Jacques Anne Joseph Le Prestre de Vauban
Encyclopedia
Jacques Anne Joseph Le Prestre de Vauban (10 March 1754, Dijon
- 20 April 1816) was a French general of the Ancien Regime and the French Revolutionary Wars
. He was the grandson of Antoine Le Prestre de Vauban - Antoine was nephew to the military architect Vauban
.
Entering military service in 1770, he was Rochambeau's aide de camp during the American War of Independence and was sent back to France with the general's dispatches in 1782. He became colonel and second in command of the régiment d'Agenors, and shortly afterwards, the duc d'Orléans
, whose chamberlain he was, made him colonel in command of the régiment d'infanterie that took his name and knight of the order of Saint-Louis on 13 June 1784.
Like most other officer of his corps, he emigrated around the time of Louis XVI's flight to
Varennes, going to Ath
, then Koblenz
, where the comte d'Artois
made him his aide de camp. He accompanied him in this role during the campaign of 1792 and on his trip to Russia in 1793, where they were well-received by Catherine II of Russia
. He then went to England, and in spring 1795 joined the Quiberon expedition
. Charged, under Joseph-Geneviève de Puisaye
, with commanding a unit of Chouan
s charged with attacking the rear of the Republican army, he was prevented by the forces of Hoche
and, tricked by false signals, forced to retreat. He fulfilled several different missions to the Vendée
and the île d'Yeu
, with the comte d'Artois. Returning to London, he hastened to return to Russia but arrived there at the moment of Catherine's death, fell victim (like most French Royalists in Russia) to Paul I
's changeability and was soon forced to leave. He returned to France and stayed for a time in Paris
, with police consent, until he was arrested in 1806 and held prisoner for a long while in the Temple
.
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
- 20 April 1816) was a French general of the Ancien Regime and the French Revolutionary Wars
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...
. He was the grandson of Antoine Le Prestre de Vauban - Antoine was nephew to the military architect Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
.
Entering military service in 1770, he was Rochambeau's aide de camp during the American War of Independence and was sent back to France with the general's dispatches in 1782. He became colonel and second in command of the régiment d'Agenors, and shortly afterwards, the duc d'Orléans
Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe d'Orléans known as le Gros , was a French nobleman, a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the dynasty then ruling France. The First Prince of the Blood after 1752, he was the most senior male at the French court after the immediate royal family. He was the father of...
, whose chamberlain he was, made him colonel in command of the régiment d'infanterie that took his name and knight of the order of Saint-Louis on 13 June 1784.
Like most other officer of his corps, he emigrated around the time of Louis XVI's flight to
Varennes, going to Ath
Ath
Ath is a Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The Ath municipality includes the old communes of Lanquesaint, Irchonwelz, Ormeignies, Bouvignies, Ostiches, Rebaix, Maffle, Arbre, Houtaing, Ligne, Mainvault, Moulbaix, Villers-Notre-Dame, Villers-Saint-Amand, Ghislenghien...
, then 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...
, where the comte d'Artois
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
made him his aide de camp. He accompanied him in this role during the campaign of 1792 and on his trip to Russia in 1793, where they were well-received by Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
. He then went to England, and in spring 1795 joined the Quiberon expedition
Invasion of France (1795)
The invasion of France in 1795 or the Battle of Quiberon was a major landing on the Quiberon peninsula by émigré, counter-revolutionary troops in support of the Chouannerie and Vendée Revolt, beginning on 23 June and finally definitively repulsed on 21 July...
. Charged, under Joseph-Geneviève de Puisaye
Joseph-Geneviève de Puisaye
Joseph-Geneviève, comte de Puisaye was a minor French aristocrat who fought as a counter-revolutionary during the French Revolution, leading two unsuccessful invasions from England. He later led a group of French royalists to settle in Upper Canada, but returned to England after a few years, when...
, with commanding a unit of Chouan
Chouan
Chouan is a French surname. It was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution...
s charged with attacking the rear of the Republican army, he was prevented by the forces of Hoche
Lazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche was a French soldier who rose to be general of the Revolutionary army.Born of poor parents near Versailles, he enlisted at sixteen as a private soldier in the Gardes Françaises...
and, tricked by false signals, forced to retreat. He fulfilled several different missions to the Vendée
Vendée
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...
and the île d'Yeu
Île d'Yeu
Île d'Yeu is an island and commune just off the Vendée coast of western France.The island's two harbours, Port-Joinville in the north and Port de la Meule, located in a rocky inlet of the southern granite coast, are famous for the fishing of tuna and lobster....
, with the comte d'Artois. Returning to London, he hastened to return to Russia but arrived there at the moment of Catherine's death, fell victim (like most French Royalists in Russia) to Paul I
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
's changeability and was soon forced to leave. He returned to France and stayed for a time 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...
, with police consent, until he was arrested in 1806 and held prisoner for a long while in the Temple
Temple (Paris)
The Temple was a medieval fortress in Paris, located in what is now the IIIe arrondissement. It was built by the Knights Templar from the 12th century, as their European headquarters. In the 13th century it replaced earlier works of the Vieille Temple in Le Marais...
.
Source
- "Jacques Anne Joseph Le Prestre de Vauban", in Louis-Gabriel Michaud, Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne : histoire par ordre alphabétique de la vie publique et privée de tous les hommes avec la collaboration de plus de 300 savants et littérateurs français ou étrangers, 2e édition, 1843–1865