At nine o'clock on the evening of May 27th, 1801, in London's South Bank, Napoleon was closely overseeing the construction of a pontoon bridge spanning the River Thames. This bridge was of paramount importance because the British had sabotaged the main bridge leading to the North Bank, leaving the pontoon bridge as the sole means of crossing the river.
To ensure the timely completion of the pontoon bridge, Napoleon had issued orders to his Army Corps generals to position sharpshooters along the Thames' banks. Their mission was clear: eliminate any potential threats, be they military or civilian, that could disrupt the construction process.
According to the engineers' estimates, the construction of the pontoon bridge was slated to take at least a full day to complete.
