In the 1970 film "Waterloo", several senior commanders are depicted as personally leading military actions: General Picton is shot in the head whilst riding ahead of his infantry; General Ponsonby is killed when the Scots Greys are counterattacked by lancers; and Marshal Ney leads the ill-fated cavalry charge against the British squares.
More narrowly, did these events occur at the Battle of Waterloo?
More broadly, is this reflective of the Napoleonic Wars in general? In large battles such as, say, Leipzig, would one find staff-rank officers embedded in the front ranks of infantry, leading cavalry charges, or clashing steel against enemy bayonets? If not, what would be the highest rank one would normally find in such positions - Captain, Major, Lt. Colonel...?
Many thanks in advance.
To a battalion the major often was on horseback very near his companies to ensure they are on the right track. Many memoirs from the napoleonic wars indicate lots of senior staff all the way up to the generals were near their soldiers and often get wounded or killed. Marshal Oudinot was wounded over 30 times over his career (he only considers half of his wounds serious enough to be worthy of mentioning) and there were tons of divisional generals falling in battle.
The battle of Borodino was said to have 49 generals of both sides become casualties, including a very popular Russian general Bagration, who was leading forward a grenadier counterattack and was mortally wounded when a French battery spotted his staff and targeted them and hitting the senior general in the leg with shell fragments.
Even Napoleon himself led counterattacks in order to inspire his soldiers during his career as general and emperor