Hercule Corbineau
Encyclopedia
Marie Louis Hercule Hubert Corbineau (10 April 1780—5 April 1823) was a French soldier of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
, the youngest son of Jean-Charles Corbineau, Inspector General of the King's Stables in the Généralité
of Tours
and bailiff-general of Marchiennes Abbey, and his wife Mary-Louise-Magdeleine Varlet. His older brothers Jean
and Claude
were also army officers, and together the three men were known as les trois Horaces ("the three Horatii
").
Corbineau volunteered for service in the Navy on 1 April 1793, when only 12 years old, to save his father from persecution by the revolutionaries. After serving aboard the privateer
Requin and the corvette
Naïade, he then entered the Army, as a private soldier in the Légion des Francs, serving in the Army of the North.
He transferred to the cavalry of the Légion des Francs, and was promoted to sous-lieutenant on 20 September 1796. With his brother Claude
, he participated in the expedition to Ireland
in December 1796.
Promoted to lieutenant on 30 October 1797, he served in campaigns with the Army of Helvetia
and the Army of the Rhine, joining the 7th Regiment of Hussars on 29 July 1798, and transferring the 5th Regiment of Chasseur
s on 5 April 1800. Corbineau distinguished himself at the battle of Hohenlinden on 3 December 1800. He served as adjudant-major
from 2 April 1802, and was promoted to capitaine on 16 March 1804. On 5 November 1804 he was made a Legionnaire of the Legion of Honour.
Corbineau entered the Imperial Guard on 12 September 1805, where he served in the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde Impériale
successively as an adjoint à l'état-major (assistant to the Staff), then adjudant-major, and finally as a chef d'escadron
. He fought at the battles of Austerlitz
(2 December 1805), afterwards receiving promotion to major
(18 December 1805), and also at Jena
(14 October 1806), Eylau
(7/8 February 1807)—where he was wounded in the right thigh, and his older brother Claude
was killed—and Friedland
(14 June 1807).
He was awarded the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honour on 17 November 1808, and promoted to colonel
on 13 June 1809. At the battle of Wagram
(5–6 July 1809), while his regiment attacked a battery, Corbineau's right knee was shattered by a musket ball, necessitating the amputation of his leg at the thigh, putting an end to his military career.
Corbineau recovered in hospital alongside his friend Pierre Yrieix Daumesnil
, who had suffered a similar wound. One night, Daumesnil heard what sounded like water dripping. He called out to Corbineau, but got no reply. Despite his unhealed amputation, Daumesnil crawled out of his bed and found that Corbineau's wound was haemorrhaging badly. Daumesnil crawled out of the room and down two flights of stairs to call for help before passing out. Doctors arrived, and both men's lives were saved. In honour of Corbineau's and Daumesnil's service, Napoleon left them on the roll of the Chasseurs, despite the fact that neither served with the regiment again.
Corbineau returned to France and was given the post of Receveur Général des Finances
(Receiver General of Finances) for the department of Seine-Inférieure
on 14 March 1810, based at Rouen
. He was made a Baron of the Empire on 1 June 1810, and was also a member of the Electoral College of the Northern Department. In 1814, after the First Restoration
, Corbineau was transferred to the department of the Marne
, where he died on 5 April 1823.
Biography
Corbineau was born in MarchiennesMarchiennes
-References:*...
, the youngest son of Jean-Charles Corbineau, Inspector General of the King's Stables in the Généralité
Généralité
Recettes générales, commonly known as généralités , were the administrative divisions of France under the Ancien Régime and are often considered to prefigure the current préfectures...
of Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
and bailiff-general of Marchiennes Abbey, and his wife Mary-Louise-Magdeleine Varlet. His older brothers Jean
Jean Corbineau
Jean-Baptiste Juvénal Corbineau was a French cavalry general of the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. His two brothers Claude and Hercule also fought in both these wars and together the three men were known as "les trois Horaces" ....
and Claude
Claude Corbineau
Claude Louis Constant Esprit Juvénal Gabriel Corbineau was a French general. His two brothers Jean and Hercule also fought in both these wars and together the three men were known as "les trois Horaces" ....
were also army officers, and together the three men were known as les trois Horaces ("the three Horatii
Horatii
According to Livy, the Horatii were male triplets from Rome. During a war between Rome and Alba Longa during the reign of Tullus Hostilius , it was agreed that settlement of the war would depend on the outcome of a battle between the Horatii and the Curiatii...
").
Corbineau volunteered for service in the Navy on 1 April 1793, when only 12 years old, to save his father from persecution by the revolutionaries. After serving aboard the privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Requin and the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Naïade, he then entered the Army, as a private soldier in the Légion des Francs, serving in the Army of the North.
