Jean-Baptiste Girard (soldier)
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Girard was a French soldier, général and baron d'Empire, who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars
and the Napoleonic Wars
.
and by 1797 he had been promoted to captain. At Marengo in 1800 Girard commanded a brigade. In 1806 after Jena he was promoted to general de brigade. In 1809 Girard was promoted to general de division. Girard saw service in the Peninsular War
, during which he commanded French forces at Arroyo dos Molinos
. Girard was wounded at the Beresina
and at Lützen
.
During the Hundred Days
, Girard rallied to Napoleon I
and was given command of the 7th Infantry Division. He was mortally wounded in the battle of Ligny
, where he bore the brunt of the fighting. Being made Duke of Ligny by Napoleon I
on 21 June 1815 in recognition of his services at Ligny, the title was not recognized by the Second Bourbon Restoration
.
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 the 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...
.
Biography
Girard entered the French revolutionary army during the Spring of 1794. He saw active service with the Army of ItalyArmy of Italy (France)
The Army of Italy was a Field army of the French Army stationed on the Italian border and used for operations in Italy itself. Though it existed in some form in the 16th century through to the present, it is best known for its role during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic...
and by 1797 he had been promoted to captain. At Marengo in 1800 Girard commanded a brigade. In 1806 after Jena he was promoted to general de brigade. In 1809 Girard was promoted to general de division. Girard saw service in 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...
, during which he commanded French forces at Arroyo dos Molinos
Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos
The Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos took place on 28 October 1811 during the Peninsula War. An allied force under General Rowland Hill trapped and defeated, a French force under General Jean-Baptiste Girard, forcing the latter's dismissal by the Emperor Napoleon...
. Girard was wounded at the Beresina
Battle of Berezina
The Battle of Berezina took place November 26–29, 1812 between the French army of Napoleon, retreating after his invasion of Russia and crossing the Berezina , and the Russian armies under Mikhail Kutuzov, Peter Wittgenstein and Admiral Pavel Chichagov. The battle ended with a mixed outcome...
and at Lützen
Battle of Lützen (1813)
In the Battle of Lützen , Napoleon I of France lured a combined Prussian and Russian force into a trap, halting the advances of the Sixth Coalition after his devastating losses in Russia. The Russian commander, Prince Peter Wittgenstein, attempting to undo Napoleon's capture of Leipzig, attacked...
.
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...
, Girard rallied to Napoleon I
Napoleon I
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...
and was given command of the 7th Infantry Division. He was mortally wounded in the battle of Ligny
Battle of Ligny
The Battle of Ligny was the last victory of the military career of Napoleon I. In this battle, French troops of the Armée du Nord under Napoleon's command, defeated a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher, near Ligny in present-day Belgium. The bulk of the Prussian army survived, however, and...
, where he bore the brunt of the fighting. Being made Duke of Ligny by Napoleon I
Napoleon I
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...
on 21 June 1815 in recognition of his services at Ligny, the title was not recognized by the Second 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...
.