Origins, Causes, and Extension of the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon". Journal of Interdisciplinary History . 18 (4): 771–793. doi:10.2307/204824. JSTOR   204824. JSTOR   204824
• Rothenberg, E. Gunther. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon (1977)
• Schneid, Frederick C. (2011). The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Mainz: Institute of European History.
• Shoffner, Thomas A. Napoleon's Cavalry: A Key Element to Decisive Victory (2014)
• Smith, Digby George. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book: Actions and Losses in Personnel, Colours, Standards and Artillery (1998)