Marshal Oudinot: Napoleon’s Terminator
Introduction to Marshal Nicolas Charles Oudinot
Marshal Nicolas Charles Oudinot was one of Napoleon’s Marshalls. He survived being hit by artillery shells, sabers, and at least twelve bullets over the course of his military career. That’s a total of 34 battlefield wounds and injuries in just over 30 years.
Wounds and Injuries
Here are some of the wounds inflicted on him according to his own memoirs:
- Gunshot wound to the head at Hagenau, 1794.
- Broken leg at Treves (he fell from his horse while leading a charge), 11 August 1794.
- Five sabre wounds during a night attack at Neckerau on 18 Oct 1795.
- Gunshot wound to the thigh, 3 sabre strokes to the arms and 1 to the neck, at Neuberg, 14 September 1796.
- Struck by a ball in the chest at Wurenlos near Zurich, 4 June 1799.
- Bullet in shoulder blade at Schwitz, 14 August 1799.
- Struck by a ball in the chest near Zurich, September 1799.
- Ball through thigh at Battle of Hollabrunn, 16 Nov 1805.
- Ball in the left arm at Essling, May 1809.
- Left ear pierced by a bullet near Wagram, 1809.
- Bullet to the thigh at Wagram, 6 July 1809.
- Grapeshot wound to the shoulder at Polotsk, 17 August 1812.
- Bullet in the side at the Berezina, 28 November 1812.
- Ball in the chest at Arcis-sur-Aube, 21 March 1814.
Leadership and Resilience
Oudinot often refused to relinquish command when wounded, opting to remain in control of his men instead.
Legacy
Oudinot lived and fought while displaying more holes than a Swiss cheese and went on to die of old age in 1847. He was 80 years old.
-RBM
