Stockton, NJ (May, 1998) – Napoleon Bonaparte was rated the best commander in all of military history, according to a recent survey conducted by MagWeb (www.magweb.com), an online coalition of military, history and gaming magazines. Garnering 70.9 percent of the vote, Napoleon far outranked the next closest contender for best commander – Alexander the Great, who received thumbs up from 47.5 percent of the MagWeb members who responded. Hannibal was a distant third (17.7 percent) and General George Patton and Frederick the Great tied for fourth (16.1%).

Not surprisingly, the Napoleonic period was judged the favorite period in military history with a rating of 76.6 percent, nearly twice the number of votes given to World War II (47.5 percent) as the top historical period. The American Civil War was third (38.7 percent)

"Napoleon inspires awe even today, almost 200 years after he made France the dominant power in Europe," says Russ Lockwood, CEO of MagWeb. "The story of how he built and then lost his empire still captures people's imaginations. Several of the magazines in the MagWeb archives focus on Napoleon, his victories and his misfortunes."

The Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon met his final defeat in 1815 was considered the most pivotal battle in all military history, according to the MagWeb survey. Although the Battle of Waterloo was not the biggest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, it is the most analyzed battle of the era because it brought the end of Napoleon's empire. By the end of the battle, 45,000 men had been killed or wounded. Four days later, Napoleon abdicated for the final time.

"MagWeb members chose The Battle of Waterloo as the most significant in all history because it was the last act for the world's greatest and most charismatic military commander," explains Lockwood. "Those who responded to the survey are history buffs who are fascinated by the man whose legacy carries forward to the present day. The Napoleonic Code, which brought almost complete freedom of profession and equality before the law for all citizens, still lives on."

The MagWeb survey was conducted via e-mail with 216 respondents from the 850 questionnaires sent. MagWeb developed the survey to gauge the impact great military leaders and battles have on the history buffs of today. The full results of the survey are available on MagWeb (www.magweb.com). MagWeb was founded in 1996 to provide easy access to a multitude of military history and product magazines. From magazines like Age of Napoleon and Battlefields to Operations and The Zouave, MagWeb is the only web site of its kind to offer unlimited access to an ever-expanding archive of more than 6,000 articles from nearly 50 magazines for under $5 per month. Sample articles can be viewed at no charge at http://www.magweb.com. For more information, call Coalition Web at 609-397-4265 or e-mail magweb@magweb.com.