Who was the greatest General outside of France in the Napoleonic wars?

Answer 1

There are several contenders: Prince Bagration is the only Allied commander who fought well (Against Marshal Lannes) at Austerlitz. The Archduke Charles consistently opposed Napoleon & both Aspern Essling & Wagram are to his credit. Prince Blucher too is consistant in his opposition, with poor forces generally. Kutaisov retires after giving battle at Borodino, although a defeat in reality for the Russians it dooms the French to anilhilation. The Portugese under the British Marshal Beresford, as well as Generals Hill, Murray & Graham all do sterling work in the Peninsular war: And then we arrive at the Answer: Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. The culmination of military domination of Europe at Waterloo, June 18, 1815, a 'close run thing' indeed is the final throw of the Napoleonic dice. Without Blucher it appears that the British will lose. Even allowing for Grouchys' lack of (decisive ?) action it seems to me that there are quite simply too many Prussians for the French to cope with. The British are too stoic in defence of the heights of Mont St Jean for Ney's great cavalry actions & the ground is simply too wet (& this is the main feature) for the great Napoleonic artillery weaponry to be effective. The British guns need no movement in defence. Wellington is realistic enough to state that had the Emperor been at Fuentes de Onoro he would have been defeated. (Which is not to detract from Massena) But both Marmont, who was wounded, at Salamanca, & Jourdan & Joseph (Napoleons brother) at Vittoria were not only defeated but comprehensively routed by Wellington: A so called 'Sepoy General' who couldn't attack ! And of course Waterloo is not only Napoleons last battle, it is also the final action of Wellington, and the difference between them ? Wellington does not lose a battle. Having said that there is a great deal of difference between commanding a (Great) army which Wellington had and being Emperor of France & the greatest military commander of modern history. Yes, I am a fan of Wellington, but comparison in Napoleons' 1805 campaign, Ulm & finally Austerlitz, and again Jena/Auerstadt in 1806 is difficult to envisage. Similarly the build up to Waterloo is so difficult to find fault with from the French point of view: Even allowing for the absence of Marshal Berthier (Napoleons Chief of Staff) sadly for the French the outcome was not what Napoleon desired.