Samuel-François Lhéritier
Encyclopedia
Baron Samuel-François Lhéritier (6 August 1772 - 23 August 1829) was a French soldier who rose through the ranks during the French Revolutionary Wars
and Napoleonic Wars
, eventually gaining promotion to the top military rank of Général de Division.
While his initial career in the infantry branch and then General Staff during the French Revolutionary Wars
was unremarkable, Lhéritier made a name for himself as a cavalry commander during the Napoleonic Wars
. A gallant officer, he led from the front and, as a result, collected a number of serious battle wounds. He was created a Baron of the Empire and a Commander of the Legion of Honour and his name is inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris
.
Having begun his military career in 1792, he joined the cavalry branch on a permanent basis in 1803 and subsequently saw steady promotion and was given various commands of heavy cavalry
units. A part of the Grande Armée in 1805, he took part to the War of the Third Coalition. In 1806, at the outbreak of the War of the Fourth Coalition
, Lhéritier was promoted to Colonel
and given the command of the 10th Cuirassiers. In this capacity, he was noted for his brave charge at the Battle of Eylau
in 1807. Two years later, during the War of the Fifth Coalition
, he made an impression on his superiors, especially during the Battle of Aspern-Essling
and Battle of Znaim. As a result, he was promoted to Brigadier General
and given the command of a cuirassier brigade, before taking part to the French invasion of Russia
in 1812. The next year, he was promoted to General of Division and was given various commands during the War of the Sixth Coalition
. During the 1815 War of the Seventh Coalition, Baron Lhéritier commanded a mixed dragoon
and cuirassier division, at the head of which he charged during the Battle of Waterloo
. Lhéritier's active service effectively ended soon after Napoleon I
's second abdication, but he did hold two significant military functions during the Second Restoration
.
on 6 August 1772, Lhéritier joined the army on 26 September 1792, aged 20 and he would spend his first years of service fighting in the French Revolutionary Wars
, with action taking place mainly on the Rhine. Upon joining the army, he was at first commissioned as a mere grenadier in the 3rd Indre-et-Loire battalion, before being promoted to Corporal, in command of the battalion's grenadiers (22 December 1792). The next year, on 18 August 1793, he was appointed secretary to the General Staff of the Army of the Rhine and then provisional deputy of the general adjutants of the army, with the rank of Sub-lieutenant
of infantry (17 May 1794), his first junior officer
rank. His rank as Sub-lieutenant was at first provisional and was only rendered permanent two and a half years later, on 4 December 1796. On 2 January 1797, he was appointed aide-de-camp
to General Jacques Nicolas Bellavène
and saw rapid promotion, first to Lieutenant
on 3 April 1797 and then to Captain
on 5 October 1797. With his second promotion came a new General Staff position, this time with General Jean Boudet
's command.
On 14 June 1800, Captain Lhéritier fought at the decisive Battle of Marengo, where he collected a severe thigh wound. Six weeks after the battle, on 28 July 1800, he was transferred from the General Staff to the Cavalry branch of the army and was attached to the 6th Dragoons. Completely healed from his injury on 23 October of that year, he was detached from his regiment and, from November reassumed staff duties, as aide-de-camp to General Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
. However, he soon moved back to cavalry, as, on 19 September 1801 he was promoted to Squadron Commander in the 9th Cavalry. Following the various reforms of the cavalry branch during this period of peace, Lhéritier was again commissioned aide-de-camp on 16 December 1801, a position that he held until 26 August 1803, when he was decommissioned. He resumed service a few months later, on 13 October 1803 and on 15 December of that year, he was given a position in the 11th Cuirassiers, a regiment that had been created in 1803 from what used to be the 11th Cavalry.
, Napoleon I
formed the Grande Armée and organised most of his cavalry in a large Cavalry Reserve corps under Marshal of the Empire Joachim Murat
. Lhéritier continued to serve in the 11th Cuirassiers and in 1805 this regiment was included in General Raymond-Gaspard de Bonardi de Saint-Sulpice
's 2nd Brigade of Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul
's 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division. The 11th Cuirassiers itself was under the command of Colonel
Albert Louis Emmanuel de Fouler. The regiment was heavily engaged at the Battle of Austerlitz
, where it lost 14 dead and 37 wounded out of its pre-battle complement of 327 men. The regiment and its officers fought brilliantly and shortly after the battle, Colonel Fouler was promoted to Brigadier General
.
