20 
MEMOIR OF LAMARCK. 
attack was made by the combined troops of the 
marshal de Broglie and the prince of Soubise, on the 
army commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Bruns- 
wick. Cuvier relates*, that in the vicissitudes of 
the contest, the company to which M. Lamarck 
was attached happened to be thrown into such a 
position as completely exposed it to the fire of the 
enemy’s artillery, and that, owing to the confusion 
which took place in the French army, it was entirely 
forgotten and left in that perilous situation. All 
the officers were soon killed, as well as the greater 
number of privates, when an old grenadier, perceiv- 
ing that there were no longer any of the French 
within sight, proposed to the young volunteer, who 
by the death of the officers had unexpectedly 
acquired the temporary command, that the little 
troop should be withdrawn. This, however, he 
resolutely refused to do until he received regular 
orders to that effect, which at last were dispatched, 
w r hen the troop were discovered to be missing, and 
reached him with the utmost difficulty, owing to the 
rapid advance of the enemy. This instance of 
intrepidity and vigorous adherence to orders gave 
so much satisfaction to the commander-in-chief, 
that he instantly issued an order for Lamarck’s 
promotion. Some time afterwards, he was nomi- 
nated to a lieutenancy, and his warmest anticipations 
* See liis eloge on Lamarck, of which a translation will be 
found in the Thirty-ninth Number of the Edinburgh New 
Philosophical Journal. To this memoir we have been chiefly 
indebted for the particulars of Lamarck’s life. 
