Gilbert Bachelu

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gilbert Bachelu

Gilbert Bachelu , actually Gilbert Desirée Joseph Bachelu (born February 9, 1777 in Dole , Jura department , † June 16, 1849 in Paris ) was a French général de brigade and politician.

Live and act

Bachelu was the son of the administrative officer Claude Bachelu. Enthusiastic about the ideas of the French Revolution , Bachelu enlisted in the army in 1789, but was turned away because of his age. With effect from February 2, 1794 he was accepted at the École d'application de l'artillerie et du génie in Metz (→ Metz Fortress ) with the rank of Sous-lieutenant as a student.

In 1795 Bachelu was promoted to Capitaine and assigned to the Rhine Army under General Jean-Victor Moreau .

Bachelu volunteered in 1798 when Napoleon began planning his Egyptian expedition . He took u. a. participated in the siege of Cairo (May 1800).

After returning to France, Bachelu moved to General Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc after a further promotion as aide-de-camp and accompanied him on his punitive expedition to Saint Domingue on the island of Hispaniola in 1802 . There the uprising (→ Haitian Revolution ) under the leadership of Toussaint Louverture was supposed to be suppressed in order to protect the French interests there. The French expeditionary army was defeated and Leclerc was killed. Bachelu, who traveled back with his widow, Pauline Bonaparte , reached France again on January 13, 1803.

A short time later, Bachelu was appointed Chief of Staff to General Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult . Under General Auguste Marmont he fought in the Battle of Austerlitz (December 2, 1805).

Further promotions followed and as Général de brigade Bachelu u. a. near Aspern (May 21/22, 1809) and Wagram (July 5/6, 1809). As a staff officer with General Jacques MacDonald , he took part in Napoleon's Russian campaign and was able to excel in several battles.

After the Battle of Paris (March 30, 1814) and the Treaty of Fontainebleau (April 11, 1814), Bachelu turned away from the Emperor and supported the House of Bourbon . When Napoleon left the island of Elba and the rule of the Hundred Days began, Bachelu switched back to Napoleon. In the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815) Bachelu commanded the 5th Infantry Division, where he was wounded.

In 1824 General Bachelu ended his military career and settled in Paris. During the July Revolution he supported King Louis-Philippe I. When the July monarchy was able to establish itself, Bachelu was rewarded with political offices; u. a. he represented the Jura department as a member of parliament. He gave up his political office in early 1847 and finally retired into private life.

Gilbert Bachelu was the victim of a cholera epidemic and died on June 16, 1849 in Paris.

Honors

literature

  • Karl Bleibtreu : Marshals, Generals, Soldiers of Napoleon I. VRZ-Verlag, Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-931482-63-4 (unchanged reprint of the Berlin 1899 edition).
  • Philip J. Haythornthwaite: Who was who in the Napoleonic wars . Arms & Armor, London 1998, ISBN 1-85409-391-6 .
  • Charles Mullié: Biography of the célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850, vol. 1 . Poignavant, Paris 1851.
  • Adolphe Robert and Gaston Cougny: Dictionnaire des parlamentaires français, Vol. 1: A – Cay . Slatkine, Geneva 2000, ISBN 2-05-101711-5 (unchanged reprint of the Paris 1889 edition).
  • 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 (unchanged reprint of the Paris 1934 edition).

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bachelu, Gilbert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bachelu, Gilbert Desirée Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French general and politician
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1777
PLACE OF BIRTH Dole , Jura department
DATE OF DEATH June 16, 1849
Place of death Paris