Marie Victor de Fay, marquis de Latour-Maubourg
Encyclopedia
Marie Victor Nicolas de Fay, marquis de Latour-Maubourg (Château de La Motte-de-Galaure
, near Grenoble
22 May 1768 — Dammarie-lès-Lys
1850) was a French cavalry commander starting under the Ancien Régime of France, and rising to prominence during the First French Empire
. He was a diplomat after the Bourbon Restoration
, where he served as Minister of War
, from 1819-1821.
Marie-Victor was a sous lieutenant in the Gardes du Corps
.
He was appointed Colonel of the 3rd Régiment des Chasseurs-a-Cheval, 5 February 1792, and served at Philippeville
, Grisville, and Maubeuge
.
In August 1792, he was captured at Rochefort, Belgium
, and taken prisoner by the Austrians, with Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette. He was released soon, while his brother was only released after the treaty of Campo-Formio 18 October 1797. He lived in Hamburg
, and then Brussels as an émigré
, where he was joined by his family.
to General Kléber
, with whom he received a head wound, from an exploding shell, at Alexandria, 13 March 1801, and after Kléber's assassination as aide-de-camp to General Menou
.
, serving in Germany under General Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud
, in command of the 22nd Chasseurs-a-Cheval, forming part of Joachim Murat
's cavalry reserve, and was shortly promoted to Brigadier General
, 24 December 1805.
He campaigned in Prussia and Poland, fought at Jena
; he found himself in the 3rd Division of Dragons under General-de-Division Louis-Chretien Carriere de Beaumont. He was made général de division, 14 May 1807, fought at the Battle of Heilsberg
, where he commanded, the 1er Division de Dragoons, and was wounded, again at Friedland
, where his division supported Marshal Victor's I Corps on the right.
, under Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières
, Marshal Claude Victor, and Marchal Soult in the Peninsular War
, in Spain, participating in the fall of Madrid, then at the battles of Uclés
, Cuenca
, Medellín
, Talavera, Ocana
, Gebora
, Albuquerque
, Albuera
, Usagre
, Elvas, was wounded at the Villafranca
, winning the title of Baron de l'Empire. One of his dispatches was deciphered by the British.
He was recalled to participate in the march on Moscow, given command of the IV Reserve Cavalry Corps. He was wounded at the Battle of Borodino
, and gave distinguished service at Mojaisk, led a sacred squadron, surviving the retreat, later commanded the I Cavalry corps at the Bautzen
, Reichenbach, Goldberg, Lutzen
, and Dresden
.
At Wachau
, his Cavalry Corps along with Kellermann
, and the dragoons of the Guard charged the center of Duke of Württemberg
. The reserve Russian Guard, counterattacked, stabilizing the line.
He lost a leg above the knee: famously responding to his body-servant's weeping at the sight, he remarked to his man, "What are you crying about, man, you have one less boot to polish".
The amputation was practised by the famous surgeon of the imperial armies, Dominique Jean Larrey
who notes in his memoirs:
and remained with him during the Hundred Days
, for which he was made a Pair de France, 1814, made a marquis in 1817.
He served at several diplomatic posts, including Ambassador to London in 1819. (Castlereagh
corresponded with him). He was briefly Minister of War
(November 1819 - December 1821), and governor of Invalides (December 1821), and sat on the tribunal that condemned Marshal Michel Ney
to death.
In August 1831, he negotiated with the Belgians about the frontier forts, but the British intervened.
He was awarded the Grand Croix of the Ordre de la Réunion, and of the Legion of Honor by Napoleon, and Grand Croix of the Order of Saint Louis
by Louis XVIII, and Chevalier de the Order of the Holy Spirit
.
He married Pétronille van Ryssel (d. 17 July 1844).
His older brother, Charles César de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg
also became a general. His younger brother, Juste-Charles de la Tour-Maubourg, married Anastasie de la Fayette (1777–1863).
La Motte-de-Galaure
La Motte-de-Galaure is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, near Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
22 May 1768 — Dammarie-lès-Lys
Dammarie-les-Lys
Dammarie-lès-Lys is a commune in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region from the center of Paris.-History:...
1850) was a French cavalry commander starting under the Ancien Régime of France, and rising to prominence during 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...
. He was a diplomat after the 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...
, where he served as Minister of War
Minister of Defence (France)
The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs is the French government cabinet member charged with running the military of France....
, from 1819-1821.
Early years
His father was Claude Florimond de Fay (1712–1790), and his mother was Vacheron Bermont Marie Françoise (b.1712).Marie-Victor was a sous lieutenant in the Gardes du Corps
Garde du Corps (France)
The Garde du Corps was the senior formation of the King of France's Household Cavalry within the Maison du Roi.-History:The oldest company in the Garde du Corps was the Company of Scottish Archers, later just the 1st Scottish Company or Garde Écossaise, formed in 1419 from Scots that fought for...
