Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty

Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty (born May 30, 1768 in Bordeaux , † February 12, 1815 in Paris ) was a French cavalryman and Général de division .

Live and act

Champion de Nansouty came from a traditional officer family of the Burgundian nobility; his father was Jean-Baptiste Champion de Nansouty (1718–1785), his mother Antoinette Hélène Harpoiller (* 1740).

Champion de Nansouty attended the military school of Brienne-le-Château and was soon able to distinguish himself there, so that he could qualify for further military training at the École militaire in Paris.

At 17, Champion de Nansouty joined the infantry in 1785 with the rank of Sous-lieutenant . During the revolution he was able to switch to the cavalry and remained loyal to this type of army throughout his life. He was soon able to distinguish himself and in 1792 came to the staff of Marshal Nikolaus von Luckner as an aide-de-camp .

A follower of Napoleon Bonaparte from an early age , Champion de Nansouty also quickly made a career. In 1799 he took over an equestrian division in the Grande Armée with the rank of Général de brigade . He took part in the battles at Austerlitz (December 2, 1805) and Friedland (June 14, 1807).

After a short time in France and further promotions, Champion de Nansouty took part in the wars in Spain and Portugal as a stable master in the general staff .

He fought near Eggmühl (April 22, 1809), Aspern (May 21/22, 1809) and at the head of the guard cavalry he decided the battle of Wagram (July 5/6, 1809).

When Napoleon was planning his invasion of Russia , Champion de Nansouty again volunteered. He took part in the battles Ostrowno (July 25, 1812) and Borodino (September 7, 1812) and was wounded several times in the latter. The Battle of Berezina he survived (26-28. November 1812) just barely.

In the following year, Champion de Nansouty switched to the Garde impériale and led the cavalry in the battles near Dresden (August 26/27, 1813), Leipzig (October 16/19, 1813) and Hanau (October 30/31, 1813) . In the latter fights he was wounded several times.

Champion de Nansouty returned to France that same year and tried to recover from his wounds despite ongoing service obligations. In 1814 he took part in the battles at La Rothière (February 1, 1814), Montmirail (February 11, 1814), Vauchamps (February 14, 1814) and Craonne (March 7, 1814).

Because of his wounds, Champion de Nansouty no longer seemed fit for duty and in a personal letter to Napoleon he asked for his resignation . He did not take part in the Battle of Laon (March 9/10, 1814) and at Napoleon's request he was represented by General Augustin-Daniel Belliard and a little later officially replaced by General Horace-François Sébastiani .

Étienne Champion de Nansouty left the Grande Armée and settled in Paris. There he died as a result of his injuries and found his final resting place in the Père Lachaise cemetery (27th division).

Honors

• Commander of the Legion of Honor
• Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis
• Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• Order of the Golden Eagle
• Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor
• Baron d'Émpire
• His name can be found on the eastern pillar (16th column) of the Triumphal Arch on Place Charles de Gaulle (Paris)
• The Rue Nansouty in the 14th arrondissement of Paris is named after him

literature

• David G. Chandler : The campaigns of Napoleon . Weidenfeld, London 1993, ISBN 0-297-81367-6 (unchanged reprint of the London 1966 edition).
• Alain Pigeard: Dictionnaire de la Grande Armée . Tallandier, PAris 2002, ISBN 2-84734-009-2 .
• Digby Smith : The Greenhill Napoleonic wars data book . Greenhill Books, London 1998, ISBN 1-85367-276-9 .
• Charles A. Thoumas: Les grands cavaliers du Premier Émpire, vol. 2 . EC Editions, London 2006, ISBN 0-543-96047-1 .
• Jean Tulard: Dictionnaire Napoléon . Fayard, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-213-60485-1 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Almost at the same time as Napoleon Bonaparte.