In 1795, Victor Moreau, a leading general of the French Revolutionary Wars, crossed the Rhine and advanced into Germany. He won several victories, but at last had to retreat before the Archduke Charles of Austria.
When the archduke was on his way to take the command of the army in Germany, as he approached the scene of action, he fell in with a number of wounded soldiers, who were abandoned by their companions on the road, for want of horses to draw the carriages in their retreat. The archduke immediately ordered the horses to be unyoked from several pieces of cannon that were retreating, saying that these brave men were better worth saving than a few pieces of artillery. When Moreau heard of this, he ordered the cannon to be restored, saying that he would take no cannon abandoned from motives so humane.
一七九五年，法國大革命戰爭名將維克多．莫羅渡過萊茵河，進犯德意志，數戰皆捷，但最後遇上奧地利的查理大公，被迫退卻。
查理赴德意志統軍的時候，將近戰場，遇上一些傷兵。由於撤退的馬車缺乏馬匹，這些傷兵遭同袍棄於路上。查理馬上下令，把拉着幾門大砲撤退的馬匹解下來，說營救英勇的傷兵，比保存幾門大砲更加重要。莫羅聽到這件事，下令把大砲奉還，說不會掠奪因仁愛而捨棄的大砲。