Pajol, and the creation of a famous motto.
1799, Battle of Winterthur. The French army is fighting a hard battle against the forces of Russia and Austria.
The Chef d'Escadron (Squadron Leader) Claude Pajol, fighting harshly, finds himself surrounded by many enemy hussars. At the sight of his rank, the austro-russians decide to capture the french horseman. But the latter won't let himself get caught so easily, and continues slashing ferociously. As he gets hit and hit again, the French loses his strengh, and a great part of his uniform is torn apart. The enemy captures him, and takes what is left of the uniform, leaving Pajol with nothing but a light shirt covered with blood on him.
Seeing their leader getting captured and brought away from the fight, the hussars of the 4e charge quickly, slash the enemies holding Pajol, and save him from his fate. As soon as the Squadron Leader recovers his mind, he asks for a horse and a saber, and gathers everyone around him. Still wearing nothing but a shirt, Pajol leads a terrible charge on the enemy, to get his uniform back. Leading his men, he shouts "Saxe-Conflans, Bannière au vent !", meaning "Saxe-Conflans, with our Banner in the wind !". The charge is a great success, the austro-russians are destroyed, and a lot of prisonners are caught.
Général Masséna, when he heard about that story, instantly made Pajol a Colonel. The latter ended up as a Général, and is still considered as being one of the most famous cavalryman of that time, alongside Lasalle, Murat, Montbrun and a few others. He was one of the bravest fighters of the Grande Armée, which resulted in him being wounded so many times in so many battles (he received 2 bayonet hits at the battle of Spire, 1792). Claude Pajol died in 1844.