François Jean Baptiste Quesnel

François Jean Baptiste Quesnel (born January 18, 1765 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye , † April 8, 1819 in Paris ) was a French Général de division .

Life

At the age of 17, Quesnel entered the royal army as a cadet on July 18, 1782 . He was known for his bravery and was soon promoted to: Caporal (September 18, 1783), Sergent (October 10, 1784) and from July 7, 1786 he worked as a farrier .

Enthusiastic about the ideals of the revolution , he stayed in the army and was promoted to general on December 26, 1793 after several campaigns. During this time Quesnel et al. a. in the Pyrenees . Together with Jacques François Dugommier and André de la Barre , he fought at Le Boulou (April 30, 1794) and Le Perthus (→ Fort de Bellegarde ). Quesnel was also involved in the suppression of the Vendée uprising .

After the coup d'état (September 4, 1797) Quesnel was suspected of acting as a royal trustee against Napoleon and the state. His marriage to a noblewoman also spoke against him. It was only when generals Charles Pierre François Augereau and Louis Lemoine vouched for him that Quesnel was able to remain in office and dignity.

In 1799 Quesnel fought in Italy under the leadership of General Paul Grenier . He participated in the battles in front of Verona (March 26, 1799), Magnano (April 5, 1799) and the Adda (April 25/27, 1799). He was honored for his bravery in front of Novi (August 15, 1799) and Marengo (July 14, 1800).

In 1807 Quesnel joined General Andoche Junot's staff and helped to enforce Napoleon's interests in Spain . He was involved in the suppression of the uprising in Madrid (May 2, 1808) and fought near La Coruña (January 16, 1809). Under the leadership of Maréchal Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult , he fought Oporto (May 12, 1809) and was involved in the siege of Figueres (→ Castell de Sant Ferran ).

When Napoleon sent Eugène de Beauharnais to Italy in 1813 , Quesnel took on new tasks in Jean-Antoine Verdier's General Staff . With his own command he fought valiantly at Feistritz (September 6, 1813), Bassano del Grappa and Caldiero (November 15, 1813). On February 8, 1814, he led a division in the Verdier corps during the Battle of Mincio and then returned to France.

After the Arcis-sur-Aube (March 20/21, 1814) Quesnel moved to Napoleon's staff and also took part in the Battle of Paris (March 30, 1814). After the abdication of Napoleon (→ Treaty of Fontainebleau ) Quesnel changed sides and supported King Louis XVIII. When Napoleon left the island of Elba and his “ rule of the hundred days ” began, Quesnel immediately rejoined the emperor. On Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet's staff, he served in the Armée des Alpes (Alpine Army).

After the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815) Quesnel returned to France. On September 4th of the same year he was adopted into retirement and he settled in Paris. He tried to establish himself politically and remained loyal to Napoleon. At the beginning of April 1819 he was found drowned in the Seine . Since the corpse also contained some valuables, robbery was ruled out and the suspicion soon fell on a politically motivated act; a possible suicide could not be ruled out either. To date, none of these theories has been proven.

Honors

• December 11, 1803 Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
• June 14, 1804 Commander of the Legion of Honor
• 1810 Baron de l'Émpire
• 1814 Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis
• His name can be found on the western pillar (37, 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).
• David 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 titans. 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.).
• Charles Oman: A history of the peninsular War . Greenhill, London 2004/05 (7 vols.)
• Digby Smith : The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book . Greenhill, London 1998, ISBN 1-85367-276-9 .