François Amable Ruffin
Encyclopedia
François Amable Ruffin was a Général de division of the First French Empire
.
, he was named commander of the 7th Battalion of Seine-Inférieure
on 20 September 1792. He fought in the French Revolution
and subsequently in the battles of the First French Empire
, seeing action at the Battle of Austerlitz
(1805), the Battle of Heilsberg
(1807). His conduct at the Battle of Friedland
in 1807 saw him given the title of comte de l'Empire and promoted to General of Division (Général de division), and he took command of Marshal Victor
's I Corps.
Ruffin joined the Peninsular War
, leading I Corps into Spain
in September 1808. He served at Somosierra
, Ucles, Medellin
and Talavera, before commanding one of Victor's divisions at the Battle of Barrosa
on 5 March 1811. During the battle for the Barrosa Ridge, Ruffin was shot through the neck, causing him to be paralysed. He was captured by the British army, and sent to England. Although he appeared to be recovering from his wound, he suffered a relapse on the voyage, and died abort the transport Gorgon on 15 May.
He was buried with full military honours at Portsmouth, and his name is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris
.
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...
.
Biography
Having been captain of a company of volunteers from BolbecBolbec
Bolbec is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. Its inhabitants are called Bolbécais or Bolbécaises.-Geography:...
, he was named commander of the 7th Battalion of Seine-Inférieure
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
on 20 September 1792. He fought in 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...
and subsequently in the battles of the First 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...
, seeing action at the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
(1805), the Battle of Heilsberg
Battle of Heilsberg
The Battle of Heilsberg took place on 10 June 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars.-Overview:On 24 May 1807, the Siege of Danzig ended when Prussian General Friedrich Adolf, Count von Kalckreuth capitulated to French Marshal Francois Joseph Lefebvre. With Gdansk secured, Napoleon was now free to turn...
(1807). His conduct 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 1807 saw him given the title of comte de l'Empire and promoted to General of Division (Général de division), and he took command of Marshal Victor
Claude Victor-Perrin, duc de Belluno
Claude Victor-Perrin, First Duc de Belluno was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
's I Corps.
Ruffin joined the Peninsular War
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...
, leading I Corps into Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in September 1808. He served at Somosierra
Battle of Somosierra
The Battle of Somosierra occurred November 30, 1808 in the Peninsular War, when a French army under Napoleon I forced a passage through the Sierra de Guadarrama shielding Madrid....
, Ucles, Medellin
Battle of Medellín
In the Peninsular War, the Battle of Medellín was fought on March 28, 1809 and resulted in a victory of the French under Marshal Victor against the Spanish under General Don Gregorio Garcia de la Cuesta...
and Talavera, before commanding one of Victor's divisions at the Battle of Barrosa
Battle of Barrosa
The Battle of Barrosa was an unsuccessful French attack on a larger Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish force attempting to lift the siege of Cádiz, Spain during the Peninsular War...
on 5 March 1811. During the battle for the Barrosa Ridge, Ruffin was shot through the neck, causing him to be paralysed. He was captured by the British army, and sent to England. Although he appeared to be recovering from his wound, he suffered a relapse on the voyage, and died abort the transport Gorgon on 15 May.
He was buried with full military honours at Portsmouth, and his name is inscribed on 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
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...
.