Antoine-Henri de Latour-Foissac

Antoine-Henri Armand Jules Élisabeth de Latour-Foissac (born February 3, 1782 in Molsheim , Alsace , † March 25, 1855 in Vailly-sur-Aisne ) was a French general of the cavalry .

Live and act

Latour-Foissac was a son of General François-Philippe de Latour-Foissac (1750-1804); he came from an old officer family and was distantly related to the noble family La Tour d'Auvergne .

At the request of his father, Latour-Foissac joined the Grande Armée as a cadet on November 16, 1795 . After a short time he was able to distinguish himself through bravery in the Revolutionary Wars and was promoted several times. His career led him from Sous-Lieutenant (February 9, 1796) to Lieutenant (February 21, 1797) and as such was appointed as his father's aide-de-camp .

From there he changed as captain (August 28, 1798) to the Italian army and took u. a. 1799 took part in the siege of Mantua . He became a prisoner of war and was only able to return to France on May 11, 1800.

Napoleon entrusted him with some more administrative tasks and at his own request Latour-Foissac was transferred to General Pierre Arnould Meyer (1762-1802) as an aide-de-camp on November 11, 1801 .

In the same position, Latour-Foissac moved to the staff of Maréchal Louis-Alexandre Berthier on January 21, 1805 . He fought in Eggmühl (April 22, 1809) and was shot from his horse. Already in the battle of Wagram (5th / 6th July 1809) he was able to lead a command again.

On November 10, 1810, Napoleon promoted him to commandant and deployed him in Spain. After the Battle of Vitoria (June 21, 1813) Latour-Foissac returned to France.

After the Battle of Paris (March 30, 1814) and Napoleon's abdication (→ Abdication ), Latour-Foissac joined the Bourbons and supported King Louis XVIII. When Napoleon left the island of Elba and his " rule of the hundred days " began, Latour-Foissac went back to the emperor.

During the restoration , Latour-Foissac took over command of the Garde royale du roi (→ Maison militaire du roi de France ). Between July 11, 1815 and February 25, 1818 he acted as military governor of the Gironde department and then took over the management of the École de Cavalerie in Saumur ( Maine-et-Loire department ).

Because of his experience, Latour-Foissac received a command again in April 1823 on the occasion of the French invasion of Spain . He fought under the command of Louis-Antoine d'Artois, duc d'Angoulême in Spain until the Trienio Liberal came to an end with the Battle of Trocadero (August 31, 1823) . When King Ferdinand VII returned to his throne and absolutism was restored, Latour-Foissac was able to return to France with his troops.

After the overthrow of King Charles X (→ July Revolution of 1830 ), Latour-Foissac gradually gave up all of his offices. When King Louis-Philippe I (→ July Monarchy ) had established himself, Latour-Foissac was officially retired with the rank of Général de division . He settled in Vailly-sur-Aisne and died there on March 25, 1855. He found his final resting place on the Cimetière Vieux .

Honors

• October 1, 1807 Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
• 4th December 1813 Officer of the Legion of Honor
• July 1, 1814 Chevalier des Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis
• August 10, 1814 Commander of the Legion of Honor
• March 2, 1816 Baron de l'Émpire
• June 16, 1818 Viscount
• June 26, 1823 Grand Officier of the Legion of Honor
• His name can be found on the eastern pillar (19th column) of the triumphal arch on Place Charles-de-Gaulle ( Paris ).

literature

• David G. Chandler : The campaigns of Napoleon . Weidenfeld, London 1993, ISBN 0-297-81367-6 (reprint of the London 1966 edition).
• Kevin F. Kiley: Once there were heroes. Napoleon's generals and their battles, 1800-1815 . Greenhill, London 2007, ISBN 978-1-85367-710-6 .
• Charles Mullié: Biography of the célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850 . Poignavant, Paris 1851 (2 vols.).
• Georges Six: Dictionnaire biographique des généraux & amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Émpire. 1792-1814 . Saffroy, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-901541-06-2 (reprint of the Paris 1934 edition)