How Napoleon Bonaparte Escaped Exile and Reclaimed France

1814, the Month of April. The most powerful man in all the world has just stepped onto a minuscule island composed of an area of just 220 square kilometers with a population of only 12000 or so people. The man’s name is Napoleon Bonaparte. Every king, emperor, and general throughout all of Europe has the same thought: they believe that they will never see Napoleon again, that he will die there, and that everyone will forget him, and that his life is over and he is done. This is not true; they are all wrong about him! In a mere 292 days, he will return to Paris to regain control of France’s power. But how will one (1) man, who had been betrayed by all, exiled from an entire continent, and only has approximately 700 men, return to be the most powerful country in all of Europe? Here is how.

Elba Island – May, 1814

Each day, Napoleon wakes to the realization that he now lives on a tiny island capable of being traversed by horse in two hours.

Gone are the days when the man could command armies totaling over 500,000 men, and now he has taken to inspecting fishing ports.

Once the architect of modern European law, he now settles disputes between farmers.

His palace—a modest villa overlooking the sea—has none of the opulence of the Palace of Versailles. Rather, it is only a quiet house with a view of the water he can never cross.

The British assigned a watchman to keep Napoleon from leaving the island: Colonel Neil Campbell. His only job is to keep an eye on Napoleon to ensure he doesn’t depart.

On the surface, it appears that Napoleon is quite happy. He gardens, rides, and reads.

However, what Colonel Campbell does not realize is that.

Napoleon reads everything (newspapers, letters) and hears whispers about possible unrest.

Meanwhile, France is falling apart!

Under Louis XVIII, France is unraveling.

The people are angry. The army is humiliated.

And Napoleon is watching it all unfold.

Visitors begin arriving—old allies, loyal officers. Their message is clear:

Nobody… except Napoleon.

Napoleon starts forming plans.

He keeps these numbers stored in his head and includes:

He also discovers that Colonel Campbell frequently leaves the island for vacations at regular intervals; therefore, he will have some blind spots when he is not there watching.

The Waiting begins for Napoleon.

In February 1815, the time had come for Napoleon to execute the plan.

February 26, 1815. Night.

Napoleon turns to his chief of staff:

Using only seven fishing boats, he departed from Elba with 700 men and sailed against an enemy force of 200,000 troops by sea.

His flagship was disguised as a British ship and displayed a British flag.

On the high seas, he received word that a royalist warship was approaching. If they are recognized, he will lose the element of surprise.

He orders all of his men below deck while he remains alone on the deck in his uniform. As they sail by on the surface, it is clear that the ruse worked.

1st March 1815,

Napoleon has landed on French soil.
He does not run from either place or groups of enemies.
He’ll make a march (after regrouping) of 1,100 kilometers to Paris,

Why?

This isn’t merely an invasion; it’s a psychological operation.

March 7, 1815 – Grenoble. An entire Royalist regiment is blocking the way. What happens next is simply unthinkable. Without weapons and alone, Napoleon walks toward the soldiers who are prepared to kill him. He stops 20 meters from the soldiers. He removes his hat. He opened himself to them and said, “If you intend to shoot your emperor, do it now—I stand before you” A heavy silence took over. Then one soldier puts down his weapon. Then another. And one soldier yells, “Vive l’Empereur!”  The entire regiment changes sides without a single shot being fired!

In Paris, Michel Ney[s] boldly said to the king of France, “I will bring Napoleon back in an iron cage.”

Ney marched south with 6000 troops. Ney received a letter from Napoleon; we do not know what it contained. The following morning, Ney stood before his … troops and said, “The cause of the Bourbons is lost… I am joining him.”

The 6,000 troops cheered for Ney. Napoleon now has an army.

March 20, 1815

Paris erupts. As night falls, King Louis XVIII quietly abandons Paris. Napoleon Bonaparte enters the city to roaring crowds—without firing a single shot.

In just 19 days, he has reclaimed France.

While Paris celebrates, the rest of Europe reacts. 700,000 soldiers begin mobilizing.

Napoleon has one option: to strike first.

Napoleon planned an exceptional strategy: he would first defeat Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher and then crush the Duke of Wellington, thereby winning two major battles within 48 hours. Everything seemed to be going well until the fatal turn of events during the second battle. Napoleon secured a substantial victory at the Battle of Ligny over the Prussian forces, but committed one major error. At the Battle of Waterloo, he hesitated to launch his assault because he wanted to allow the ground to dry out. As a result, he allowed enough time for the Prussian forces to return to the battlefield. By approximately 4 PM, the Prussian forces attacked Napoleon’s flank with full force—and began to quickly break down the integrity of the battle plan. It was the first time in history that the Imperial Guard had to retreat under Napoleon’s command—and the army was quickly torn apart, as was Napoleon’s dream.

Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated for the second time on June 22nd, 1815. However, this time there would be no return home, as after being exiled to Elba. Instead, Napoleon was sent far away to the small, isolated island of Saint Helena – a remote volcanic island located more than 2,000 km from any other land. He spent his last years on Saint Helena, distant from the world he had once controlled. There were no armies or wars; only silence and memories of the return he had caused throughout much of Europe.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s return has been described as one of the greatest stories ever told. Returning from exile with 700 men, without having fought any battles since he left, with some armies switching their loyalties during his return, and regaining an entire nation that took him just 19 days to accomplish, it’s hard to believe that Napoleon actually returned to power as he did. While Napoleon had an incredible military strategy in place, his return was based more on belief, identity, and psychology than anything else. In fact, for a brief period of time, Napoleon conquered Europe without firing a shot!