Nicolas Dahlmann (7 November 1769 – 10 February 1807) was a French cavalry general of the

Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

Early life

Dahlmann was born in

Thionville Thionville (; ; german: Diedenhofen ) is a city in the northeastern French department of Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz. History Thionville was settled as early as the time of th ...

as the son of a trumpeter and enlisted in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

in 1777 at the age of 8, where his father and older brother were already serving in the Regiment ''Dauphin Cavalerie'', which later in 1791 became the 12e Régiment de Cavalerie.

Napoleonic wars

Dahlmann served with the infantry and was deployed at the ''Armee de la Moselle'' and the ''Armee des Pyrenees Orientales''. He was wounded at his right leg at

Peyrestortes Peyrestortes (; ca, Paretstortes) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Geography Peyrestortes is located in the canton of Le Ribéral and in the arrondissement of Perpignan. History Battle On 17 Sep ...

on 17 September 1793. From 1796 to 1798 he saw action with the ''Armee d'Italie'' and joined the Guides-a-Cheval de Bonaparte when they were formed in June 1796. He went to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

with the ''Armee d'Orient'' and served at Salahieh and

Aboukir Abu Qir ( ar, ابو قير, ''Abu Qīr'', or , ), formerly also spelled Abukir or Aboukir, is a town on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, near the ruins of ancient Canopus, Egypt, Canopus and northeast of Alexandria by rail. It is located o ...

. He returned to France with

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1798 and became Chef d'Escadron of the Chasseurs-a-Cheval in October 1802. He served at

Austerlitz Austerlitz may refer to: History * Battle of Austerlitz, an 1805 victory by the French Grand Army of Napoleon Bonaparte Places * Austerlitz, German name for Slavkov u Brna in the Czech Republic, which gave its name to the Battle of Austerlitz a ...

and was promoted Colonel-Major of the Chasseurs-a-Cheval de la Garde Imperiale. Dahlmann saw further action at the Battle of Jena and was promoted to General-de-Brigade in the age of 36. Throughout the

Battle of Eylau The Battle of Eylau, or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, was a bloody and strategically inconclusive battle on 7 and 8 February 1807 between Napoléon's '' Grande Armée'' and the Imperial Russian Army under the command of Levin August von Benn ...

in February 1807 he was attached to the Imperial staff but requested to lead his old unit, the Chasseurs à Cheval, in a cavalry charge on 8 February 1807. He was seriously wounded in his right hip from a heavy calibre artillery piece and died on 10 February 1807 in the manor house of Worienen. Napoleon granted Dahlmann's widow a pension of 6,000 francs and in 1811 accorded his only son the title of Baron de l'Empire at the age of 10. On the instructions of Napoleon, Dahlmann's heart was embalmed and taken to Paris where it was laid to rest in the Pantheon.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahlmann, Nicolas 1769 births 1807 deaths People from Thionville French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe Generals of the First French Empire