Heroes Till The End

What someone says or does in their final moments can say a lot about them. With that in mind, here are 20 historical figures, military men, and heroes who showed great gallantry and bravery in their last moments. Or perhaps they showed some wit and commitment to their ideals. Which of these last words inspire you?

François Gérard on Wikimedia

1. Michel Ney

Ney, one of Napoleon's most famous marshals and one of his most heroic, earned the title "the bravest of the brave." At his execution, after being condemned following Napoleon's fall, Ney ordered the firing squad himself. “Soldiers, when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her ... Soldiers, fire!”

artist : COOK, Charles on Wikimedia

2. Thomas de Mahay

Thomas de Mahay, an aristocrat, was sentenced to execution in the French Revolution. On the day he was to be executed, he read his own warrant and said, "I see you have made three spelling mistakes." Then he went quietly to the guillotine.

Ty Koh on Unsplash

3. Cotton Mather

Puritan minister Cotton Mather's end came as a surprise. He had long wrestled with the terror of death in prayer, and now found it much more mild. He turned to those around him with gentle words. “Is this dying? Is this all? Is this what I feared when I prayed against a hard death? Oh, I can bear this! I can bear this!"

Peter Pelham, artist on Wikimedia

4. Captain Lawrence Oates

Captain Lawrence Oates was a British soldier and explorer on the 1910 Antarctic expedition, considered by many to have been a heroic sacrifice of his life for his fellow explorers. Oates, already a very weak man, left the relative shelter of his tent in the middle of a blizzard as he believed he was a liability to his comrades. He simply said, “I am just going outside and may be some time."

Le Tour du monde on Wikimedia

5. Admiral Yi Sun-sin

Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Korea was badly hurt during battle on December 16, 1598. Fearing his passing would be a blow to his army's morale, he had his armor put on and his war drums continued to beat. His last words were, "The war is at its height. Wear my armor and beat my war drums. Do not announce my death."

Straitgate on Wikimedia

6. Archimedes

Archimedes, the famed Greek mathematician, passed while engrossed in a geometric problem. When Roman troops were conquering the city, he rejected a soldier's call to meet with General Marcellus, not wishing to be interrupted in his work. "Do not disturb my circles," was what he said before the infuriated soldier delivered a fatal hit. Apparently the soldier disobeyed orders to harm Archimedes by doing so and had to pay with his own life.

Niteshift (talk) on Wikimedia

7. Benjamin Guggenheim

Benjamin Guggenheim passed a dignified and gallant gentleman till the end. Dressed in his white evening clothes with a brandy in one hand, he turned down an invitation to a lifeboat and went down with the ship. His last words were, “Tell my wife I played the game till the end. No woman shall be left behind because Ben Guggenheim was a coward."

CourtlyHades296 on Wikimedia

8. Joe Hill

Joe Hill, the celebrated labor organizer and songwriter, did not face his execution solemnly. In his final correspondence, he requested, “Could you arrange to have my body hauled to the state line to be buried? I don't want to be found dead in Utah."

Tholme on Wikimedia

9. Isaac Newton

While not necessarily heroic, Newton certainly had a few mindful things to say in his final moments. “I don't know what I may seem to the world. But as to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself now and then in finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than the ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”

Godfrey Kneller on Wikimedia

10. John of Bohemia

John of Bohemia was already blinded during the Battle of Crecy. Still, he refused to retreat, and instead said, “Far be it that the King of Bohemia should run away. Instead, take me to the place where the noise of the battle is the loudest. The Lord will be with us. Nothing to fear. Just take good care of my son."

Jan z Gelnhausenu on Wikimedia

11. Voltaire

Voltaire, the Enlightenment philosopher, was visited by a priest in his final moments. The priest asked him to renounce Satan as is tradition. To this, Voltaire replied, “Now, now, my good man. Now is not the right time to make enemies.” However, this may be an urban legend, as it was also a common joke told in the 1970s in which Voltaire was later added as a protagonist. The truth remains a bit unclear.

sailko on Wikimedia

12. John “Jake” Lawson

Brigadier John "Jake" Lawson was a commanding officer of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. He fought in the defense of Hong Kong in December 1941, and as the battle was growing intense, he said, “It's getting pretty hot in here now. I'm smashing the phone and going outside to fight it out.”

Chong Fat on Wikimedia

13. “Mad Dog” Shriver

Green Beret "Mad Dog" Shriver was fearless in Vietnam. When he was told he was going to be extracted from an operation, he instead replied, “Extraction? No. No. I got 'em right where I want 'em, surrounded from the inside."

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

14. Horatio Nelson

Admiral Horatio Nelson was a hero at the Battle of Trafalgar. He declared, “Thank God I have done my duty,” as he laid his life down for his country. Nelson is remembered as a heroic leader, courageous and evidently, very devoted to his duty.

Lemuel Francis Abbott on Wikimedia

15. Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great, when asked by his generals in his final moments as to whom he would leave his vast empire, simply replied, “To the strongest.” A simple, but brutal answer which reflected his extreme ambition and the savage reality of power that he lived by.

Tucker Monticelli on Unsplash

16. Emperor Augustus

Augustus was the first Emperor of the Roman Empire. In his final moments, he asked, “Have I played the part well?” This poignant and humble last question shows the character of Augustus as he took stock of his life.

Pharos on Wikimedia

17. Sister Leonella Sgorbati

Sister Leonella Sgorbati was fatally wounded in Somalia, but even as she was dying she showed great mercy. Despite being hit in the back, she said, “I forgive. I forgive.” In his final moments. For context, she was an Italian Catholic nun missionary working for humanitarian purposes in Somalia.

Abdulkadir Hirabe on Unsplash

18. Stjepan Filipovic

The Yugoslav partisan Stjepan Filipović remained defiant to the end in the face of his execution by Axis troops. He declared, “Freedom to the people!” And still, his words are remembered as a timeless slogan against fascism and oppression.

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19. General Khalid Ibn Walid

General Khalid ibn Walid was a heroic figure in early Islamic history. As he passed, he said, “Do you see a space of the span of a hand on my leg, chest, arm which is not covered by some scar of the wound of a sword or an arrow or a lance? Do you not see? I have sought martyrdom in a hundred battles. Why could I have not died in battle?”

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

20. Emilio Zapata

Emilio Zapata was a key figure in the Mexican revolution. He had a peasant background but was renowned for his fierce leadership and demand for reform. In his final moment, he cleverly said, “Tell them I said something intelligent.”

Unknown photographer on Wikimedia