Paul-Jean-Baptiste Poret de Morvan
Encyclopedia
Paul-Jean-Baptiste Poret de Morvan (14 April 1777 – 17 February 1834), baron of the Empire
, was a French officer during the French Revolutionary Wars
and Napoleonic Wars
, who rose to the rank of general.
during the War of the First Coalition, aged sixteen, Poret de Morvan was subsequently commissioned to the French revolutionary "Army of Italy" (1799). Holding the rank of adjutant
, he received a first combat wound at the battle of Sassello
, on April 15, 1800. He was promoted to second lieutenant
, before being sent to serve in the Santo Domingo
expeditionary corps, where he fought against the Santo Domingo rebellion and was wounded in action. After the death of the expeditionary corps commander, general of division Charles Leclerc
, Poret de Morvan was among the men who accompanied the general's body back to France. Promoted to the rank of first lieutenant
in 1803, he was integrated in the Foot Grenadier Guards regiment of the then Consular, later Imperial Guard.
, then fought in the 1809 campaign against Austria
during the War of the Fifth Coalition
. He was sent to Spain
in 1810, where he remained until the next year. He was created a knight of the Empire
at the beginning of 1812 and was be made a baron one year later. A general of brigade
from August 1813, he fought with distinction at Bautzen
and played a significant part at the battle of Leipzig
, covering the retreat of the army. Back to France in 1814, Poret de Morvan was entrusted with the mission of creating a "Young Guard" division, then took part to the fighting in Champagne, where he was wounded again. Later that year he took part to the defense of Paris
against the forces of the Sixth Coalition.
During the "Hundred Days
", Poret de Morvan rallied to Napoleon
and was given command of the 3rd Foot Grenadier Guards regiment, two battalion
s, with a complement of 1,164 officers and men. Poret de Morvan led his men in combat at the battle of Ligny
. He directly led his 1st battalion during the final attack of the Guard at the Battle of Waterloo
. Placed in the front line during this epic action, Poret de Morvan and his men were noted for their gallantry but were also exposed to the most murderous fire from enemy artillery
and musketry, resulting in losses of 58% for the entire regiment during this battle.
After the 1815 Bourbon Restoration
, he was imprisoned for joining Napoleon during the "Hundred Days", but was released under an amnesty in 1817. In 1829, he was given the position of general inspector for infantry.
in Paris
.
The name Poret de Morvan is inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris.
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...
, was a French officer during 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...
and 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...
, who rose to the rank of general.
Early career during the Revolutionary Wars
Joining the army as a volunteer artilleristArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
during the War of the First Coalition, aged sixteen, Poret de Morvan was subsequently commissioned to the French revolutionary "Army of Italy" (1799). Holding the rank of adjutant
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...
, he received a first combat wound at the battle of Sassello
Battle of Sassello
The battle of Sassello was a minor skirmish during the war of the Second Coalition, fought on 10 April 1800 between a 2,000-men French force under General Jean-de-Dieu Soult and a largely superior Austrian corps under the command of Prince Prince Hohenzollern...
, on April 15, 1800. He was promoted to second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
, before being sent to serve in the Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
expeditionary corps, where he fought against the Santo Domingo rebellion and was wounded in action. After the death of the expeditionary corps commander, general of division Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc
Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc was a French Army general and husband to Pauline Bonaparte, sister to Napoleon Bonaparte.-To 1801:...
, Poret de Morvan was among the men who accompanied the general's body back to France. Promoted to the rank of first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in 1803, he was integrated in the Foot Grenadier Guards regiment of the then Consular, later Imperial Guard.
Napoleonic Wars
Pursuing his career in the foot grenadier guards, Poret de Morvan took part to the 1805-1807 campaigns of the Grande Armée during the War of the Third Coalition and War of the Fourth CoalitionWar of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. Coalition partners included Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and the United Kingdom....
, then fought in the 1809 campaign against Austria
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
during 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...
. He was sent to Spain
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 1810, where he remained until the next year. He was created a knight of the 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...
at the beginning of 1812 and was be made a baron one year later. A general of brigade
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...
from August 1813, he fought with distinction at 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...
and played a significant part at the battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
, covering the retreat of the army. Back to France in 1814, Poret de Morvan was entrusted with the mission of creating a "Young Guard" division, then took part to the fighting in Champagne, where he was wounded again. Later that year he took part to the defense of Paris
Battle of Paris (1814)
The Battle of Paris was fought during the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. The French defeat led directly to the abdication of Napoleon I.-Background:...
against the forces of the Sixth Coalition.
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...
", Poret de Morvan rallied to 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 3rd Foot Grenadier Guards regiment, two battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s, with a complement of 1,164 officers and men. Poret de Morvan led his men in combat at 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...
. He directly led his 1st battalion during the final attack of the Guard 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...
. Placed in the front line during this epic action, Poret de Morvan and his men were noted for their gallantry but were also exposed to the most murderous fire from enemy artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and musketry, resulting in losses of 58% for the entire regiment during this battle.
After the 1815 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...
, he was imprisoned for joining Napoleon during the "Hundred Days", but was released under an amnesty in 1817. In 1829, he was given the position of general inspector for infantry.
Recognition
General Poret de Morvan died on February 17, 1834, aged 56 and is buried at the Père Lachaise CemeteryPère Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, France , though there are larger cemeteries in the city's suburbs.Père Lachaise is in the 20th arrondissement, and is reputed to be the world's most-visited cemetery, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the...
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...
.
The name Poret de Morvan 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...
in Paris.