Antoine-Guillaume Rampon
Encyclopedia
Antoine-Guillaume Rampon (16 March 1759 - 2 March 1842) joined the French army as a private soldier and rose in rank to become a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars
. He fought in many battles under Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy
and Egypt
. In one celebrated battle, he rallied his troops to defend the key Monte Negino redoubt against the Austrians. He saw limited service during the Napoleonic Wars
. His surname can be found among the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
.
in Ardèche
department, Rampon joined the French royal army in 1775. By the outbreak of the French Revolution
he attained the rank of sergeant-major. In 1792, he was promoted to sous-lieutenant
and fought against the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. Posted to the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees, he was appointed chef de brigade
(colonel
) and fought in the War of the Pyrenees
. Taken prisoner by the Spanish near Port-Vendres
in December 1793, he remained incarcerated until October 1795.
he gained fame by his gallant defense of Monte Negino (or Legino) on 11 April 1796, where his soldiers repelled the attacks of a superior Austrian force. He rallied his men by making them swear an oath to "conquer or die". The next day, he led his demi-brigade at the Battle of Montenotte
, and later in the week he fought at the Second Battle of Dego
. For his actions, General Bonaparte appointed him a brevet
general of brigade.
While in André Masséna
's division, Rampon played a major role at the battles of Lonato
and Castiglione
in August. On another occasion, he took care to protect local villagers from marauding French soldiers, according to one account. On 4 September he led the 32nd demi-brigade at the Battle of Rovereto
. On 15 September he fought in the action of La Favorita-San Giorgio during the Siege of Mantua
. He performed "particularly well at Arcola where his men repelled a counterattack." He also led his demi-brigade at the Battle of Rivoli
on 14 January 1797 and in the clash at La Favorita two days later. He was described by Louis Desaix as, "square figure ... not a thief, big, leans backward; very dark skin".
, the Siege of El Arish
, the Siege of Jaffa
, the Battle of Mount Tabor
and the Siege of Acre
. After the latter action, he assumed command of the division when its commander Louis Bon
was killed. After Bonaparte abandoned the army, Rampon participated in the Battle of Heliopolis
in March 1800. During the Battle of Alexandria
on 21 March 1801, he led the French center. He returned to France in 1801, having been named a general of division in 1800. In 1802 he took a seat in the Senate and retired from the army.
, Emperor Napoleon placed Rampon in several positions of trust. He became a Count of the Empire in 1808 and commanded the camp of Boulogne in 1809. In 1814 he held the fortress of Gorinchem
(Gorkum) in the present-day Netherlands
until 7 February, when he was compelled to surrender to the Prussians
.
Rampon rallied to Napoleon during the Hundred Days
and thereafter the Bourbons
held him in ill-favor until 1819 when his noble title was restored. He died on 2 March 1842 in Paris
. The name RAMPON is engraved on Column 24 of the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris.
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. He fought in many battles under Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. In one celebrated battle, he rallied his troops to defend the key Monte Negino redoubt against the Austrians. He saw limited service during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. His surname can be found among the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
The following is the list of the names of the 660 persons inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris. Most of them are generals who served during the First French Empire with additional figures from the French Revolution ....
.
Early career
Born on 16 March 1759 in Saint-Fortunat-sur-EyrieuxSaint-Fortunat-sur-Eyrieux
Saint-Fortunat-sur-Eyrieux is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
in Ardèche
Ardèche
Ardèche is a department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River.- History :The area has been inhabited by humans at least since the Upper Paleolithic, as attested by the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Pont d'Arc. The plateau of the Ardeche River has extensive standing stones ,...
department, Rampon joined the French royal army in 1775. By the outbreak of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
he attained the rank of sergeant-major. In 1792, he was promoted to sous-lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
and fought against the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. Posted to the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees, he was appointed chef de brigade
Chef de brigade
Chef de brigade was a military rank, equivalent to colonel, in the French Revolutionary army, in command of a demi-brigade. Both that unit and that rank were created at the same time, in 1793. The two designations disappeared just before the institution of the French Empire, in 1803, with the...
(colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
) and fought in the War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees refers to the Pyrenees front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. Also known as Great War, War of Roussillon, or War of the Convention, it pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal from March 1793 to July 1795 during the...
. Taken prisoner by the Spanish near Port-Vendres
Port-Vendres
Port-Vendres is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.A typical Mediterranean fishing port, situated near the Spanish border on the cote Vermeille in south west France, Port-Vendres is renowned for its numerous fish and sea food restaurants. You can watch the fishing...
in December 1793, he remained incarcerated until October 1795.
Italian campaign
In November 1795, Rampon was named commander of what soon became the 32nd Demi-Brigade. During the Montenotte CampaignMontenotte Campaign
The Montenotte Campaign began on 10 April 1796 with an action at Voltri and ended with the Armistice of Cherasco on 28 April. In his first army command, Napoleon Bonaparte's French army separated the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont under Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi from the allied...
he gained fame by his gallant defense of Monte Negino (or Legino) on 11 April 1796, where his soldiers repelled the attacks of a superior Austrian force. He rallied his men by making them swear an oath to "conquer or die". The next day, he led his demi-brigade at the Battle of Montenotte
Battle of Montenotte
The Battle of Montenotte was fought on 12 April 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars, between the French army under General Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian corps under Count Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau. The battle was fought near the village of Cairo Montenotte, in northwestern Italy, and...
, and later in the week he fought at the Second Battle of Dego
Second Battle of Dego
The Second Battle of Dego was fought on 14 and 15 April 1796 during the French Revolutionary Wars between French forces and Austro-Sardinian forces...
