Quote:
Originally Posted by gangnam holmes
Russia was obviously a historic catastrophe and a major blow to Bonaparte's military legacy but Waterloo was a result of pure bad luck. An unexpected major storm allowed Blucker to join forces with Wellington giving Napoleon major force volume disadvantages.
Here's how I rank Bonaparte...
1. Genghis Khan
2. Belisarius
3. Hannibal
4. Alexander
5. Sabutai
6. Bonaparte
7. Scipio
8. MacArthur
9. Caesar
10. Sherman
I have always felt that Ney's lethargy at Quatre Bras two days before Waterloo was a turning point. If he attacked aggressively he could have mauled Wellington before he could have concentrated. As it was he delayed into the early afternoon and the battle ended as basically a draw leaving Wellington's army intact for Waterloo.
Napoleon certainly recognized it at the time.
That said, I think your ranking of Napoleon looks pretty good to me. For my part I would put Alexander and Caesar higher and McArthur lower.