On the retreat to Jaffa, harried in the rear by Arab tribesman from Lebanon and Nablus, Napoleon ordered some of his cavalry to dismount to that their horses could be used for the sick and wounded. An equerry asked him which one he wanted reserved for himself, upon which Napoleon hit him with his riding crop, shouting: ‘Didn’t you hear the order? Everyone on foot!’ It made for good theatre (unless you were the equerry). Lavalette said it was the first time he had ever seen him strike a man.
Source:
Roberts, Andrew. "Acre." Napoleon: A Life. New York: Penguin, 2014. 198. Print.
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