David Hendrik Chassé
Encyclopedia
David Hendrik, Baron Chassé (Tiel
, March 18, 1765 – Breda
, May 2, 1849) was a Dutch
soldier who fought both for and against Napoleon
. He commanded the Third Netherlands Division that intervened at a crucial moment in the Battle of Waterloo
. In 1830 he bombarded the city of Antwerp as commander of its citadel
during the Belgian Revolution
.
family, who was a major in the army of the Dutch Republic
, and of Maria Johanna Helena Schull. He married Johanna Adriana van Nieuwenhoven on November 10, 1786 and divorced her in 1795. His second marriage was to the English widow Elisabeth Irish on April 12, 1796. They had one son. This marriage also ended in divorce in 1816.
in his father's regiment in 1775. He was promoted to second lieutenant in 1781. He resigned his commission in 1786 because of his sympathy for the Patriot party
in their opposition to the autocratic regime of stadtholder
William V, Prince of Orange
. Instead he became a captain in a Patriot Free Corps, defending Muiden
and Weesp
against the Prussian invaders that restored William to power in 1787. Because of this role in the revolt he had to go into exile in France, as many other Patriots. Another reason for going abroad was that he had killed a man in a duel.
In 1788 Chassé received a commission as a first lieutenant in the royal French army. After the revolution of 1789 he took part in the campaigns of the revolutionary French armies as a captain in the Légion franche étrangère (Free foreign legion). He received a wound in the right upper arm in 1794 that would make writing difficult for the rest of his life. As a lieutenant-colonel he conquered the fortress of Zaltbommel
shortly before the fall of the Dutch Republic in January, 1795.
as commander of a regiment of light infantry. He usually performed garrison duties, but was in 1799 part of the Franco-Dutch army that drove the Anglo-Russian expeditionary force from North Holland
. In the early 19th century he commanded regiments that took part in the French campaigns in northern Germany that the Batavian army was compelled to join. He was mentioned in dispatches at the siege of Würzburg
in 1810. He was promoted to colonel in 1803 and to major-general in 1806 under the Kingdom of Holland
.
King Louis Bonaparte
put him in command of the Dutch brigade (part of the Division-Leval) that his brother Napoleon obliged him to contribute to the French campaign in Spain in 1808. For his exploits in that harsh guerilla war in the battles of Pancorbo
(better known by the French as Durango; 1808), Mesa d'Ibor (1809), Talavera (1809), Almonacid
(1809) and Ocana
(1809; where he assumed command of the Division-Leval), King Louis created Chassé baron on July 1, 1810, just one week before Napoleon annexed the Kingdom of Holland to the French Empire
. Like many Dutchmen, Chassé resented this annexation, so much so, that he refused to accept the diplome in which Napoleon elevated him to baron de l'Empire on June 30, 1811. Nevertheless, he continued serving in the army that now became part of the imperial French army.
in Spain. As such he fought in the Battle of Vitoria
and the Battle of Maya
, where he saved the French army. For this feat he was made an officer in the Légion d'honneur
and nominated by d'Erlon for promotion to lieutenant-general in the imperial army. Napoleon affectionately called him "général baionette" for his fierceness and his predilection for bayonet attacks.
In 1814 Chassé was transferred to the Champagne theatre of war where he joined the Division Boyer as commander of its 2nd Brigade. He fought in the battles of Bar-sur-Aube
and Arcis-sur-Aube
, where he was wounded. He directed the defense of Sens
on April 3, 1814. However, after the fall of Paris and Napoleon's first abdication he had had enough and asked to be released from French service. This was granted with the rank of lieutenant-general on October 6, 1814.
He now returned to the Netherlands which had become independent again. The sovereign prince William I of the Netherlands
was keen to engage the services of such an experienced general, and had no doubts about his loyalty. Chassé was commissioned as a major-general in the new Mobile Netherlands Army on October 22, 1814. He was made commander of the Third Netherlands Division on March 25, 1815 and promoted to lieutenant-general on April 21.
in the right-center of the Duke of Wellington
's Anglo-Allied army. As Wellington, who had often fought opposite Chassé in Spain, apparently did not quite trust him (there may have been some bad feelings on the part of the British) the third division was placed in reserve behind the right wing.