The next year saw the outbreak of the War of the Fourth Coalition
, which opposed France to Prussia
and Russia
. On 5 October 1806, Lhéritier was promoted to Colonel
and given the command of the 10th Cuirassiers, a prestigious heavy cavalry regiment, formerly called Royal Cravates during the Ancien Regime, and which traced its origins back to the reign of Louis XIII. The regiment was a part of Marie Adrien François Guiton's 2nd Brigade of General d'Hautpoul's 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division. The division saw no major action during the 1806 campaign, but was heavily engaged at the Battle of Eylau
on 8 February 1807. There, Colonel Lhéritier led his cuirassiers during Marshal Murat's famous cavalry charge. Lhéritier was wounded at his right hand when his horse was killed under him, but was soon back in the saddle and took off again at the head of his regiment in another charge. His senior commander, General d'Hautpoul, was fatally wounded during his heroic charge at Eylau. The 10th Cuirassiers took little part in the fighting that followed that battle.
The next significant engagement came in 1809, during the War of the Fifth Coalition
, against Austria
. The 10th Cuirassiers were again a part of General Guiton's 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division, now under the command of General Saint-Sulpice, who had taken divisional command following the death of d'Hautpoul in 1807. The regiment, numbering 4 squadrons and a complement of 610 men, saw action at the Battle of Aspern-Essling
, where Colonel Lhéritier bravely led from the front and received a bullet wound to the right shoulder and had a horse shot under him. Six weeks later, at the Battle of Wagram
, the 10th Cuirassiers saw brief combat and had only one officer wounded. The next engagement for the regiment came on 11 July at the Battle of Znaim. There, Colonel Lhéritier was again noted for his bravery, as he led his men into action and in the process received a severe wound at the head. His actions during the campaign of 1809 were regarded very highly and on 21 July 1809, he was promoted to Brigadier General.
's 3rd Heavy Cavalry Division (7 May 1811). During the upcoming French Invasion of Russia
, General Lhéritier's brigade was noted for fighting with distinction at the Second Battle of Polotsk
on 18-20 October 1812, but by then the outcome of the campaign had already been sealed and the remains of the once mighty Grande Armée pulled out of Russia.
The next year, on 15 March 1813, Lhéritier was promoted to the rank of General of Division and on 1 July was given the command of the 4th Heavy Cavalry Division of III Cavalry Corps. A few weeks later, on 8 August, he was given another command, that of several cavalry brigades from Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud
's V bis Cavalry Corps, before having to take over the provisional command of the entire corps, during Milhaud's absence. During the summer campaign in Saxony, Lhéritier was noted above all for his actions at the Battle of Gieshübel on 22 August. Towards the end of the year, on 5 October, he was given the command of the 5th heavy cavalry division, which was entirely composed of dragoon
s. The 1814 campaign took place on French soil and Napoleon reorganised his army for the defense of the country's frontiers. As a result, on 5 January, General Lhéritier was given the command of the 6th Heavy Cavalry division, then, at the end of January, the 4th Dragoon Division. He led his men into combat with distinction at virtually all the major battles of the campaign, including Brienne
, La Rothière
and Saint-Dizier
.
, General Lhéritier swore his allegiance to the Bourbon Restoration
but from 1 June 1814 he was placed on half pay. Towards the end of the year, he was appointed Inspector General for cavalry in the 16th military division and took charge of this new function at the beginning of 1815. When Napoleon returned from exile and reclaimed power in France, Lhéritier rallied to his cause and was given a first field command on 23 April, namely the cavalry reserve of IV Army Corps. Then, on 3 June 1815, he was named commander of the 11th cavalry division, a mixed force composed of dragoons and cuirassiers. His direct subordinates were Brigadier General Cyrille Simon Picquet, in command of the 1st Brigade (2nd and 7th Dragoons) and none other than his former commander from 1806-1807 and 1809, Brigadier General Guiton, in command of the 2nd Brigade (8th and 11th Cuirassiers). The entire division was a part of François Etienne de Kellermann
's III Cavalry Corps of the "Army of the North".
