Barthélémy Louis Joseph Lebrun
Encyclopedia
Barthélémy Louis Joseph Lebrun (22 October 1809, Landrecies
- 6 October 1889, Paris) was a French Army officer of the Second French Empire
.
in 1829, he left it as a sous-lieutenant in 1831. Promoted to lieutenant
in 1834, then to captain, he served in the 5th Dragoon Regiment
. A chef d'escadrons on the 1848 Revolution
, he was beside general Négrier
when the latter was wounded. He then participated in the siege of Rome in 1849 as chef d'état-major of the second division of the French expeditionary corps in the Mediterranean. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel, he was attached to the Constantine
division as chef d'état major in 1852. Rising to colonel
in January 1855, he fought in the Crimean War
as chef d'état-major of the 2nd and then the 1st division of II Corps
. Chef d'état-major to general Mac Mahon in 1855 in Algeria
, he was then given the same post in the Paris division two years later. Made a general in 1858 he fought in the battles of , and .
Chef d'état-major of the Imperial Guard
in 1860, he was promoted to général de division in 1866 before becoming emperor's aide-de-camp in 1868. In 1870, he was given a diplomatic mission to Vienna before becoming chief aide-major-général of the armée du Rhin
in 1870. He then commanded XII Corps
in 1870, heading it in the battles of Beaumont, Mouzon, (where he commanded the Blue Division
) and finally . He was held as a prisoner of war on the Iges peninsula (wishing to remain with his men) then in Germany at Koblenz
then Aix-la-Chapelle. On his release he served in several roles, such as member of the Mixed Commission on Public Works, inspector general to the staff training school, president of the commission de révision du règlement sur le service des places, member of the defence committee and president of the commission on reorganisation of the army staff. He was also the author of several documents and books. He took command of III Corps from 1873 to 1879, when he retired, dying ten years later and being buried at the cemetery in his birthplace.
Landrecies
Landrecies is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is the site of a skirmish between the British I Corps under Douglas Haig and the German Fifth Army on 25 August 1914.-Heraldry:-People:...
- 6 October 1889, Paris) was a French Army officer of the Second French Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
.
Life
Entering the école spéciale militaire de Saint-CyrÉcole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
in 1829, he left it as a sous-lieutenant in 1831. Promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1834, then to captain, he served in the 5th Dragoon Regiment
5th Dragoon Regiment
The 5th Dragoon Regiment was a cavalry unit in the French Army, created under the Ancien Régime in 1656 and dissolved in 2003...
. A chef d'escadrons on the 1848 Revolution
French Revolution of 1848
The 1848 Revolution in France was one of a wave of revolutions in 1848 in Europe. In France, the February revolution ended the Orleans monarchy and led to the creation of the French Second Republic. The February Revolution was really the belated second phase of the Revolution of 1830...
, he was beside general Négrier
François-Marie-Casimir Négrier
François-Marie-Casimir Négrier was a French general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and the 1848 Revolution. Aged 12 he accompanied Jean Lannes on his embassy to Portugal. From 1830 he was colonel of the 54th Infantry Regiment.-Source:...
when the latter was wounded. He then participated in the siege of Rome in 1849 as chef d'état-major of the second division of the French expeditionary corps in the Mediterranean. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel, he was attached to the Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
division as chef d'état major in 1852. Rising to 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...
in January 1855, he fought in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
as chef d'état-major of the 2nd and then the 1st division of II Corps
II Corps (France)
The 2nd Army Corps was first formed before World War I. During World War II it fought in the Campaign for France in 1940 and during the 1944-45 campaigns in southern France, the Vosges Mountains, Alsace, and southwestern Germany...
. Chef d'état-major to general Mac Mahon in 1855 in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, he was then given the same post in the Paris division two years later. Made a general in 1858 he fought in the battles of , and .
Chef d'état-major of the Imperial Guard
Imperial Guard (Napoleon III)
The Imperial Guard of Napoleon III was a military unit in the French Army formed by Napoleon III as a re-establishment of his uncle Napoleon I's Imperial Guard, with an identical uniform and almost the same privileges...
in 1860, he was promoted to général de division in 1866 before becoming emperor's aide-de-camp in 1868. In 1870, he was given a diplomatic mission to Vienna before becoming chief aide-major-général of the armée du Rhin
Armée du Rhin
The Army of the Rhine is the overall name for one of the main French Revolutionary armies, that operated in the German theater along the River Rhine...
in 1870. He then commanded XII Corps
XII Corps (France)
XII Corps was an army corps in the French Army. Commanded by Général Lebrun in the Franco-Prussian War then by General Galliffet from 1882 to 1886. On the outbreak of the First World War it was subordinated to Fourth Army.- 23rd Infantry Division :...
in 1870, heading it in the battles of Beaumont, Mouzon, (where he commanded the Blue Division
Blue Division (Second French Empire)
Created during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the Blue Division is the name given to the division d'Infanterie de Marine which - for the first time in the history of the marines - joined 'marsouins' or marine infantry and 'bigors' or marine artillery .Commanded by general de Vassoigne, it was...
) and finally . He was held as a prisoner of war on the Iges peninsula (wishing to remain with his men) then in Germany at Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
then Aix-la-Chapelle. On his release he served in several roles, such as member of the Mixed Commission on Public Works, inspector general to the staff training school, president of the commission de révision du règlement sur le service des places, member of the defence committee and president of the commission on reorganisation of the army staff. He was also the author of several documents and books. He took command of III Corps from 1873 to 1879, when he retired, dying ten years later and being buried at the cemetery in his birthplace.