Charles-Étienne-François Ruty
Encyclopedia
Charles-Étienne-François Ruty (1774–1828), count, was a French artillery officer during the French Revolutionary Wars
and Napoleonic Wars
, who rose to the rank of general of division.
artillery school in 1793, Ruty is at once incorporated in the Army of the North, then in the Army of the Rhine, participating to major battles during the War of the First Coalition. In 1798, he joined general Napoleon Bonaparte's French Campaign in Egypt and Syria, and from 1799 held the position of director of the artillery park of the Army of Egypt, with the rank of Chef de bataillon.
, serving as artillery park director for the Army Corps of Marshal Michel Ney
, then Marshal Joachim Murat
. A brigadier general
from 1807, he served with distinction at the battle of Friedland
. In 1808 he was created a baron of the Empire, serving as commander of the artillery school in Toulouse
, before being sent to serve in Spain
, towards the end of that year. He contributed significantly to the successful sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo
and Almeida
, before taking command of Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult's artillery in the armies of the South and of Andalusia
. During this campaign he invented a type of howitzer
that bears his name. In 1813, Ruty was recalled to France, and promoted to general of division, before being named commander of Marshal Nicolas Oudinot
's Corps artillery during the Saxon campaign of the War of the Sixth Coalition
. In November 1813, Ruty was created a count of the Empire. After Napoleon's abdication in 1814, Ruty served the Bourbon Restoration
, but during the Hundred Days
he joined the Emperor, who named him commander of the artillery of the Army of the North, with Ruty playing a significant role at the battle of Waterloo
. General count Ruty finished his military career as general inspector for artillery during the Second Restoration, subsequently serving as general director for gunpowders and saltpeter (1817), state counsellor (1818) and Peer of France
from 1819.
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...
and 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...
, who rose to the rank of general of division.
Early career
A graduate of the Châlons-en-ChampagneChâlons-en-Champagne
Châlons-en-Champagne is a city in France. It is the capital of both the department of Marne and the region of Champagne-Ardenne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims....
artillery school in 1793, Ruty is at once incorporated in the Army of the North, then in the Army of the Rhine, participating to major battles during the War of the First Coalition. In 1798, he joined general Napoleon Bonaparte's French Campaign in Egypt and Syria, and from 1799 held the position of director of the artillery park of the Army of Egypt, with the rank of Chef de bataillon.
Napoleonic Wars
From 1805 onwards, Ruty took part to the campaigns of the Grande Armée during the War of the Third Coalition and War of the Fourth CoalitionWar of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. Coalition partners included Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and the United Kingdom....
, serving as artillery park director for the Army Corps of Marshal Michel Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
, then Marshal Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
. A brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
from 1807, he served with distinction at the battle of Friedland
Battle of Friedland
The Battle of Friedland saw Napoleon I's French army decisively defeat Count von Bennigsen's Russian army about twenty-seven miles southeast of Königsberg...
. In 1808 he was created a baron of the Empire, serving as commander of the artillery school in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, before being sent to serve in Spain
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, towards the end of that year. He contributed significantly to the successful sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo
Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1810)
In the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, the French Marshal Michel Ney took the fortified city from Field Marshal Don Andrés Perez de Herrasti on 9 July 1810 after a siege that began on 26 April...
and Almeida
Siege of Almeida (1810)
In the Siege of Almeida, the French corps of Marshal Michel Ney captured the border fortress from Brigadier General William Cox's Portuguese garrison. This action was fought in the summer of 1810 during the Peninsular War portion of the Napoleonic Wars...
, before taking command of Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult's artillery in the armies of the South and of Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
. During this campaign he invented a type of howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
that bears his name. In 1813, Ruty was recalled to France, and promoted to general of division, before being named commander of Marshal Nicolas Oudinot
Nicolas Oudinot
Nicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Comte Oudinot, 1st Duc de Reggio , was a Marshal of France.-Early life:...
's Corps artillery during the Saxon campaign of the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
. In November 1813, Ruty was created a count of the Empire. After Napoleon's abdication in 1814, Ruty served the Bourbon Restoration
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...
, but 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...
he joined the Emperor, who named him commander of the artillery of the Army of the North, with Ruty playing a significant role at the battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. General count Ruty finished his military career as general inspector for artillery during the Second Restoration, subsequently serving as general director for gunpowders and saltpeter (1817), state counsellor (1818) and Peer of France
Peerage of France
The Peerage of France was a distinction within the French nobility which appeared in the Middle Ages. It was abolished in 1789 during the French Revolution, but it reappeared in 1814 at the time of the Bourbon Restoration which followed the fall of the First French Empire...
from 1819.
Sources
- Fierro, Alfredo; Palluel-Guillard, André; Tulard, Jean - "Histoire et Dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire”, Éditions Robert Laffont, ISBN 2-221-05858-5
- Tulard, Jean - "Dictionnaire Napoléon”; Librairie Artème Fayard, 1999, ISBN 2-213-60485-1