When the "Army of the North" attacked the forces of the Seventh Coalition in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
, Kellermann, with Lhéritier's division was placed under the command of Marshal Michel Ney
. On 16 June, Ney faced a massed Allied force at the Battle of Quatre Bras
. Of Lhéritier's 11th cavalry division, only Guiton's cuirassier brigade was present and available for action. As Ney's situation became increasingly desperate, the Marshal ordered Kellermann to take his cuirassiers in a frontal charge against the enemy. The charge was very well handled and, despite the difficult terrain and the large numbers of the enemy, it did much to relieve the pressure on the French forces. At first, it broke Hugh Halkett
's forces, then Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
's German infantry, eventually reaching the crucial Quatre Bras crossroads. However, this breakthrough could not be exploited, as no other units had been sent in immediate support of the heavy cavalry. The cuirassiers endured some murderous close-range musketry before finally turning and retreating at a trot, a manoeuvre during which Kellermann had his horse shot under him and barely escaped capture. Two days later, the entire III Corps was reunited under Kellermann's command and was available for action at the Battle of Waterloo
. Lhéritier's division was committed towards 17:30, during the afternoon attacks, as Marshal Ney sent in his cavalry in mass against the Allied centre. A series of charges ensued, but such a cavalry attack, without proper infantry or artillery support was always set to fail on an uneven battlefield such as the one at Waterloo and against an infantry that had plenty of time to form protective squares
. Despite the heroism and self-sacrifice of the French cavalry - Lhéritier's division alone lost six officers dead, three mortally wounded and fourty wounded - the battle was lost. During this fateful day, Baron Lhéritier received a bullet wound to the right shoulder.
Napoleon abdicated a second time following his defeat at Waterloo and, as the Bourbons returned to power in France, Baron Lhéritier was placed on the non-active list on 20 September 1815. Although he was never again called upon for field service, the Bourbons did offer him the position of Inspector General for cavalry and subsequently for gendarmerie. General Baron Samuel-François Lhéritier died on 23 August 1829 in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
, near Paris
.
in Paris
.
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...
, eventually gaining promotion to the top military rank of Général de Division.
While his initial career in the infantry branch and then General Staff 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...
was unremarkable, Lhéritier made a name for himself as a cavalry commander during 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...
. A gallant officer, he led from the front and, as a result, collected a number of serious battle wounds. He was created a Baron of the Empire and a Commander of the Legion of Honour and 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...
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...
.
Having begun his military career in 1792, he joined the cavalry branch on a permanent basis in 1803 and subsequently saw steady promotion and was given various commands of heavy cavalry
Heavy cavalry
Heavy cavalry is a class of cavalry whose primary role was to engage in direct combat with enemy forces . Although their equipment differed greatly depending on the region and historical period, they were generally mounted on large powerful horses, and were often equipped with some form of scale,...
units. A part of the Grande Armée in 1805, he took part to the War of the Third Coalition. In 1806, at the outbreak of the War of the Fourth Coalition
War 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....
, Lhéritier was promoted to Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and given the command of the 10th Cuirassiers. In this capacity, he was noted for his brave charge at the Battle of Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
in 1807. Two years later, 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 made an impression on his superiors, especially during the Battle of Aspern-Essling
Battle of Aspern-Essling
In the Battle of Aspern-Essling , Napoleon attempted a forced crossing of the Danube near Vienna, but the French and their allies were driven back by the Austrians under Archduke Charles...
and Battle of Znaim. As a result, he 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...
and given the command of a cuirassier brigade, before taking part to the French invasion of Russia
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
in 1812. The next year, he was promoted to General of Division and was given various commands during the 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...
. During the 1815 War of the Seventh Coalition, Baron Lhéritier commanded a mixed dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
and cuirassier division, at the head of which he charged during 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...
. Lhéritier's active service effectively ended soon after 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...
's second abdication, but he did hold two significant military functions during the Second 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...
.
Revolutionary Wars
Born in Angles-sur-l'AnglinAngles-sur-l'Anglin
Angles-sur-l'Anglin is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France. It has been selected as one of the official most beautiful villages of France and contains castle ruins dating as far back as the 11th century originally constructed for the Bishop of...
on 6 August 1772, Lhéritier joined the army on 26 September 1792, aged 20 and he would spend his first years of service fighting in 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...
, with action taking place mainly on the Rhine. Upon joining the army, he was at first commissioned as a mere grenadier in the 3rd Indre-et-Loire battalion, before being promoted to Corporal, in command of the battalion's grenadiers (22 December 1792). The next year, on 18 August 1793, he was appointed secretary to the General Staff of the Army of the Rhine and then provisional deputy of the general adjutants of the army, with the rank of Sub-lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
of infantry (17 May 1794), his first junior officer
Junior officer
The term junior officer is sometimes used to make clear that an officer in a military or paramilitary unit is not in overall command. The term senior officer is reserved for the officer in overall command....
rank. His rank as Sub-lieutenant was at first provisional and was only rendered permanent two and a half years later, on 4 December 1796. On 2 January 1797, he was appointed 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 Jacques Nicolas Bellavène
Jacques Nicolas Bellavène
Jacques Nicolas Bellavène was a French general. His name is engraved on the east side of the Arc de triomphe.- Life :...
and saw rapid promotion, first to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 3 April 1797 and then to Captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
on 5 October 1797. With his second promotion came a new General Staff position, this time with General Jean Boudet
Jean Boudet
Jean Boudet was a French général de division of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The campaigns in which he was involved include the Saint-Domingue expedition...
