Napoleon’s Record As A Military Leader

Wins and losses

(By Charles de Steuben — David Chandler, The Illustrated Napoleon, New York 1973, ISBN 0–8050–442–4 image, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6516979)

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most well known and controversial figures in history. He was a tyrant, a symbol, and a military genius. His rise and fall and then rise to power again is the stuff of legend. In fact, Napoleon has been lauded by many as the greatest general in history.

Napoleon fought a lot of battles, and he commanded many of them personally. When Napoleon fought in the field, he often won. He won a lot. Similar to Alexander the Great, Napoleon had the uncanny ability to win battles of nearly every kind. From field battles to delaying actions to great sieges, Napoleon was a master of his craft. And the numbers bear that out.

Napoleon fought in 85 distinct battles. Of those 85 battles, he lost 10 and drew one. That is an astounding military record of 74–10–1 or an astounding .871 win rate.

For comparison, General US Grant, of US Civil War fame, had a win rate of .551, and he is considered to be one of the greatest generals in American history.

Total Battles Fought: 85

Wins: 74

Losses: 10

Withdrawal: 1

Record: 74–10–1

Napoleon participated in eighteen battles before losing his first major engagement at Second…