For years I have been systematically scouring primary sources, collecting and writing notes/commentary on all of the most amazing historical moments and people, and how they represent the best traits that a man can hope to possess. The best thing that I can do with them is share them out, because there are so many great stories that no one ever hears. This feature of the blog will save you literally thousands of hours of reading to get at the finest gems history has to offer.
Luckily, there is even a business case here. The qualities that make a great man also make a great business man. Today’s lesson is about leading by example, not letting your title/position get in the way of work that needs to be done, and accepting responsibility once it is taken on.
The inaugural episode of this regular feature comes from the memoirs of Jean Baptiste Antoine Marcellin, Baron de Marbot. A French soldier during the Napoleonic wars, he was one of the most astounding people that I have ever come across from any time period, and will certainly make a number of appearances here. This story however, takes place when he was an officer on the staff of Marshal Lannes, at the Battle of Ratisbon in 1809.
With the Austrian forces inside the walled city, French attempts to storm the main gates had failed twice before artillery opened a breach in the wall. However, the breach was high up, on the far side of a moat-like ditch, and was heavily defended. Seizing the breach and gaining a foothold in the city fell to Lannes and his corps, but the first group of 50 volunteers was virtually annihilated in a hail of gunfire as soon as they left cover. Another 50 volunteers came forward and took up the ladders to scale the wall, but met with the same fate. Here I will turn you over to Marbot:
“Cooled by these two repulses, the troops made no response to the marshal’s third call for volunteers. If he had ordered one or more companies to march, they would, no doubt, have obeyed; but he knew well what a difference there is in point of effect between obedience on the soldiers’ part and dash; and for the present danger volunteers were much better than troops obeying orders.
Vainly, however, did the marshal renew his appeal to the bravest of a brave division; vainly did he call upon them to observe that the eyes of the Emperor and all the Grand Army were on them. A gloomy silence was the only reply, the men being convinced that to pass beyond the walls of the building into the enemy’s fire was certain death. At length, Lannes exclaiming, ‘Well, I will let you see that I was a grenadier before I was a marshal, and still am one,’ seized a ladder, lifted it, and would have carried it towards the breach. His aides-de-camp tried to stop him; he resisted, and got angry with us. I ventured to say, ‘Monsieur le Marechal, you would not wish us to be disgraced, and that we should be if you were to receive the slightest wound in carrying that ladder to the ramparts as long as one of your aides-de-camp was left alive.’ Then, in spite of his efforts, I dragged the end of the ladder from him, and put it on my shoulder, while de Viry took the other end, and our comrades by pairs took up other ladders.
At the sight of a marshal disputing with his aides-de-camp for the lead of the assault, a shout of enthusiasm went up from the whole division. Officers and soldiers wished to lead the column, and in their eagerness for this honour they pushed my comrades and me about, trying to get hold of the ladders. If however we had given them up, we should seem to have been playing a comedy to stimulate the troops. The wine had been drawn, and we had to drink it, bitter as it might be. Understanding this, the marshal let us have our way, though fully expecting to see the greater part of his staff exterminated as they marched at the head of this perilous attack.”
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