 During the Middle Ages, the Knights Hospitaller were known for rendering assistance to wounded soldiers in the battlefield.The first use of the ambulance as a specialized vehicle, in battle came about with the "ambulances volantes" designed by Dominique Jean Larrey (1766–1842), Napoleon Bonaparte's chief surgeon.Larrey was present at the battle of Spires, between the French and Prussians, and was distressed by the fact that wounded soldiers were not picked up by the numerous ambulances (which Napoleon required to be stationed two and half miles back from the scene of battle) until after hostilities had ceased, and set about developing a new ambulance system.