Jean-Jacques Desvaux de Saint-Maurice
Encyclopedia
Jean-Jacques Desvaux de Saint-Maurice, baron, (born in Paris
on 26 June 1775; died near Waterloo
on 18 June 1815), was a French general of the Napoleonic Wars
.
Born in an aristocratic family of the Ancien Régime
, Desvaux was admitted at the Artillery School of Châlons
in 1792, before joining the Army of the Alps, with which he would take part to the siege of Lyon
. He then served under the command of general Jacques François Dugommier
in the Army of the Oriental-Pyrenees, before being named aide-de-camp
to general Saint-Rémy in January 1796 and sent to Italy. He would take part to several military engagements between 1798–1799, most noteworthy at Novi and Mincio. He becomes aide-de-camp to general Auguste de Marmont and is promoted to the rank of colonel in 1803, taking part to the siege of Ulm
, where he was wounded, before being captured by the enemy at the battle of Judenburg. Set free after the Treaty of Pressburg
at the end of 1805, he spent the next year serving as commander of the French artillery in Dalmatia
and then Friuli
. In 1809, he took part to the War of the Fifth Coalition
and was promoted to brigadier general
; after the end of the campaign in Austria, he was given the command of the prestigious horse artillery
of the Imperial Guard. A baron of the Empire from 1810, Desvaux held his command in the Guard and was a part of the Grande Armée during the Russian Campaign
and then War of the Sixth Coalition
. He was promoted to general of division in November 1813 and in 1814, during the Campaign of France, he was given the command of the artillery of the Army of Lyon, under Marshal Pierre Augereau. During the Hundred Days
, Desvaux joined Napoleon
and was given command of the entire Guard artillery. He was killed in action at the battle of Waterloo
. His name is inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
, Northern Pillar.
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...
on 26 June 1775; died near 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...
on 18 June 1815), was a French general of 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...
.
Born in an aristocratic family of the Ancien Régime
Ancien Régime in France
The Ancien Régime refers primarily to the aristocratic, social and political system established in France from the 15th century to the 18th century under the late Valois and Bourbon dynasties...
, Desvaux was admitted at the Artillery School of Châlons
Châlons-en-Champagne
Châlons-en-Champagne is a city in France. It is the capital of both the department of Marne and the region of Champagne-Ardenne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims....
in 1792, before joining the Army of the Alps, with which he would take part to the siege of Lyon
Revolt of Lyon against the National Convention
The revolt of Lyon against the National Convention was a counter-revolutionary movement in the city of Lyon. It involved a revolt against the revolutionary government, breaking out in June 1793 and ending in December of the same year....
. He then served under the command of general Jacques François Dugommier
Jacques François Dugommier
Jacques François Coquille named Dugommier was a French general....
in the Army of the Oriental-Pyrenees, before being named aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to general Saint-Rémy in January 1796 and sent to Italy. He would take part to several military engagements between 1798–1799, most noteworthy at Novi and Mincio. He becomes aide-de-camp to general Auguste de Marmont and is promoted to the rank of colonel in 1803, taking part to the siege of Ulm
Battle of Ulm
The Battle of Ulm was a series of minor skirmishes at the end of Napoleon Bonaparte's Ulm Campaign, culminating in the surrender of an entire Austrian army near Ulm in Württemberg....
, where he was wounded, before being captured by the enemy at the battle of Judenburg. Set free after the Treaty of Pressburg
Peace of Pressburg
The Peace of Pressburg refers to four peace treaties concluded in Pressburg . The fourth Peace of Pressburg of 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars is the best-known.-First:...
at the end of 1805, he spent the next year serving as commander of the French artillery in Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
and then Friuli
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
. In 1809, he took part to the War of the Fifth Coalition
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
and was promoted to brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
; after the end of the campaign in Austria, he was given the command of the prestigious horse artillery
Horse artillery
Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving and fast-firing artillery which provided highly mobile fire support to European and American armies from the 17th to the early 20th century...
of the Imperial Guard. A baron of the Empire from 1810, Desvaux held his command in the Guard and was a part of the Grande Armée during the Russian Campaign
Russian Campaign
The Russian campaign may refer to:* the Russian Campaign of Napoleon in 1812 * the World War II on the Eastern Front * The Russian Campaign, a strategic board wargame of the World War II on the Eastern Front 1941-1945....
and then War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
. He was promoted to general of division in November 1813 and in 1814, during the Campaign of France, he was given the command of the artillery of the Army of Lyon, under Marshal Pierre Augereau. 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...
, Desvaux joined Napoleon
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 entire Guard artillery. He was killed in action at 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...
. His name is inscribed under 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...
, Northern Pillar.
Sources
- Fierro, Alfredo; Palluel-Guillard, André; Tulard, Jean - "Histoire et Dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire”, Éditions Robert Laffont, ISBN 2-221-05858-5