Note 73 — Chapter VIII

It was Halkett himself who marked out Cambronne, and having ridden forward at full gallop, was on the point of cutting down the French general, when the latter cried out for quarter and received it. This fact does not well agree with the words popularly ascribed to Cambronne, “La garde meurt, et ne se rend pas.” After having surrendered, Cambronne tried to escape from Halkett, whose horse fell wounded to the ground. But in a few seconds Halkett overtook his prisoner, and seizing him by the aiguillette, hurried him to the Osnabruckers, and sent him in charge of a sergeant to the duke of Wellington. Cambronne was subsequently sent to Ostend, with count de Lobau and other prisoners. It was only the old guard that wore the aiguillette.

The words ascribed to Cambronne, “The guard dies, it never surrenders,” of which we see such numbers of engraving, and which illustrates so many pocket handkerchiefs, and ornaments so much of their crockery, etc., have, notwithstanding they were never uttered, made a fortune: all French historians repeat them. I am in possession of a letter, written to me by a friend of Cambronne’s, and who asked the general, whether it was true that he had uttered the words in question; the reply was, I quote Mr. E. S. Dickson’s own words, “Monsieur, on m’a débité cette réponse.” (“The answer has been placed to my account.”)