General Nicolas Dahlmann

Dahlmann was one of the original members of General Bonaparte's Guides, the unit created to protect the commander-in-chief in battle that eventually evolved into the Imperial Guard.

Returning from Egypt with General Bonaparte, Dahlmann and most of his fellow Guides did not return to Paris with their commander, but were instead to make their way there on their own means. Upon arriving at Valence, they were told by the city's administrators that they could not stay. Dahlmann and Bessières, the future Marshal's brother, formed the Guides into battle formation, and aggressively moved into the city. The local guard had no desire to fight them, and upon seeing the Guides moving in battle formation, they disobeyed the city administrators' orders to stop the Guides.

Recently created a general, Dahlmann was attached to the Imperial staff at Eylau. As he learned that his old unit, the Chasseurs à Cheval, was going to partake in the great cavalry charge, he requested to lead them into battle and the Emperor granted this request. Unfortunately, during the charge he was badly hit but still managed to successfully make it back to the safety of French lines, only to die within a few days.

Sources:

Ryan, Edward. Napoleon's Shield and Guardian: The Unconquerable General Daumesnil. London: Greenhill Books, 2003.

Six, Georges. Dictionnaire Biographique des Généraux & Amiraux Français de la Révolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814). Paris: Gaston Saffroy, 2003.

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