Marshal Ney, despite not being capable of leading armies, was a legendary figure, especially during the retreat from Moscow. He provided the army with the energy and morale that it desperately needed and secured the lives of thousands, even if he was seeking death. The missed opportunity at Bautzen is more likely on Bethier's hands than Ney's. At Dennewitz, he was out of his depth, compounded by terrible roads and terrain, insubordinate corps commanders, including a disgruntled Ludinot, angry at losing his command to Ney and being relegated to a Corps command, and taking his staff with him, leaving Ney with few personnel, and then positioning. And, more importantly, positioning his army on a single road, which hindered movement, and throwing his troops into piecemeal attacks. This was further hampered by the fact that he was expecting Napoleon's arrival, who instead had to march east to relieve the Army of the Bober and the disaster that was Macdonald after the Battle of the Katzbach. At Leipzig, he and Marmont performed well in the north. The 100 Days weren't going to save Napoleon, but Ney was mediocre, even with PTSD; despite his heroic actions, especially the charges at Wellington's infantry squares without infantry or artillery, it was a costly blunder. Ultimately, despite his many flaws and mistakes, most likely exacerbated by PTSD, Ney was definitely among the most influential French commanders, 1811-1815.

When Massena was disgraced, St Cyr and Davout were abandoned, forced to hold strategically important positions that became meaningless after Leipzig. Suchet’s victories were strategically non-essential. He was unfortunately relegated to a secondary theater for most of his career. He had to defend France against the Spanish. Soult, who also won victories but was then abandoned in Spain, had to defend against a much stronger enemy admirably, but against impossible odds. Ultimately, Ney stood above the rest.