Frédéric-Henri Walther

Général Walther

Frédéric-Henri Walther , French Frédéric Henri Walther (born June 20, 1761 in Obenheim , † November 24, 1813 in Cusel ) was a French general de division of the cavalry .

Life

Walther was the son of the Protestant pastor Georges Henri Walther and his wife Marie Elisabeth Chatel. The natural scientists Frédéric and Georges Cuvier were his cousins.

In 1781 Walther volunteered for the army and was soon able to distinguish himself there; on September 22, 1789 he was promoted to Sous-lieutenant and on May 10, 1792 to lieutenant . On October 1, 1792, he was promoted to Capitaine. Under the command of General André Masséna , he fought in the Battle of Neerimmern (March 18, 1793) with promotion to Chef d'escadron on May 1, 1793. Further promotions took place on September 27 1793 to Chef de brigade , and to Général de brigade on October 22nd, 1793. Operations in the battle near Winterthur (May 27th, 1799) and in the first (June 4th / 7th, 1799) and second battles of Zurich (25th / 7th) September 26, 1799).

Walther led his own command under Maréchal Michel Ney in the battle of Ostrach (March 21, 1799), the battle of Stockach (March 25, 1799) and the battle of Meßkirch (May 5, 1800).

Promoted to Général de division on August 29, 1802, Walther took part in the fighting in the Battle of Ulm (October 16/19, 1805) and the Battle of Austerlitz (December 2, 1805) and was seriously wounded in both battles. After his recovery he was also appointed Chamberlain of Napoleon .

In the Battle of Preussisch Eylau (7./8. 1807) Walther led his own command under Marshal Joachim Murat . After further commendations, Walther took command of the regiment of the Grenadiers à cheval de la Garde impériale under Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières and fought a. a. near Wagram (July 5/6, 1809). Walther also distinguished himself in the battle of Großgörschen (May 2, 1813), the battle of Dresden (August 26/27, 1813) and Teplice (September 17, 1813). The same applies to the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig (October 16/19, 1813) and the Battle of Hanau (October 30/31, 1813). During these years, Walther was also responsible for Napoleon's honor guard (cavalry) in parallel to his actual duties on the staff.

Walther suffered a breakdown at Cusel's end of November 1813. When it comes to the cause of death, some sources speak of exhaustion (caused by the long-term effects of his wounds), others cite typhus as the cause. Walther died at the age of 52 on November 24, 1813 in Cusel. A delegation of the Garde impériale brought his body first to the cathedral of Metz and later back to Paris . He found his final resting place on the Cimetière Père Lachaise (8th Division). His body was later reburied and is now in the Pantheon ; his heart stayed in his grave on the Père Lachaise.

Walther married Salome-Louise Coulman (* 1782) on April 12, 1802 and had two daughters with her.

Honors

• Commander of the Legion of Honor
• 1806 Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor
• 1806 Comte de l'Émpire
• 1806 Ordre de la couronne de fer
• His name can be found on the eastern pillar (16th column) of the triumphal arch on Place Charles-de-Gaulle ( Paris ).
• In Obenheim (Place du Général de Gaulle) a monument was erected in his honor.

literature

• Paul Bauer: Deux siècles d'histoire au Père Lachaise . Edition Mémoirie & Documents, Versailles 2006, ISBN 978-2-914611-48-0 , pp. 781-782.
• Karl Bleibtreu : Marshals, generals, soldiers of Napoleon I. VRZ-Verlag, Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-931482-63-4 (reprint of the Berlin 1899 edition).
• David Chandler: The campaigns of Napoleon . Weidenfeld, London 1993, ISBN 0-297-81367-6 (reprint of the London 1966 edition).
• Jocelyn Dubois: Frédéric-Louis-Henri Walther . In: André Encrevé (ed.): Les Protestants . Beauchesne, Paris 1993, ISBN 2-7010-1261-9 .
• Charles Mullié: Biography of the célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850 . Poignavant, Paris 1851 (2 vols.).
• Digby Smith : The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book . Greenhill, London 1998, ISBN 1-85367-276-9 .
• Jean Tulard (Ed.): Dictionnaire Napoléon . Fayard, Paris 1995, ISBN 2-213-02286-0 .