Marshal Nicolas-Jean de Dieu Soult
Born: March 29, 1769
Died: November 26, 1851
Place of Birth: Saint-Amans-Labastide, Tarn
Cause of Death: Natural causes
| Battle | Unit | Rank |
| Fleurus | Colonel | (Lefebvre) |
| Zürich (September 1799) | Général de division | 3rd Division |
| Austerlitz | Maréchal | IV Corps |
| Jena | Maréchal | IV Corps |
| Eylau | Maréchal | IV Corps |
| Heilsberg | Maréchal | IV Corps |
| Corunna | Maréchal | II Corps |
| Ocańa | Maréchal | |
| Lützen | Maréchal | IV Corps |
| Bautzen | Maréchal | IV Corps |
| Ligny | Maréchal | Army of the North - Chief of Staff |
| Waterloo (Mont St. Jean) | Maréchal | Army of the North - Chief of Staff |
Soult, nicknamed the "Hand of Iron" by his soldiers, and the "Duke of Damnation" by the British soldiers he faced, was a talented commander.
Soult's original goal in life was to have his own bakery business, but instead he joined the army and never left it.
Under Masséna's leadership during the Siege of Genoa, Soult frequently led the sorties from the front. Unfortunately, he was badly hit in the leg on one of these and unable to walk. As his aides attempted to improvise a stretcher made out of muskets, they were all captured. Soult walked with a limp from this wound for the rest of his life, and after this experience of pain and captivity he led from the front less and less in his career.
Sent to Spain, Soult initially distinguished himself but then did not perform as well as hoped. Commanding the French at Corunna, Soult failed to stop the British army from escaping. However, the British commander Sir John Moore was mortally wounded, and Soult built a monument in honor of his fallen enemy.
Looting priceless paintings and gold from the areas under his control, Soult was not well liked by the Spanish, but his discipline and planning kept his areas guerrilla free. Possibly desiring to be made King of Portugal, a scandal broke out as rumors of this spread, though he always denied that this was ever his intention. Despite his denials, some people began to call him "King Nicolas" in response to his failed ambitions and overbearing attitude.
Without Marshal Berthier during the Hundred Days, Napoleon appointed Soult as his chief of staff. No match for Berthier when it came to staff work, Soult's mistakes compounded the French army's problems. After the Hundred Days, he was proscribed but escaped to Germany and returned to France years later when the political climate was more friendly.
Sources: Chandler (Dictionary), Chandler (Napoleon's Marshals), Delderfield (Napoleon's Marshals), Elting (Swords Around a Throne), Haythornthwaite (Who Was Who), Six (Dictionnaire Biographique)
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