A Napoleon From Long Island Meets His Waterloo

New York Times

05-07-2025

On a field near the Belgian village of Waterloo, a Napoleon re-enactor, riding a white horse, gave orders to hundreds of people in military uniform. 'Vive l'Empereur!' they shouted back.
The stand-in Napoleon, wearing a black bicorne hat, looked just like the real Napoleon, sharing his 5-foot-6 height, angular nose and light gray-blue eyes.
There was one big difference: He was not French, but American — an American with a French accent that is 'quite horrific,' said Arnaud Springuel, an organizer of the annual battle re-enactment.
'For me, it's not a problem,' Mr. Springuel said. 'But the public doesn't expect that from Napoleon,' he said.
For the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, the organizers held their biggest re-enactment in a decade, with 2,200 actors restaging the battle last weekend before 17,000 spectators.
Mark Schneider, born on Long Island, secured the job over other would-be Napoleons, including from Belgium and Italy, in part because of his unrivaled ability to command respect on the battlefield, several organizers said.
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