The Odd And Unusual In The Military

Okay one last big clue.

He was supposedly sentenced to death for treason, but his own men were the ones assigned to shoot him by firing squad. It is believed they shot high. He fell down and then his "body" was spirited away by those loyal to him.

You have until the 12th to get this. If no correct answer by then I will let you know who it was. This will be my last question for some weeks while I'm away. After Thursday I will be packing up and then on my way.
 
Well time's up and as I'll be packing tomorrow and such before I head out this will be my last post here for the next few weeks or more.

Answer:

Michel Ney, Marshal of France

Ney was thought to have been executed for treason on December 7,1815. He was reportedly shot by his own men at his own command to fire. Was he really executed? It appears now that he wasn't. The official account says that the body indeed fell forward, there to lie for 15 minutes as was custom before being covered and taken to the Hospital for Foundlings. There were a few spectators, among them Sir William Fraser, who later related that the soldiers fired; the body was immediately taken away in a carriage – the whole transaction not occupying three minutes. "It was," in Fraser's words, "all over before the nurses and children – the only other spectators – could realize what had happened." No surgeon examined the body; nor was any coup de grâce given, a custom in 19th Century France. It was Fraser's judgement that Wellington, now occupying Paris, had saved his antagonist from death. Significantly, both belonged to the Masonic Order, and that may have been a deciding factor.

So what is the evidence that one Peter Stewart Ney who died on November 15, 1846 in Rowan County, N.C. was Marshal Ney? In January 1816 (note: about a month after the "execution") a man who gave his name as Peter Stewart Ney landed at Charleston, S.C. In 1819 at Georgetown, S.C., a group of French refugees reported seeing Peter Ney and recognizing him as Marshal Ney, whom they had seen numerous times in France. Ney immediately left Georgetown, and for the next 10 years he taught school on several North Carolina towns, finishing his career in that state's Lincoln and Rowan counties.

It may be no small coincidence that he chose for his name in America, "Peter Stewart Ney." The first name, "Peter," was the name of Marshal Ney's French father, and the middle name "Stewart" was the surname of his Scottish mother.

Several of Ney's pupils related that he had confided once or twice who he really was. Also one German immigrant by the name of John Snyder identified Ney in 1840. Snyder had served with the Marshal in the Napoleonic Wars.

Last, when Peter Stewart Ney died his body was examined and found to have numerous battle scars including wounds from sabers and bullets. His last words as he lay on his sickbed are said to have been "Before Almighty God, I am Michel Ney, Marshal of France." He was buried in the cemetary at Third Creek Church in North Carolina. His tombstone reads as follows: "In memory of Peter Stewart Ney, a native of France and Soldier of the French Revolution under Napoleon Bonaparte, who departed this life November 15th, 1846, aged 77 years."
 
Okay, time to bring this back to life.

There's several new members here since I let this thread go so be sure to read the first post to see what it's about.

I'm going to start it back up with a rather easy one.

There is an expression many of you will be familiar with that goes "For want of a nail the battle was lost". What many of you may not know is that this expression came from a real incident in military history. For 100 milbucks name the battle and the incident.
 
Kinda remember this from my secondary school days could be completely wrong now mind you-
The battle of the wilderness? (Think i have the battle wrong)
we had to read a book on it in school. Theres saying/jingle/poem on it 2 goes something like
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of a horse, the message was lost;--- cant remember the rest.

But basically the saying comes from that saying about the battle when the loss of a nail in the horseshoe leads to the loss of your horse which in turn leads to the loss of your rider, then your battle and then your kingdom.
 
Ok...how about this?

Incident: The death of King Richard III
Battle: The Battle of Bosworth, 1485

...I knew that old history notebook would come in handy... :lol:
 
I know why you came up with that one and it is a good guess but sorry, still incorrect.

Here's a hint: Why do you think Doody and I would be more inclined to know this one?
 
I've figured it has something to do with Field Artillery and the fact that the old guns were horse-drawn - but after that - no idea..
 
Okay, time for another hint.

The Brits out there will kick themselves if one of them doesn't get this and no, it's still not Richard III at Bosworth.
 
One last hint and I will also raise the value of a correct answer to 250 milbucks. You have until the weekend is over before I state the correct answer and start a new round.

I will merely reference the clues thus far. What relationship might there be with nails, cannons, and horses?
 
oh was it anything to do with the second battle of ypres? (sp) and the fact that the germans were so close that shell timers were set to zero.

[EDIT] actually now i think thats wrong, its too late in history i think, and i dunno if there was an incident or w/e. yeah im stuck on this one.
 
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