.
He was appointed Colonel of the 3rd Régiment des Chasseurs-a-Cheval, 5 February 1792, and served at Philippeville
Philippeville
Philippeville is a Walloon municipality located in Belgium in the province of Namur. The Philippeville municipality includes the old communes of Fagnolle, Franchimont, Jamagne, Jamiolle, Merlemont, Neuville, Omezée, Roly, Romedenne, Samart, Sart-en-Fagne, Sautour, Surice , Villers-en-Fagne,...
, Grisville, and Maubeuge
Maubeuge
Maubeuge is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is situated on both banks of the Sambre , east of Valenciennes and about from the Belgian border.-History:...
.
In August 1792, he was captured at Rochefort, Belgium
Rochefort, Belgium
Rochefort is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Namur close to the Ardennes. On January 1, 2006 Rochefort had a total population of 12,038. The total area is 165.27 km² which gives a population density of 73 inhabitants per km²...
, and taken prisoner by the Austrians, with Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette. He was released soon, while his brother was only released after the treaty of Campo-Formio 18 October 1797. He lived in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, and then Brussels as an émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
, where he was joined by his family.
Egypt
At the end of 1799 he returned to France and was sent to Egypt by the First Consul,. There he served as aide-de-campAide-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 Kléber
Jean Baptiste Kléber
Jean Baptiste Kléber was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. His military career started in Habsburg service, but his plebeian ancestry hindered his opportunities...
, with whom he received a head wound, from an exploding shell, at Alexandria, 13 March 1801, and after Kléber's assassination as aide-de-camp to General Menou
Jacques-Francois Menou
Jacques-François de Menou, baron de Boussay was a French general under Napoleon I of France. Born Jacques Menou in Boussay on 3 September 1750, he died in Mestre in the Veneto on 13 August 1810...
.
Campaigns of 1805-7
He was present at the battle of AusterlitzBattle 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...
, serving in Germany under General Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud
Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud
Édouard Jean-Baptiste Milhaud was a French politician, Général de Division, and comte d'Empire.-French Revolutionary wars:...
, in command of the 22nd Chasseurs-a-Cheval, forming part of Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
's cavalry reserve, and was shortly 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...
, 24 December 1805.
He campaigned in Prussia and Poland, fought 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...
; he found himself in the 3rd Division of Dragons under General-de-Division Louis-Chretien Carriere de Beaumont. He was made général de division, 14 May 1807, fought at 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...
, where he commanded, the 1er Division de Dragoons, and was wounded, again at 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...
, where his division supported Marshal Victor's I Corps on the right.
Spain and Russia
In 1808 he commanded the cavalry of the Armée du MidiArmée du Midi
The Army of Le Midi was a unit of the French army, stationed in the Le Midi region and created by royal decree of Louis XVI on 13 April 1792. It existed under this name for less than five months, and was split by a decree of the National Convention dated 1 October 1792 into the armée des Alpes...
, under Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Jean-Baptiste Bessières, 1st Duc d' Istria was a Marshal of France of the Napoleonic Era. His younger brother, Bertrand, followed in his footsteps and eventually became a Divisional General...
, Marshal Claude Victor, and Marchal Soult 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...
, in Spain, participating in the fall of Madrid, then at the battles of Uclés
Battle of Ucles (1809)
The Battle of Uclés was a minor skirmish during the Peninsular War that resulted in a French victory under Marshal Claude Victor-Perrin against the Spanish under General Francisco Javier Venegas....
, Cuenca
Cuenca, Spain
-History:When the Iberian peninsula was part of the Roman Empire there were several important settlements in the province, such as Segóbriga, Ercávica and Gran Valeria...
, Medellín
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...
, Talavera, Ocana
Battle of Ocana
The Battle of Ocana or Battle of Ocaña was fought on 19 November 1809 between French forces under Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult and King Joseph Bonaparte and the Spanish army under Juan Carlos de Aréizaga, which suffered its greatest single defeat in the Peninsular War...
, Gebora
Battle of the Gebora
The Battle of the Gebora was a minor battle of the Peninsular War between Spanish and French armies. It occurred on 19 February 1811, near Badajoz, Spain, where an outnumbered French force routed and nearly destroyed the Spanish Army of Extremadura....
, Albuquerque
Alburquerque, Badajoz
Alburquerque is a town in the province of Badajoz in Spain. It has 5,600 inhabitants. It is very close to the border with Portugal and was an ancient dominion of the kings of this country...
, Albuera
Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
, Usagre
Battle of Usagre
In the Battle of Usagre on 25 May 1811, Anglo-Allied cavalry commanded by Major-General William Lumley routed a French cavalry force led by Major-General Marie Victor Latour-Maubourg at the village of Usagre in the Peninsular War.-Background:...
