/lit/ - Literature

A prominent figure, General Desaix had enormous impact on the Napoleonic era. Killed at age thirty-two after having secured a victory at Marengo on June 14th, 1800, Desaix was both one of the Consulate’s greatest war heros and its biggest regret. Struck full in the heart by a musket ball, Desaix died on the spot. The official version contained in the third report on the victory at Marengo dated July 15th attributed a phrase to him which was heavy with meaning and would be oft repeated throughout funeral services: “Go tell the First Consul that I die with the regret of not having done enough to live in posterity.”