Alexis-Joseph Delzons

General Delzons

Alexis-Joseph Delzons (born March 26, 1775 in Aurillac , † October 24, 1812 in the Battle of Malojaroslawez ) was a French general de division of the infantry .

Life

Delzons was a son of the city employee Antoine Delzons and his wife Marianne-Crespine Hébrard; the revolutionary Pierre Hébrard (1750–1802) was his maternal uncle. His younger brother Jean-Baptiste (1787-1812) also embarked on a military career and died in 1812 on the same battlefield.

Delzons joined the army in 1791 at the age of sixteen and made a very rapid career during the Revolutionary Wars. He fought at La Jonquera (1794) and was wounded; he was also able to distinguish himself through bravery at the siege of Roses (→ Castell de la Trinitat ) in the same year.

After further promotions, Delzons took part in Napoleon's Italian campaign in 1796/97 . He was able to distinguish himself through courage and bravery among Montenotte (April 12, 1796), Dego (April 14/15, 1796), Mondovi (April 20/22, 1796) and Lodi (May 10, 1796). He took part in the siege of Mantua and was taken prisoner of war; eight days later, however, it could be exchanged. He took part in the Battle of Rivoli (January 14-15, 1797) and was wounded.

After his recovery, Delzons volunteered for a campaign in Egypt . With the rank of general he came to the Nile and fought a. a. in the Battle of the Pyramids (July 25-26, 1812).

Back in France, Delzons led his own command during the coalition wars under General Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont . After the Treaty of Schönbrunn (October 14, 1809) he was mostly entrusted with military-administrative tasks.

In 1812 Delzons took part in the Russian campaign as commander of the 13th Division in the IV Corps under Eugène Beauharnais . In Ostrowno (July 25/26) and Malojaroslawez (October 24) he was again able to distinguish himself through bravery; he was fatally wounded in the latter fight. He found his final resting place on the battlefield the following day.

Honors

• June 14, 1804 Commander of the Legion of Honor
• Baron de l'Émpire
• On June 24, 1883, his monument - a bronze statue, created by Gabriel Vital-Dubray (1813-1893) - was ceremoniously unveiled in Aurillac .
• His name can be found on the eastern pillar (16th column) of the triumphal arch on Place Charles-de-Gaulle ( Paris ).

literature

• Karl Bleibtreu : Marshals, generals, soldiers of Napoleon I. VRZ-Verlag, Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-931482-63-4 (reprint of the Berlin 1899 edition).
• Jean Garrigoux: Delzons Destaing. Un clan sous la Révolution et l'Émpire . Éditions Gebert, Aurillac 2007, ISBN 978-2-85579-060-2 .
• Claude Grimmer: Histoire des rues d'Aurillac . De Borée, Clermont-Ferrand 2002, ISBN 2-84494-115-X .
• Charles Mullié: Biography of the célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850 . Poignavant, Paris 1851 (2 vols.).

Web links

Commons : Alexis Joseph Delzons  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Bicentenaire de la mort d'Alexis-Joseph Delzons of October 24, 2012.