Marshal Nicolas-Jean de Dieu Soult

Soult, nicknamed the "Hand of Iron" by his soldiers, and the "Duke of Damnation" by the British soldiers he faced, was a talented commander.

Soult's original goal in life was to have his own bakery business, but instead he joined the army and never left it.

Under Masséna's leadership during the Siege of Genoa, Soult frequently led the sorties from the front. Unfortunately, he was badly hit in the leg on one of these and unable to walk. As his aides attempted to improvise a stretcher made out of muskets, they were all captured. Soult walked with a limp from this wound for the rest of his life, and after this experience of pain and captivity he led from the front less and less in his career.

Sent to Spain, Soult initially distinguished himself but then did not perform as well as hoped. Commanding the French at Corunna, Soult failed to stop the British army from escaping. However, the British commander Sir John Moore was mortally wounded, and Soult built a monument in honor of his fallen enemy.

Looting priceless paintings and gold from the areas under his control, Soult was not well liked by the Spanish, but his discipline and planning kept his areas guerrilla free. Possibly desiring to be made King of Portugal, a scandal broke out as rumors of this spread, though he always denied that this was ever his intention. Despite his denials, some people began to call him "King Nicolas" in response to his failed ambitions and overbearing attitude.

Without Marshal Berthier during the Hundred Days, Napoleon appointed Soult as his chief of staff. No match for Berthier when it came to staff work, Soult's mistakes compounded the French army's problems. After the Hundred Days, he was proscribed but escaped to Germany and returned to France years later when the political climate was more friendly.

Sources:

Chandler, David G. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1979.

Chandler, David G. Napoleon's Marshals. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987.

Delderfield, R. F. Napoleon's Marshals. New York: Cooper Square Press, 2002.

Elting, John R. Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grande Armee. USA: Da Capo Press, 1997.

Haythornthwaite, Philip J. Who Was Who in the Napoleonic Wars. London: Arms & Armour, 1998.

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

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