's command.
On 14 June 1800, Captain Lhéritier fought at the decisive Battle of Marengo, where he collected a severe thigh wound. Six weeks after the battle, on 28 July 1800, he was transferred from the General Staff to the Cavalry branch of the army and was attached to the 6th Dragoons. Completely healed from his injury on 23 October of that year, he was detached from his regiment and, from November reassumed staff duties, as aide-de-camp to General Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière, also Count de Lariboisière, was a general of artillery of the First French Empire. He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and died of fatigue at Königsberg in East Prussia on 21 December 1812, during the Grand Army's retreat from...
. However, he soon moved back to cavalry, as, on 19 September 1801 he was promoted to Squadron Commander in the 9th Cavalry. Following the various reforms of the cavalry branch during this period of peace, Lhéritier was again commissioned aide-de-camp on 16 December 1801, a position that he held until 26 August 1803, when he was decommissioned. He resumed service a few months later, on 13 October 1803 and on 15 December of that year, he was given a position in the 11th Cuirassiers, a regiment that had been created in 1803 from what used to be the 11th Cavalry.
Early Napoleonic Wars
With the outbreak of the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic 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...
, 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...
formed the Grande Armée and organised most of his cavalry in a large Cavalry Reserve corps under Marshal of the Empire 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...
. Lhéritier continued to serve in the 11th Cuirassiers and in 1805 this regiment was included in General Raymond-Gaspard de Bonardi de Saint-Sulpice
Raymond-Gaspard de Bonardi de Saint-Sulpice
Raymond-Gaspard de Bonardi comte de Saint-Sulpice was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, noted for his actions as a heavy cavalry commander and who became a Peer of France towards the end of his life.-Early life and Revolutionary Wars:A nobleman by birth,...
's 2nd Brigade of Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul
Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul
Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul was a French cavalry general of the Napoleonic wars. He came from an old noble family of France whose military tradition extended for several centuries....
's 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division. The 11th Cuirassiers itself was under the command of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Albert Louis Emmanuel de Fouler. The regiment was heavily engaged at the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle 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...
, where it lost 14 dead and 37 wounded out of its pre-battle complement of 327 men. The regiment and its officers fought brilliantly and shortly after the battle, Colonel Fouler 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...
.
The next year saw the outbreak of the War of the Fourth Coalition
War 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....
, which opposed France to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. On 5 October 1806, Lhéritier was promoted to Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and given the command of the 10th Cuirassiers, a prestigious heavy cavalry regiment, formerly called Royal Cravates during the Ancien Regime, and which traced its origins back to the reign of Louis XIII. The regiment was a part of Marie Adrien François Guiton's 2nd Brigade of General d'Hautpoul's 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division. The division saw no major action during the 1806 campaign, but was heavily engaged at the Battle of Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
on 8 February 1807. There, Colonel Lhéritier led his cuirassiers during Marshal Murat's famous cavalry charge. Lhéritier was wounded at his right hand when his horse was killed under him, but was soon back in the saddle and took off again at the head of his regiment in another charge. His senior commander, General d'Hautpoul, was fatally wounded during his heroic charge at Eylau. The 10th Cuirassiers took little part in the fighting that followed that battle.
The next significant engagement came in 1809, 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...
, against Austria
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
. The 10th Cuirassiers were again a part of General Guiton's 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division, now under the command of General Saint-Sulpice, who had taken divisional command following the death of d'Hautpoul in 1807. The regiment, numbering 4 squadrons and a complement of 610 men, saw action at the Battle of Aspern-Essling
Battle of Aspern-Essling
In the Battle of Aspern-Essling , Napoleon attempted a forced crossing of the Danube near Vienna, but the French and their allies were driven back by the Austrians under Archduke Charles...
, where Colonel Lhéritier bravely led from the front and received a bullet wound to the right shoulder and had a horse shot under him. Six weeks later, at the Battle of Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
, the 10th Cuirassiers saw brief combat and had only one officer wounded. The next engagement for the regiment came on 11 July at the Battle of Znaim. There, Colonel Lhéritier was again noted for his bravery, as he led his men into action and in the process received a severe wound at the head. His actions during the campaign of 1809 were regarded very highly and on 21 July 1809, he was promoted to Brigadier General.