The third division was ordered forward, however, in the final part of the battle, when Napoleon staged his desperate Guards attack. The murderous fire of captain Carel Frederik Krahmer de Bichin
's battery of horse-artillery, and the bayonet attack of the Detmers brigade (part of the division) on Chassé's initiative, against the Middle Guard broke the attack of that elite unit, and turned it into a rout. Though this was a turning point in the battle, Chassé was not mentioned in dispatches by Wellington, like so many others. He expressed his annoyance at this in a letter to Lord Hill
, shortly after the battle, and received a conciliatory reply, recognizing his contribution. For his part in the battle Chassé was made a knight-commander in the Military William Order July 8, 1815.
as commander-in-chief of Dutch forces in Belgium on October 17, 1830. The next day he ordered the retreat to the fortified area around Antwerp. As commander of the citadel of Antwerp he ordered the bombardment of that city after an incident, the exact cause of which is still in dispute, on October 27, 1830. Whatever the provocation, the large loss of civilian life this bombardment caused seems hard to justify. The resentment it caused among Antwerp civilians helped lose Antwerp for the Dutch cause.
Nevertheless, the citadel remained in Dutch hands, and Chassé its commander. In 1832 (by now a full general) he commanded a garrison of 5,000 Dutch troops that was besieged
by a French army under Marshal Gérard
ten times that number. Despite this superiority, and the fact that the citadel was bombarded day and night by the French, the garrison held out for twenty-four days, before Chassé was finally forced to surrender. This earned him a knight's-grand cross in the Military William Order by promotion, and the admiration of the French, who made his imprisonment in St Omer as pleasant as feasible. He was released as a prisoner of war in June, 1833 and appointed governor of the fortress of Breda that same month.
After the peace with Belgium in 1839 Chassé finally retired. He was at first promised his full salary as a general for life, but this was reduced to the usual pension after government economies in 1841. King William I had appointed him a member for life of the First Chamber of the States-General in 1839 (which supplemented his income for a while), but after life memberships of that Senate were abolished by the constitutional reform of 1848 he lost that income also. He therefore had to sell his beloved horses.
Chassé died a few months later, aged 84. He was almost alone at his death, because his only son had predeceased him. His relatives declined a state funeral at his wish. He was laid to rest in Ginneken, near Breda, in a very simple burial
Tiel
' is a municipality and a town in the middle of the Netherlands.The town is enclosed by the Waal river and the Linge river on the south and the north side, and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal on the east side. The city was founded in the 5th century AD....
, March 18, 1765 – Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
, May 2, 1849) was a Dutch
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...
soldier who fought both for and against Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. He commanded the Third Netherlands Division that intervened at a crucial moment in 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...
. In 1830 he bombarded the city of Antwerp as commander of its citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
during the Belgian Revolution
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
.
Family Life
Chassé was the son of Carel Johan Chassé, a scion of an old HuguenotHuguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
family, who was a major in the army of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, and of Maria Johanna Helena Schull. He married Johanna Adriana van Nieuwenhoven on November 10, 1786 and divorced her in 1795. His second marriage was to the English widow Elisabeth Irish on April 12, 1796. They had one son. This marriage also ended in divorce in 1816.
Early career
Chassé entered the Dutch army as a ten-year-old cadetCadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
in his father's regiment in 1775. He was promoted to second lieutenant in 1781. He resigned his commission in 1786 because of his sympathy for the Patriot party
Patriots (faction)
The Patriots were a political faction in the Dutch Republic in the second half of the 18th century. They were led by Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, gaining power from November 1782....
in their opposition to the autocratic regime of stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
William V, Prince of Orange
William V, Prince of Orange
William V , Prince of Orange-Nassau was the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and between 1795 and 1806 he led the Government of the Dutch Republic in Exile in London. He was succeeded by his son William I...
. Instead he became a captain in a Patriot Free Corps, defending Muiden
Muiden
Muiden is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It lies at the mouth of the Vecht and is in an area called the Vechtstreek.-Population centres :...
and Weesp
Weesp
Weesp is a town and a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It has a population of 17,533 .Weesp lies next to the rivers de Vecht and Smal Weesp and also next to the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal. It is in an area called the "Vechtstreek"...
against the Prussian invaders that restored William to power in 1787. Because of this role in the revolt he had to go into exile in France, as many other Patriots. Another reason for going abroad was that he had killed a man in a duel.
