Simon Bernard
Encyclopedia
Baron Simon Bernard was a French
general of engineers. Born in Dole
, Simon Bernard was educated at the École polytechnique
, graduating as second in the promotion of 1799 and entered the army in the corps of engineers.
, Bernard served (1809–1812) as aide-de-camp to Napoléon
. Promoted to colonel in 1813, he was wounded in the retreat after the battle of Leipzig
and distinguished himself the same year (1813) in the gallant defence of Torgau
against the allies.
After Napoléon's first abdication he rallied to the Bourbons
and was promoted to general de brigade by Louis XVIII of France
and made a knight of Saint Louis
. Bernard was tasked by the minister of war Clarke
with topograpical work. After Napoléon's return from Elba
, Bernard rallied to the emperor and took part in the battle of Waterloo
, he emigrated to the United States
, where, being made a brigadier-general of engineers, he executed a number of extensive military works for the government, notably at Fort Monroe
, Va., Fort Morgan (Alabama), and around New York
, and did a large amount of the civil engineering connected with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and tile Delaware Breakwater.
During his time in America, he was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences
, who counted among their members former presidents Andrew Jackson
and John Quincy Adams
and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.
of 1830 and he was made a lieutenant-général by Louis Philippe I of France. He was named to the general committee on fortifications and was tasked with drafting the plans to improve the fortifications of Paris
. He was made a peer of France
in 1834. He served twice as minister of war
. In 1834 he held the post for eight days (10–18 November) and again from September 1836 to March 1839 under Louis-Mathieu Molé.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
general of engineers. Born in Dole
Dole, Jura
Dole is a commune in the Jura department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France, of which it is a subprefecture ....
, Simon Bernard was educated at the École polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
, graduating as second in the promotion of 1799 and entered the army in the corps of engineers.
French military service
He rose rapidly, becoming a captain in 1800 and a major in 1809. After being involved in the works to the Port of AntwerpPort of Antwerp
The port of Antwerp, in Belgium, is a port in the heart of Europe accessible to capesize ships. Antwerp stands at the upper end of the tidal estuary of the Scheldt. The estuary is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 Gross Tons as far as 80 km inland. The inland location means that the port...
, Bernard served (1809–1812) as aide-de-camp to Napoléon
Napoleon I of France
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...
. Promoted to colonel in 1813, he was wounded in the retreat after 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...
and distinguished himself the same year (1813) in the gallant defence of Torgau
Torgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
against the allies.
After Napoléon's first abdication he rallied to the Bourbons
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
and was promoted to general de brigade by Louis XVIII of France
Louis 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 made a knight 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...
. Bernard was tasked by the minister of war Clarke
Henri Jacques Guillaume Clarke
Henri-Jacques-Guillaume Clarke, 1st Count of Hunebourg, 1st Duke of Feltre , born in Landrecies, was a Marshal of France and French politician of Irish descent.Clarke entered the French army in 1782...
with topograpical work. After Napoléon's return from Elba
Elba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
, Bernard rallied to the emperor and took part in 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...
Banished from France
After the emperor's second abdication he was banished from France and, refusing an offer for employment from czar Alexander I of RussiaAlexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
, he emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where, being made a brigadier-general of engineers, he executed a number of extensive military works for the government, notably at Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
, Va., Fort Morgan (Alabama), and around New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and did a large amount of the civil engineering connected with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and tile Delaware Breakwater.
During his time in America, he was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences
Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences
The Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences was a literary and science institution in Washington, D.C., founded by Dr. Edward Cutbush , a naval surgeon...
, who counted among their members former presidents Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
and John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.
Return to France
He returned to France after the July RevolutionJuly Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
of 1830 and he was made a lieutenant-général by Louis Philippe I of France. He was named to the general committee on fortifications and was tasked with drafting the plans to improve the fortifications of 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...
. He was made a peer of France
Peerage of France
The Peerage of France was a distinction within the French nobility which appeared in the Middle Ages. It was abolished in 1789 during the French Revolution, but it reappeared in 1814 at the time of the Bourbon Restoration which followed the fall of the First French Empire...
in 1834. He served twice 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....
. In 1834 he held the post for eight days (10–18 November) and again from September 1836 to March 1839 under Louis-Mathieu Molé.