“Soldiers, when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her... Soldiers Fire!” Today is the anniversary of the execution of Ney - one of Napoleon's greatest soldiers. From a humble background as a son of Jacobite rebel this was a man who did not desert the troops on the way back from Moscow. OK - he was probably nuts by the time of Waterloo but who wouldn't be with that service record.