In 1788 Chassé received a commission as a first lieutenant in the royal French army. After the revolution of 1789 he took part in the campaigns of the revolutionary French armies as a captain in the Légion franche étrangère (Free foreign legion). He received a wound in the right upper arm in 1794 that would make writing difficult for the rest of his life. As a lieutenant-colonel he conquered the fortress of Zaltbommel
Zaltbommel
Zaltbommel is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. The town of Zaltbommel was first mentioned as "Bomela" in the year 850. Zaltbommel first received city status in 1231, which status was renewed in 1316....
shortly before the fall of the Dutch Republic in January, 1795.
Batavian Republic and Kingdom of Holland
Chassé now entered the service of the Batavian RepublicBatavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
as commander of a regiment of light infantry. He usually performed garrison duties, but was in 1799 part of the Franco-Dutch army that drove the Anglo-Russian expeditionary force from North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
. In the early 19th century he commanded regiments that took part in the French campaigns in northern Germany that the Batavian army was compelled to join. He was mentioned in dispatches at the siege of Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
in 1810. He was promoted to colonel in 1803 and to major-general in 1806 under the Kingdom of Holland
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...
.
King Louis Bonaparte
Louis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
put him in command of the Dutch brigade (part of the Division-Leval) that his brother Napoleon obliged him to contribute to the French campaign in Spain in 1808. For his exploits in that harsh guerilla war in the battles of Pancorbo
Battle of Pancorbo
The Battle of Pancorbo was one of the opening engagements in Napoleon's invasion of Spain.- Background :On October 31, 1808, Marshal François Lefebvre bloodied the Army of Galicia under Lieutenant General Joaquín Blake but failed to encircle or destroy it, upsetting both the Emperor and the French...
(better known by the French as Durango; 1808), Mesa d'Ibor (1809), Talavera (1809), Almonacid
Battle of Almonacid
The Battle of Almonacid was fought on August 11, 1809 during the Peninsular War between Sébastiani's IV Corps of the French Peninsular Army, which had withdrawn from the Battle of Talavera to defend Madrid, and the Spanish Army of La Mancha under General Venegas...
(1809) and Ocana
Battle of Ocana
The Battle of Ocana or Battle of Ocaña was fought on 19 November 1809 between French forces under Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult and King Joseph Bonaparte and the Spanish army under Juan Carlos de Aréizaga, which suffered its greatest single defeat in the Peninsular War...
(1809; where he assumed command of the Division-Leval), King Louis created Chassé baron on July 1, 1810, just one week before Napoleon annexed the Kingdom of Holland to the French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
. Like many Dutchmen, Chassé resented this annexation, so much so, that he refused to accept the diplome in which Napoleon elevated him to baron de l'Empire on June 30, 1811. Nevertheless, he continued serving in the army that now became part of the imperial French army.
French army service
He was now made a général de brigade in that French army (a demotion), serving in the army corps of Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'ErlonJean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, comte d'Erlon was a marshal of France and a soldier in Napoleon's Army. D'Erlon notably commanded the I Corps of the Armée du Nord at the battle of Waterloo....
in Spain. As such he fought in the Battle of Vitoria
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
and the Battle of Maya
Battle of Maya
The Battle of Maya was a battle between French and British forces during the Peninsular War .-Background:After Wellington's decisive defeat of King Joseph at Vitoria, he advanced to capture San Sebastián and Pamplona, the last French outposts on Spanish soil.While Wellington concentrated his...
, where he saved the French army. For this feat he was made an officer in the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
and nominated by d'Erlon for promotion to lieutenant-general in the imperial army. Napoleon affectionately called him "général baionette" for his fierceness and his predilection for bayonet attacks.
In 1814 Chassé was transferred to the Champagne theatre of war where he joined the Division Boyer as commander of its 2nd Brigade. He fought in the battles of Bar-sur-Aube
Battle of Bar-sur-Aube
The Battle of Bar-sur-Aube was fought on February 27, 1814, between the First French Empire and the Austrian Empire. The French were led by Nicolas Oudinot, while the Austrians and their Bavarian allies, forming the Army of Bohemia, were led by Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg...
and Arcis-sur-Aube
Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube
The Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube was Napoleon’s penultimate battle before his abdication and exile to Elba...
, where he was wounded. He directed the defense of Sens
Sens
Sens is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.Sens is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is crossed by the Yonne and the Vanne, which empties into the Yonne here.-History:...
on April 3, 1814. However, after the fall of Paris and Napoleon's first abdication he had had enough and asked to be released from French service. This was granted with the rank of lieutenant-general on October 6, 1814.