, Elvas, was wounded at the Villafranca
Battle of Villafranca (1809)
The Battle of Villafranca took place on March 17, 1809, during the French occupation of León in the Peninsular War. After a bloody four-hour siege the small and isolated French garrison at Villafranca surrendered to Spanish militia under Brigadier Mendizábal.-Background:In 1809 Spanish military...
, winning the title of Baron de l'Empire. One of his dispatches was deciphered by the British.
He was recalled to participate in the march on Moscow, given command of the IV Reserve Cavalry Corps. He was wounded at the Battle of Borodino
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino , fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the French invasion of Russia and all Napoleonic Wars, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulting in at least 70,000 casualties...
, and gave distinguished service at Mojaisk, led a sacred squadron, surviving the retreat, later commanded the I Cavalry corps at the Bautzen
Battle of Bautzen
In the Battle of Bautzen a combined Russian/Prussian army was pushed back by Napoleon, but escaped destruction, some sources claim, because Michel Ney failed to block their retreat...
, Reichenbach, Goldberg, Lutzen
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...
, and Dresden
Battle of Dresden
The Battle of Dresden was fought on 26–27 August 1813 around Dresden, Germany, resulting in a French victory under Napoleon I against forces of the Sixth Coalition of Austrians, Russians and Prussians under Field Marshal Schwartzenberg. However, Napoleon's victory was not as complete as it could...
.
At Wachau
Wachau
The Wachau is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems that also attracts "connoisseurs and epicureans". It is in length and was already...
, his Cavalry Corps along with Kellermann
François Étienne de Kellermann
Francois Étienne de Kellermann, 2nd Duc de Valmy was a French cavalry general noted for his daring and skillful exploits during the Napoleonic Wars...
, and the dragoons of the Guard charged the center of Duke of Württemberg
Eugen Duke of Württemberg (1788–1857)
Duke Eugen of Württemberg was a German nobleman and a General of Infantry in the Imperial Russian Army during the Napoleonic Wars.-Early life and family:...
. The reserve Russian Guard, counterattacked, stabilizing the line.
He lost a leg above the knee: famously responding to his body-servant's weeping at the sight, he remarked to his man, "What are you crying about, man, you have one less boot to polish".
The amputation was practised by the famous surgeon of the imperial armies, Dominique Jean Larrey
Dominique Jean Larrey
Dominique Jean Larrey was a French surgeon in Napoleon's army and an important innovator in battlefield medicine.-Biography:...
who notes in his memoirs:
He received a ball of small caliber which crashed his right knee to pieces, a serious wound which required the amputation of the thigh, requested by the casualty himself: I immediately practised it under fire of the enemy. It was made in less than three minutes.
Restoration
With the restoration of the Bourbons he pledged loyalty to Louis XVIIILouis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
and remained with him 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...
, for which he was made a Pair de France, 1814, made a marquis in 1817.
He served at several diplomatic posts, including Ambassador to London in 1819. (Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC, PC , usually known as Lord CastlereaghThe name Castlereagh derives from the baronies of Castlereagh and Ards, in which the manors of Newtownards and Comber were located...
corresponded with him). He was briefly Minister of War
Minister of Defence (France)
The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs is the French government cabinet member charged with running the military of France....
(November 1819 - December 1821), and governor of Invalides (December 1821), and sat on the tribunal that condemned Marshal Michel Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
to death.
In August 1831, he negotiated with the Belgians about the frontier forts, but the British intervened.
He was awarded the Grand Croix of the Ordre de la Réunion, and of the Legion of Honor by Napoleon, and Grand Croix of the Order of Saint Louis
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
by Louis XVIII, and Chevalier de the Order of the Holy Spirit
Order of the Holy Spirit
The Order of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit, was an Order of Chivalry under the French Monarchy. It should not be confused with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost or with the Order of the Holy Ghost...
.
He married Pétronille van Ryssel (d. 17 July 1844).
His older brother, Charles César de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg
Charles César de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg
Marie-Charles-César de Faÿ, comte de la Tour-Maubourg , was a French soldier and politician during the French Revolution, and of the First French Empire...
also became a general. His younger brother, Juste-Charles de la Tour-Maubourg, married Anastasie de la Fayette (1777–1863).
External links
- Maubourg Wikipedia France article
- General Marie-Victor-Nicolas de Fay Latour-Maubourg, VirtualArc
External links
- Terry J. Senior, "The Top Twenty French Cavalry Commanders: #11. General Marie-Victor-Nicolas de Fay Latour-Maubourg"
- National Portrait Gallery, London
- NPG D15780, Marie Victor Nicolas de Fay Latour Maubourg, National Portrait Gallery, London
- Napoleon and the Grand Army in Russia, Or A Critical Examination of the Work of Count Ph. de Ségur, Gaspard Gourgaud
- History of the Expedition to Russia, Undertaken by the Emperor Napoleon in the Year 1812, Philippe-Paul Ségur
- Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850