Soldiers, when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her... Soldiers! Fire!
Les soldats, quand je donne l'ordre de tirer, tirent directement sur mon cœur. Attendez la commande. Ce sera mon dernier pour toi. Je proteste contre ma condamnation. J'ai combattu cent batailles pour la France, et pas une contre elle ... Soldats! Feu!
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Last words, said before being executed by firing squad following the defeat of Napoleon. He had been offered a last request, and had asked for the right to give the firing squad the order to fire. Reported in: Trevor Royle, ed., A Dictionary of Military Quotations (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989), p. 47