The Battle of Fontenoy, 11th May 1745, painted by Horace Vernet.
During the battle of Fontenoy, some officers urged Louis XV to leave the battlefield, thus avoiding unnecessary exposure of his royal person to the dangers. He turned down their advice concerned with the harmful effect his leaving would have on the morale of his troops. Right then, the Marshal de Saxe rode up and the king put the issue before him, asking his opinion. The Marshal was indignant and said:
— Your Majesty, who was the coward who gave you this counsel? If we were having this conversation prior to the battle’s start, that is what my advise would have been too, but it is too late now, and besides our situation is not desperate.
Jacques Necker, Galerie de l’ancienne cour (Maestricht: J. E. Dufour, 1787), Vol. 3, 104. (Nobility.org translation.)
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 440
