Lannes and Murat

In 1805, French had trouble capturing a bridge, which the Austrians had orders to blow up if they attacked. French marshals Lannes and Murat casually strolled up to the bridge guards laughing off any attempts to stop them telling them the fighting was over. When an Austrian sergeant tried to blow the bridge, Lannes threatened to arrest him for trying to destroy public property. He then sat on the barrel of cannon to stop them from firing it. When someone insisted that this was a trick, Murat demanded to know if the officers were going to let him talk to them like that, at which point the officers ordered that the man be imprisoned. They seized the bridge successfully.