He transferred to the cavalry of the Légion des Francs, and was promoted to sous-lieutenant on 20 September 1796. With his brother Claude
Claude Corbineau
Claude Louis Constant Esprit Juvénal Gabriel Corbineau was a French general. His two brothers Jean and Hercule also fought in both these wars and together the three men were known as "les trois Horaces" ....
, he participated in the expedition to Ireland
Expédition d'Irlande
The Expédition d'Irlande was an unsuccessful attempt by the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars to assist the outlawed Society of United Irishmen, a popular rebel Irish republican group, in their planned rebellion against British rule...
in December 1796.
Promoted to lieutenant on 30 October 1797, he served in campaigns with the Army of Helvetia
Army of Helvetia
The Army of Helvetia, or , was a unit of the French Revolutionary Army. It was formed on 8 March 1798 from the remnants of the first unit to be known as the armée du Rhin...
and the Army of the Rhine, joining the 7th Regiment of Hussars on 29 July 1798, and transferring the 5th Regiment of Chasseur
Chasseur
Chasseur [sha-sur; Fr. sha-sœr] is the designation given to certain regiments of French light infantry or light cavalry troops, trained for rapid action.-History:...
s on 5 April 1800. Corbineau distinguished himself at the battle of Hohenlinden on 3 December 1800. He served as adjudant-major
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
from 2 April 1802, and was promoted to capitaine on 16 March 1804. On 5 November 1804 he was made a Legionnaire of the Legion of Honour.
Corbineau entered the Imperial Guard on 12 September 1805, where he served in the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde Impériale
Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde Impériale
The Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde Impériale constituted a light cavalry regiment in the Consular, then Imperial Guard during the French Consulate and First French Empire respectively. They were the second senior "Old Guard" cavalry regiment of the Imperial Guard, after the Grenadiers à Cheval...
successively as an adjoint à l'état-major (assistant to the Staff), then adjudant-major, and finally as a chef d'escadron
Chef d'escadron
In the French armed forces , Chef d'escadron is the title of a commandant in the Artillery and Baggage Train Corps and in the Gendarmerie....
. He fought at the battles 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...
(2 December 1805), afterwards receiving promotion to major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
(18 December 1805), and also at Jena
Battle of Jena-Auerstedt
The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt were fought on 14 October 1806 on the plateau west of the river Saale in today's Germany, between the forces of Napoleon I of France and Frederick William III of Prussia...
(14 October 1806), Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
(7/8 February 1807)—where he was wounded in the right thigh, and his older brother Claude
Claude Corbineau
Claude Louis Constant Esprit Juvénal Gabriel Corbineau was a French general. His two brothers Jean and Hercule also fought in both these wars and together the three men were known as "les trois Horaces" ....
was killed—and 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...
(14 June 1807).
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...
on 13 June 1809. At the battle of Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
(5–6 July 1809), while his regiment attacked a battery, Corbineau's right knee was shattered by a musket ball, necessitating the amputation of his leg at the thigh, putting an end to his military career.
Corbineau recovered in hospital alongside his friend Pierre Yrieix Daumesnil
Pierre Yrieix Daumesnil
Pierre Yrieix Daumesnil was a French soldier in the armies of Napoleon during the first Empire and Restoration, eventually rising to the rank of brigadier general...
, who had suffered a similar wound. One night, Daumesnil heard what sounded like water dripping. He called out to Corbineau, but got no reply. Despite his unhealed amputation, Daumesnil crawled out of his bed and found that Corbineau's wound was haemorrhaging badly. Daumesnil crawled out of the room and down two flights of stairs to call for help before passing out. Doctors arrived, and both men's lives were saved. In honour of Corbineau's and Daumesnil's service, Napoleon left them on the roll of the Chasseurs, despite the fact that neither served with the regiment again.
Corbineau returned to France and was given the post of Receveur Général des Finances
Trésor public
The Trésor public is the national administration of the Treasury in France. It is headed by the general direction of public accountancy in the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry....
(Receiver General of Finances) for the department 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 14 March 1810, based at Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
. He was made a Baron of the Empire on 1 June 1810, and was also a member of the Electoral College of the Northern Department. In 1814, after the First 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...
, Corbineau was transferred to the department of the Marne
Marne
Marne is a department in north-eastern France named after the river Marne which flows through the department. The prefecture of Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne...
, where he died on 5 April 1823.
Personal life
In 1810 Corbineau married Reine Rose Kermarec de Travrou, the daughter of a former member of Parlement of Brittany, and had a son, Eugène-Hercule, and a daughter, Adèle-Marie, who married the Comte de Champagny (son of the Duke of Cadore) in Paris on 30 July 1836.External links
- Corbineau's coat of arms at Héraldique Napoléonienne
- Corbineau's documents at the Archives NationalesArchives nationales (France)The Archives nationales preserve the national archives of the French state, apart from the archives of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as these two ministries have their own archive services, the Service historique de la défense and the Archives diplomatiques...