The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-22
THE BRAyEsT OF THE BRAVE.
The True History of the Wonderful Career
of the Famous Marshal Ney.
Kansas City Times.

GAC1dluOLl9h u 4NdBO4Cbh VIC LC "a N0iACN 4AibP
his tent the private Michael Ney afterwards
grand marshal of the empire, the hero of a score
of bloody battle fields during the time when the
little Corsican upstart7 was working his way to
empire and oonquering the world. The story of
this incident, and the Advancement and achieve
ments of Marshal Ney up to the time he wasshot
after the fatal battle of Waterloo, are familiar
matters of history.
But where did he come from? France has for
almost a century claimed the honor of his birth.
That he was an American, however, of Swiss
descent, is highly probable, and can be proven
by strong eireumstantial evidence
Mrs. Garfield, widow of the late President,
admits, nay, claims, that she is a descendant of
Marshal Ney. This has given rise to a number
Of very interesting discussions in the press. A
few days ago a Times representative heard a
very interesting story on this subject, and the
gentleman who is authority for the story, and
whose veracity is unimpeachable, probably
knows more about the identity of Marshal Ney
and the manner of his departure from America
for France than any other living man.
Col Mike Delaney, the gentleman referred to,
is about seventy years of age, although he car
ries his three score and tenyears with the agility
of a man of fifty. He was born and reared in
Washington, d. c., has been familiar with al
most all the public men of his day, and has him
self, for half a century, occupied various posi-
tons of trust under the government.
Meeting the Colonel the other day, the re
porter asked: Colonel, l see the papers are
still discussing. at intervals, the identity of
Grand Marshal Ney. of France, as to whether
he was not an American, and the remoter ques-
ton of Mrs. Gartields descent from him. Can
YOU give me any information on the matter!f
Both propositions are true, to the best of my
knowledge and belief" was the reply in answer
10 the FIRST 1ntprrnOnfnpV HArS fairfield WAS
q Miss Rudolph, and Marshal Neys right name
was Michael Rudolph"
After many exchanges of compliments and
much importunity, Col. Delaney continued as
follows: My knowledge of the history of Mar
shall Ney was gained from men who knew all
about the circumstances over fifty years ago. L
remember when | was a boy hearing the story
from DR.. Tobias Watkins. chief surgeon of the
navy, stationed at Norfolk in the war of 1872,
and subsequently. When John Quincy Adams
took the presidential chair in 1928, DR.. Watkins
was secured for the office of Fourth Auditor of
the Treasury. He was one of the most learned
men Of his day, highly accomplished in bellies
letters and social graees, and / have often seen
and admired him at my fathers house in Wash
ington.
Nicholas Brewer, for over sixty years clerk
of the county court of Annapolis, Md, also
knew the Rudolph family, and, should the old
archives of his court be searched, doubtless
many interesting facts concerning the early his
tory Of the RudolphS might be brought to light.
N-S 49,
Marshal Ney, some of them cleaned from
European battle-felds and some of the incidents
occurring III Savannah. from which port Michael
Rudolph made his fight to France, and some
relating to Annapolis, where Marshal Ney's
brother lived for many years. DIR. Watkins was
4 native eff Annapolis. His account of the Ru-
dolphs was substantially as follows:
Somewhere in the latter part of the last cen
fury, probably two decades before its close,
there lived near Annapolis, Md, a family by the
name of Rudolph. The old folks had come
from one of the cantons of Switzerland. border
ing on the French line, many years before. and
me boys, Michael and Nicholas. had probably
been born in this country. The family were
well-to-do and owned considerable estate. A
lew years after the war of the revolution Mich
ael Rudolph, then Il man we'll grown in years,
went South to Georgia with his wife and two
young sons, Victor and Adolph. He purchased
a plantation near Savannah, which could then
be bought for very little money, and for q time
all went happy. But unhappily for him
visit to the then French possession of
Louisiana. He loved his young wife devot-
eddy and appears to have been of a very jealous
disposition. On his return, after an absence of
several months, he discovered that his wife was
pregnant, the result, as he thought, of criminal
intimacy with his overseer. The rage of the
jealous Rudolph knew no bounds. He immedi-
ately sought the overseer on the plantation,
mashed in his skull, broke his ribs, pounded his
face to jelly, and left him for dead. Without
listening to a word of explanation from his wife
he took his two sons, collected a few valuables,
and fastened to a French ship In the harbor,
and was borne away to the shores of France.
Here he gave himself the name of Ney, which,
it is said, means nothing, and for years his
identity was as completely concealed as if he
were dead.
OF Mime. Rudolph nothing further is known.
She withdrew from the knowledge of her friends,
and it is doubtful if in after years anybody ever
discovered the place of her retreat.
But history has a queer way OF working out
her problems. We must now revert for n short
time to the career Of Marshal Ney in France. In
France Ney joined the army and fought as a
private under the great Napoleon. Egypt,
Toulon. the reign of terror, the consulate,
Marengo and Austerlitz, the first empire and the
one hundred days are some of the scenes of this
stirring period with which the young hero must
have been familiar. His heart was broken by
his wifes supposed treachery and dishonor. HIS
soul was fired with the ambition for military
glory and he fought with the desperation of one
who courts death and who has everything to win
and nothing to lose in this life.
AT that time very few of the French soldiers
could write. During the heat of a terrific battle,
the story goes, Napoleon wanted to send a dis
patch For Il moment all his aides had left or
been separated from ann. He turned to a corps
near him.
Can any of you writer
Private Ney touched his cap.
Come to my quarters
Napoleon dictated the dispatch. As the pri-
waite sat writing it a bali from the enemy's can
non tore through the tent and exploded between
the General and his improyised secretary, pillow
ing up the ground at their feet. 1t covered the
paper, on which Ney was writing the dispatch.
with sand and dirt. Ney never looked up or
moved a muscle, but finishing the line, shook the
sand from the paper, and handing it to Napoleon,
said:
''They have saved me the trouble of sanding
t~blottingl the dispatch"
Napoleon could only gaze on the unconcerned
young man with admiration, and exclaimed in
the words at the head of this article: "The BRAY
est of the bFave2r
From that time Ney's advancement was very
rapid.
The matters here given are not supposed to be
strictly historical, but are given as remembered
by one who heard them from the mouths of men
who knew the actors in their lifetime.
After the fall of Napoleon and his Punishment
to EEha MARSHAL Nn1r with thn nihnr rnnnt nan