He now returned to the Netherlands which had become independent again. The sovereign prince William I of the Netherlands
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
was keen to engage the services of such an experienced general, and had no doubts about his loyalty. Chassé was commissioned as a major-general in the new Mobile Netherlands Army on October 22, 1814. He was made commander of the Third Netherlands Division on March 25, 1815 and promoted to lieutenant-general on April 21.
Battle of Waterloo
At the battle of Waterloo Chassé's third division was part of the First Netherlands Corps under the Prince of OrangeWilliam II of the Netherlands
William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...
in the right-center of the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's Anglo-Allied army. As Wellington, who had often fought opposite Chassé in Spain, apparently did not quite trust him (there may have been some bad feelings on the part of the British) the third division was placed in reserve behind the right wing.
The third division was ordered forward, however, in the final part of the battle, when Napoleon staged his desperate Guards attack. The murderous fire of captain Carel Frederik Krahmer de Bichin
Carel Frederik Krahmer de Bichin
Carel Frederik Krahmer de Bichin was a Dutch artillery officer. He took part in several campaigns of the French Grande Armée in Dutch army units of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland that were attached to that army. After the United Kingdom of the Netherlands regained its...
's battery of horse-artillery, and the bayonet attack of the Detmers brigade (part of the division) on Chassé's initiative, against the Middle Guard broke the attack of that elite unit, and turned it into a rout. Though this was a turning point in the battle, Chassé was not mentioned in dispatches by Wellington, like so many others. He expressed his annoyance at this in a letter to Lord Hill
Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill
General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill of Almaraz GCB, GCH served in the Napoleonic Wars as a trusted brigade, division and corps commander under the command of the Duke of Wellington. He became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in 1829.-Early career:Educated at a school in Chester, Hill was...
, shortly after the battle, and received a conciliatory reply, recognizing his contribution. For his part in the battle Chassé was made a knight-commander in the Military William Order July 8, 1815.
Belgian Revolution
After Waterloo Chassé was given several high commands. After the beginning of the Belgian Revolution he replaced Prince Frederick of the NetherlandsPrince Frederick of the Netherlands
Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau , was the second son of king William I of the Netherlands and his wife, Wilhelmine of Prussia....
as commander-in-chief of Dutch forces in Belgium on October 17, 1830. The next day he ordered the retreat to the fortified area around Antwerp. As commander of the citadel of Antwerp he ordered the bombardment of that city after an incident, the exact cause of which is still in dispute, on October 27, 1830. Whatever the provocation, the large loss of civilian life this bombardment caused seems hard to justify. The resentment it caused among Antwerp civilians helped lose Antwerp for the Dutch cause.
Nevertheless, the citadel remained in Dutch hands, and Chassé its commander. In 1832 (by now a full general) he commanded a garrison of 5,000 Dutch troops that was besieged
Siege of Antwerp (1832)
The siege of the citadel of Antwerp took place after fighting in the Belgian Revolution ended. It occurred from 15 November to 23 December 1832 and faced off Dutch troops occupying Antwerp's citadel against France's Armée du Nord...
by a French army under Marshal Gérard
Étienne Maurice Gérard
Étienne Maurice Gérard, comte Gérard was a French general and statesman. He served under a succession of French governments including the ancien regime monarchy, the Revolutionary governments, the Restorations, the July Monarchy, the First and Second Republics, and the First Empire , becoming...
ten times that number. Despite this superiority, and the fact that the citadel was bombarded day and night by the French, the garrison held out for twenty-four days, before Chassé was finally forced to surrender. This earned him a knight's-grand cross in the Military William Order by promotion, and the admiration of the French, who made his imprisonment in St Omer as pleasant as feasible. He was released as a prisoner of war in June, 1833 and appointed governor of the fortress of Breda that same month.
After the peace with Belgium in 1839 Chassé finally retired. He was at first promised his full salary as a general for life, but this was reduced to the usual pension after government economies in 1841. King William I had appointed him a member for life of the First Chamber of the States-General in 1839 (which supplemented his income for a while), but after life memberships of that Senate were abolished by the constitutional reform of 1848 he lost that income also. He therefore had to sell his beloved horses.
Chassé died a few months later, aged 84. He was almost alone at his death, because his only son had predeceased him. His relatives declined a state funeral at his wish. He was laid to rest in Ginneken, near Breda, in a very simple burial