Research Guides: The Mystery of Peter Stuart Ney: Research on The Ney Mystery

Ney Documentary Summer 2022

In Summer 2022, a French documentary team visited the area to gain more insight on the mystery. Two archives department members attended the third exhumation of Ney's grave; the first being in the 1890s to much public excitement and again in the 1940s. The team also spent time in the archives learning more about the connections with Davidson, viewing artifacts and handwritten papers.

Original Foot stone from July 2022 Exhumation

French documentary crew wraps up exploration of Peter Ney’s grave
July 20, 2022; Salisbury Post
To Ney or not to Ney: French TV crew here trying to unravel history’s mystery
July 14, 2022; Our Davie

Books about the Mystery

Marshal Ney: a dual life

By LeGette Blythe

Online version of book available through HathiTrust.

Cover Page of Smoot book about Marshal Ney

Marshal Ney before and after execution; with numerous illustrations

By J. Edward Smoot and James A. Weston

Online version of book available through HathiTrust.

Cover book of Weston book about Marshal Ney

Historic doubts as to the execution of Marshal Ney ...

By James A. Weston

Online version of book available through HathiTrust.

Research on the Ney Mystery

Communities and scholars alike have been fascinated as to whether or not Peter Stuart Ney was truly Napoleon Bonaparte’s Marshal Michel Ney. Many books have been written about this legend and in Archives and Special Collections and E.H. Little Library, we are fortunate to have copies of some of these published books and the research materials from some of these authors.

For an introduction to the mystery of Peter Stuart Ney - Marshal Ney, please view the video below from WRAL's Tar Heel Traveler series.

Manuscript Collections

Manuscript materials are largely unpublished documents such as diaries, letters, speeches and sermons. The collections may be about an individual, a family, or a group. The majority of our collections relate to students and alumni of Davidson College and to civic organizations in the town of Davidson, North Carolina.

Listed below are relevant collections related to Peter Stuart Ney, specifically research related to whether or not he was Marshal Michel Ney. Collections are organized by manuscript number, along with a brief description of the collection's contents, and are hyperlinked to the collection's digital finding aid.

James Edward Smoot Collection (DC041)
Dr. J. Edward Smoot was a physician in Concord, NC. He was interested in the debate of whether Peter Stuart Ney was also Napoleon's Marshal Michel Ney of France. He published one book on this subject, Marshal Ney: Before and After Execution. The collection contains both incoming and outgoing correspondence, original manuscripts and documentation for his book and the supplemental edition, and research material and notes.
Dorothy McKay Quynn Collection (DC042)
Dorothy McKay Quynn was a college professor and academic who was interested in the Ney controversy. The collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, research material, printed material, and photographs relevant to her research about Peter Stuart Ney. The correspondence includes letters about her research and publication thereof. There are also two manuscripts, "The Two Graves of Marshal Ney" and "Ney's Attempt to Escape."
Coline Munroe Thies Papers (DC075)
Coline Munroe Thies was the wife of Davidson College professor Oscar Julius Thies, Jr. She was a member of the Twentienth Century Club, a local women's book club. The collection consists of the handwritten copies of the papers Mrs. Thies gave as programs for the Twentieth Century Book Club. Included in this collection is a paper about the Peter Stuart Ney - Marshal Ney mystery.
Oscar Julius Thies, Jr. Collection
Twentieth Century Club Collection
Bradshaw-Ney Collection (DC095)
H. H. (Pete) Bradshaw is the author of Execution Denied: The Story of Marshal Ney: Napoleon's Bravest of the Brave, which was published in 2004. This collection consists of research materials used by Bradshaw in the writing of his book and also some materials he created, including books, promotional materials and artifacts.

Additional Primary Sources

Listed below are relevant collections regarding Peter Stuart Ney that can be found at UNC-Chapel Hill. Materials are linked and described below.

James A. Weston Papers, 1889-1894
Collection in the Southern Historical Collection of The Wilson Library at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The collection contains correspondence of James A. Weston about his 1895 book, "Historic Doubts as to the Execution of Marshal Ney."
Papers Concerning Peter Stuart Ney, 1799-1956
Collection in the Southern Historical Collection of The Wilson Library at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The collection includes the papers of, and collected by, Richard F. Little concerning Peter Stuart Ney including fragments of French documents, albums and commonplace books with entries by P. S. Ney, newspaper clippings, and correspondence about Ney.
William Henry Hoyt Papers, 1769-1957
Collection in the Southern Historical Collection of The Wilson Library at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Wiliam Henry Hoyt's papers include correspondence and notes, pictures, and copies of documents from repositories in France, Italy, Great Britain, and the United States, all related to his research into the legend of Peter Stuart Ney.