General in the Grande Armée
Having been promoted to Brigadier General on 21 July 1809, Lhéritier left his regiment the next day and was given command of the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Heavy Cavalry Division. His command included the 7th and 8th Cuirassiers, but his brigade saw no action, as an armistice had been signed at Znaim on 12 July and the two parties were moving towards signing a peace treaty. The War of the Fifth Coalition ended on 14 October 1809 and General Lhéritier was discharged from his position on 1 May 1810. For almost a year, he was not given any assignment, but, on 26 March 1811, he was named inspector of the cavalry depots of the 1st, 15th, 21st and 22nd military divisions, then inspector of the remounts for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th military divisions (7 May 1811). He was subsequently given a field command, as he was placed at the helm of the 2nd brigade of General Jean-Pierre DoumercJean-Pierre Doumerc
Jean-Pierre Doumerc, born 7 October 1767 – died 29 March 1847, joined a French cavalry regiment at the beginning of the French Revolution and rose in rank to command a cuirassier regiment by the start of the First French Empire. During the Napoleonic Wars he first led cavalry brigades and...
's 3rd Heavy Cavalry Division (7 May 1811). During the upcoming French Invasion of Russia
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
, General Lhéritier's brigade was noted for fighting with distinction at the Second Battle of Polotsk
Second Battle of Polotsk
The Second Battle of Polotsk took place during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. In this encounter the Russians under General Peter Wittgenstein attacked and defeated a Franco-Bavarian force under Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr. In the aftermath of this success, the Russians took Polotsk and dismantled...
on 18-20 October 1812, but by then the outcome of the campaign had already been sealed and the remains of the once mighty Grande Armée pulled out of Russia.
The next year, on 15 March 1813, Lhéritier was promoted to the rank of General of Division and on 1 July was given the command of the 4th Heavy Cavalry Division of III Cavalry Corps. A few weeks later, on 8 August, he was given another command, that of several cavalry brigades from 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:...
's V bis Cavalry Corps, before having to take over the provisional command of the entire corps, during Milhaud's absence. During the summer campaign in Saxony, Lhéritier was noted above all for his actions at the Battle of Gieshübel on 22 August. Towards the end of the year, on 5 October, he was given the command of the 5th heavy cavalry division, which was entirely composed of dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s. The 1814 campaign took place on French soil and Napoleon reorganised his army for the defense of the country's frontiers. As a result, on 5 January, General Lhéritier was given the command of the 6th Heavy Cavalry division, then, at the end of January, the 4th Dragoon Division. He led his men into combat with distinction at virtually all the major battles of the campaign, including Brienne
Battle of Brienne
The Battle of Brienne was fought on January 29, 1814, and resulted in the victory of Emperor Napoleon I's French forces over the Russian and Prussian forces commanded by the Prussian Generalfeldmarschall Prince von Blücher....
, La Rothière
Battle of La Rothiere
The Battle of La Rothière was fought on 1 February 1814 between the French Empire and allied army of Austria, Prussia, Russia, and German States previously allies with France. The French were led by Emperor Napoleon and the coalition army was under the command of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher...
and Saint-Dizier
Battle of Saint-Dizier
The Battle of Saint-Dizier was a battle during the War of the Sixth Coalition, fought on 26 March 1814, and is notable as Napoleon's last victory before he abdicated.-Context:...
.
Bourbon Restoration and beyond
Following Napoleon's abdicationTreaty of Fontainebleau (1814)
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was an agreement established in Fontainebleau on 11 April 1814 between Napoleon Bonaparte and representatives from Austria, Hungary and Bohemia , as well as Russia and Prussia. The treaty was signed at Paris on 11 April by the plenipotentiaries of both sides, and...
, General Lhéritier swore his allegiance to 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...
but from 1 June 1814 he was placed on half pay. Towards the end of the year, he was appointed Inspector General for cavalry in the 16th military division and took charge of this new function at the beginning of 1815. When Napoleon returned from exile and reclaimed power in France, Lhéritier rallied to his cause and was given a first field command on 23 April, namely the cavalry reserve of IV Army Corps. Then, on 3 June 1815, he was named commander of the 11th cavalry division, a mixed force composed of dragoons and cuirassiers. His direct subordinates were Brigadier General Cyrille Simon Picquet, in command of the 1st Brigade (2nd and 7th Dragoons) and none other than his former commander from 1806-1807 and 1809, Brigadier General Guiton, in command of the 2nd Brigade (8th and 11th Cuirassiers). The entire division was a part of François Etienne de 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...
