When Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) escaped from the Island of Elba after his first term of imprisonment, he was accompanied only by a small group of loyal soldiers. Once dethroned, he now again aspired to the throne of France. But in the very first encounter, he found himself face to face with 20,000 French soldiers.
Napoleon, although considered one of the most courageous leaders the world has known, avoided a direct confrontation with his opponents. He did not make the mistake of foolishly ignoring his own military weakness. At the crucial moment, when he and his little band of men stood face to face with this enormous army, he stepped forward, completely unarmed, and stood calmly before his enemies. Then with great composure he unbuttoned his coat and bared his chest. In a voice charged with emotion, he addressed the great throng of soldiers—many of whom had served under him in the past: “‘Which one of you is willing to fire at the naked chest of his father?’ The battlefield rang with shouts of ‘No one!’” (The Moral Vision, p. 159) Almost all the soldiers belonging to the enemy camp rushed to the side of Napolean, who emerged victorious and once more ascended the throne of France. If, in the destitute state he was in at that time, he had attempted to do battle with the French army, he would surely have been slaughtered on that very battlefield.
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