. For his actions, General Bonaparte appointed him a brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
general of brigade.
While in André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
's division, Rampon played a major role at the battles of Lonato
Battle of Lonato
The Battle of Lonato was fought on 3 and 4 August 1796 between the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte and a corps-sized Austrian column led by Feldmarschallleutnant Peter Quasdanovich. A week of hard-fought actions that began on 29 July and ended on 4 August resulted in the...
and Castiglione
Battle of Castiglione
The Battle of Castiglione saw the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte attack an army of Habsburg Austria led by Feldmarschall Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser on 5 August 1796. The outnumbered Austrians were defeated and driven back along a line of hills to the river crossing at...
in August. On another occasion, he took care to protect local villagers from marauding French soldiers, according to one account. On 4 September he led the 32nd demi-brigade at the Battle of Rovereto
Battle of Rovereto
In the Battle of Rovereto on 4 September 1796 a French army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte defeated an Austrian corps led by Paul Davidovich during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars...
. On 15 September he fought in the action of La Favorita-San Giorgio during the Siege of Mantua
Siege of Mantua (1796-1797)
In the Siege of Mantua, which lasted from 4 July 1796 to 2 February 1797 with a short break, French forces under the overall command of Napoleon Bonaparte besieged and blockaded a large Austrian garrison for many months until it surrendered...
. He performed "particularly well at Arcola where his men repelled a counterattack." He also led his demi-brigade at the Battle of Rivoli
Battle of Rivoli
The Battle of Rivoli was a key victory in the French campaign in Italy against Austria. Napoleon Bonaparte's 23,000 Frenchmen defeated an attack of 28,000 Austrians under Feldzeugmeister Jozsef Alvinczi, ending Austria's fourth and final attempt to relieve the Siege of Mantua...
on 14 January 1797 and in the clash at La Favorita two days later. He was described by Louis Desaix as, "square figure ... not a thief, big, leans backward; very dark skin".
Egyptian campaign
After fighting in Switzerland under Guillaume Brune in 1798, he joined Bonaparte's Egyptian expedition. During this episode, he fought at the Battle of the PyramidsBattle of the Pyramids
The Battle of the Pyramids, also known as the Battle of Embabeh, was fought on July 21, 1798 between the French army in Egypt under Napoleon Bonaparte, and local Mamluk forces. It occurred during France's Egyptian Campaign and was the battle where Napoleon put into use one of his significant...
, the Siege of El Arish
Siege of El Arish
In the Siege of El Arish French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte defeated Ottoman forces in the fortress in an eleven-day siege. It fell on February 19, 1799.-Forces:*French: 2,160 under General Jean Reynier....
, the Siege of Jaffa
Siege of Jaffa
The Siege of Jaffa was fought from 3 to 7 March 1799 between France and the Ottoman Empire. The French were led by Napoleon Bonaparte, and they captured the city.-Course:...
, the Battle of Mount Tabor
Battle of Mount Tabor
The Battle of Mount Tabor, or Skirmish of Mount Tabor, opposed French forces under General Kleber to an Ottoman force led by the Pasha of Damascus on 16 April 1799. General Bonaparte was besieging Acre, and Damascus sent its army to relieve the siege...
and the Siege of Acre
Siege of Acre (1799)
The Siege of Acre of 1799 was an unsuccessful French siege of the Ottoman-defended, walled city of Acre and was the turning point of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and Syria.-Background:...
. After the latter action, he assumed command of the division when its commander Louis Bon
Louis André Bon
Louis André Bon was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars, best known for his participation in the 1798 French invasion of Egypt-Life:...
was killed. After Bonaparte abandoned the army, Rampon participated in the Battle of Heliopolis
Battle of Heliopolis
The Battle of Heliopolis, or "Ayn Shams," was a decisive battle between Arab Muslim armies and Byzantine forces for the control of Egypt. Though there were several major skirmishes after this battle, it effectively decided the fate of the Byzantine rule in Egypt, and opened the door for the Muslim...
in March 1800. During the Battle of Alexandria
Battle of Alexandria
The Battle of Alexandria or Battle of Canope, fought on March 21, 1801 between the French army under General Menou and the British expeditionary corps under Sir Ralph Abercrombie, took place near the ruins of Nicopolis, on the narrow spit of land between the sea and Lake Abukir, along which the...
on 21 March 1801, he led the French center. He returned to France in 1801, having been named a general of division in 1800. In 1802 he took a seat in the Senate and retired from the army.
Empire and Restoration
During the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, Emperor Napoleon placed Rampon in several positions of trust. He became a Count of the Empire in 1808 and commanded the camp of Boulogne in 1809. In 1814 he held the fortress of Gorinchem
Gorinchem
Gorinchem , also called Gorkum , is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 21.99 km² of which 3.03 km² is water...
(Gorkum) in the present-day Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
until 7 February, when he was compelled to surrender to the Prussians
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
.
Rampon rallied to Napoleon during the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
and thereafter the Bourbons
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
held him in ill-favor until 1819 when his noble title was restored. He died on 2 March 1842 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The name RAMPON is engraved on Column 24 of the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
in Paris.
Books
- Boycott-Brown, Martin. The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-304-35305-1
- Chandler, DavidDavid G. ChandlerDavid G. Chandler was a British historian whose study focused on the Napoleonic era.As a young man he served briefly in the army, reaching the rank of captain, and in later life he taught at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Oxford University awarded him the D. Litt. in 1991...
. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Macmillan, 1979. ISBN 0-02-523670-9 - Smith, DigbyDigby SmithDigby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9