's III Cavalry Corps of the "Army of the North".
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name used to refer to Kingdom of the Netherlands during the period after it was first created from part of the First French Empire and before the new kingdom of Belgium split out in 1830...
, Kellermann, with Lhéritier's division was placed under the command of 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...
. On 16 June, Ney faced a massed Allied force at the Battle of Quatre Bras
Battle of Quatre Bras
The Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
. Of Lhéritier's 11th cavalry division, only Guiton's cuirassier brigade was present and available for action. As Ney's situation became increasingly desperate, the Marshal ordered Kellermann to take his cuirassiers in a frontal charge against the enemy. The charge was very well handled and, despite the difficult terrain and the large numbers of the enemy, it did much to relieve the pressure on the French forces. At first, it broke Hugh Halkett
Hugh Halkett
General Baron Hugh Halkett, GCH, CB, was a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars and later a general of infantry in the Hanoverian service.-Early career:...
's forces, then Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
Prince Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a German prince and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Oels. Nicknamed "The Black Dude", he was a military officer who led the Black Brunswickers against Napoleonic domination in Germany...
's German infantry, eventually reaching the crucial Quatre Bras crossroads. However, this breakthrough could not be exploited, as no other units had been sent in immediate support of the heavy cavalry. The cuirassiers endured some murderous close-range musketry before finally turning and retreating at a trot, a manoeuvre during which Kellermann had his horse shot under him and barely escaped capture. Two days later, the entire III Corps was reunited under Kellermann's command and was available for 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...
. Lhéritier's division was committed towards 17:30, during the afternoon attacks, as Marshal Ney sent in his cavalry in mass against the Allied centre. A series of charges ensued, but such a cavalry attack, without proper infantry or artillery support was always set to fail on an uneven battlefield such as the one at Waterloo and against an infantry that had plenty of time to form protective squares
Infantry square
An infantry square is a combat formation an infantry unit forms in close order when threatened with cavalry attack.-Very early history:The formation was described by Plutarch and used by the Romans, and was developed from an earlier circular formation...
. Despite the heroism and self-sacrifice of the French cavalry - Lhéritier's division alone lost six officers dead, three mortally wounded and fourty wounded - the battle was lost. During this fateful day, Baron Lhéritier received a bullet wound to the right shoulder.
Napoleon abdicated a second time following his defeat at Waterloo and, as the Bourbons returned to power in France, Baron Lhéritier was placed on the non-active list on 20 September 1815. Although he was never again called upon for field service, the Bourbons did offer him the position of Inspector General for cavalry and subsequently for gendarmerie. General Baron Samuel-François Lhéritier died on 23 August 1829 in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
Conflans-Sainte-Honorine is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris from the center....
, near 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...
.
Recognition
Samuel-François Lhéritier was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honour on 15 June 1804, Officer of the same order on 14 May 1807 and Commander of the order on 24 August 1814. He was also created a Baron of the Empire in May 1808. The name LHERITIER is inscribed under the eastern pillar of the Arc de TriompheArc 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
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...
.
Sources
- Bukhari, Emir - "Napoleon's Cuirassiers and Carabiniers", Men-at-arms Series Osprey, 1977, ISBN 0-85045-096-9.
- Castle, Ian - "Aspern and Wagram 1809", Campaign Series 33, Osprey Military, 1994, ISBN 1-85532-366-4.
- Hourtoulle, François-Guy - "D'Eylau à Friedland", Histoire & Collections, 2007, ISBN 978-235-250020-9.
- Hourtoulle, François-Guy - "Wagram, l'apogée de l'Empire", Histoire & Collections, 2002, ISBN 2-913903-32-0
- Fierro, Alfredo; Palluel-Guillard, André; Tulard, Jean - "Histoire et Dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire”, Éditions Robert Laffont, ISBN 2-221-05858-5.
- Lapray, Olivier - "Dictionnaire des officiers de Cuirassiers du Premier Empire", Histoire & Collections, 2008, ISBN 978-2-35250-025-4.
- Pigeard, Alain - "Dictionnaire des batailles de Napoléon”, Tallandier, Bibliothèque Napoléonienne, 2004, ISBN 2-84734-073-4
- Smith, Digby - "Great Cavalry Charges of the Napoleonic Wars”, Greenhill Books London, 2003, ISBN 1-85367-541-5.