Recent content by Stephen Beckett

  1. Napoleon chooses competent/loyal Major General in 1815 instead of Soult

    Davout himself said, paraphrasing, that Paris did not matter if Napoleon lost. The campaign was only days from Paris. What evidence exists that Soult was a terrible staff officer? It is repeated, without substantiation, in hundreds of publications. His hard work (Guizot described him as...
  2. Napoleon chooses competent/loyal Major General in 1815 instead of Soult

    Ok - I like this thought, though I fear Wellington does not have sufficient strength to hold very well, but I see the long game. Mont St. Jean has a legendary reputation based on reality, but in this scenario, and with the Prussians now following in the French wake, Wellington knows he can't...
  3. Napoleon chooses competent/loyal Major General in 1815 instead of Soult

    Had Wellington concentrated at Mont St. Jean, where would Blücher concentrated? If Napoleon immediately moves on Wellington, the Prussians are far to the east, too far to support, and Napoleon always planned for his right to shield his advance on Brussels. Unlike history, where Grouchy ended...
  4. Napoleon chooses competent/loyal Major General in 1815 instead of Soult

    Most "What-Ifs" for Napoleon in 1815 deal with either a victory at the Battle of Waterloo, or some choice of wing commanders instead of Ney/Grouchy. What is not generally known (only 7 sources cover the French concentration in detail prior to June 15th) is that a far greater opportunity for...
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