Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
Jean Ambroise Baston, comte de Lariboisière , (born August 18, 1759 in Fougères , † December 21, 1812 in Königsberg ) was a French artillery general during the French Revolution and the First Empire .
life and career
He was the son of Ambroise Baston, Seigneur de Lariboisière, former civilian lieutenant-général of the Sénéchaussée of Fougères, and of Jeanne Monnières. He embarked on a military career.
He was described as very capable in 1781 to lieutenant in the "Régiment d'artillerie de La Fère" (after 1791 the "1 er régiment d'artillerie"), in which Napoleon Bonaparte also served.
Although Lariboisière was a few years older than him, a friendship soon developed between them, which the emperor always fondly remembered, also because he had a special respect for the Breton character.
In the time of the French Revolution he held back a lot and was described as an impeccable officer. In 1791 he was promoted to Capitaine and transferred to the Armée du Rhin (Rhine Army). Here he served under Adam-Philippe de Custine , took part in the invasion of the Palatinate and was involved in the siege of Mainz in 1792 and the subsequent capture of the fortress. Then the arsenal of the fortress was subordinated to him. In the following year he belonged to the garrison of the fortress, which surrendered after a siege to the coalition troops of Prussia and Austria. → Siege of Mainz (1793) . He then remained in Prussian custody until December 20, 1792 as a hostage .
He took part in the campaigns of the years II and III ( revolution calendar - i.e. 1793 and 1794) as adjutant general, then as chief de bataillon and as chief de brigade . In the year IV (1795) he devoted himself partly to his family.
Between the year IV (1796) and the year XI (1803) he was director of the artillery park (Directeur des parcs d'artillerie) of the "Armée d'Angleterre" (army destined for the invasion of England), the "Armée d'Helvétie "(Helvetic Army), the" Armée du Rhin "(Rhine Army) and the" Armée du Danube "(Danube Army).
Promoted to Général de brigade on August 29, 1803 , he commanded the artillery of the 4th Corps during the campaigns of XIV (1806) and took part in the Battle of Austerlitz . As a credit to this victory, he was credited for having positioned his batteries so favorably that the Russian columns that had retreated onto the pond near Menitz could be covered with murderous fire.
During the Battle of Jena on October 14, 1806, he was only involved with the artillery in repulsing several enemy infantry attacks.
Not escaping the attention of the emperor, Lariboisière was promoted to Général de division on January 3, 1807 and was given command of the artillery of the Garde impériale . During the Battle of Eylau on February 8, 1807, he secured the center of the army with a detachment of 40 guns throughout the day.
During the siege of Danzig in 1807, Général Lariboisièrer was wounded by a bullet and fell out during the further fighting around the city. After the Battle of Heilsberg and the Battle of Friedland , in which he commanded the artillery of the Imperial Guard, he was given the job on June 24th to procure the raft on which the peace of Tilsit was negotiated on the Nyemen .
In February 1808, Lariboisière took over command of the artillery of the "Armée d'Espagne" (Spanish Army). Retrieved in 1809 to the Grande Armée , Napoleon gave him command of the French artillery in the battle of Wagram .
In 1811 he was the first to receive the title of “Inspecteur général de l'artillerie” (General Inspector of Artillery) for his services. Before Lariboisière was able to bring his vast experience to the benefit of the artillery during the peacetime, another war broke out.
Russian campaign
Général Lariboisière foresaw great difficulties for Napoleon's campaign in Russia . He made incredible efforts to counter the effects of the constant rain in the Baltic States and to enable the troops to arrive safely in Vilnius .
The day before the Battle of Borodino, he scouted Russian positions and paved the way for the attack on the redoubts the Russians had thrown up on the left wing. During the night he determined the positions for the guns, at the beginning of the day a hail of iron fell on the Russians, and around 70,000 grenades were fired during the battle.
Despite winning the battle, it was a black day for the Général Lariboisière, his son Alexandre was mortally wounded in an attack on the enemy. Full of grief over the loss of his son, but also physically exhausted, he fell seriously ill in Vilnius and died on December 21, 1812 in Königsberg.
His body rests in the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris, on the sarcophagus it is written:
"Ambroise Baston, comte de Lariboisière, général de division, commandant en chef l'artillerie de la Grande Armée, grand officier de la Légion d'honneur , ne à Fougères, mort à Kœnigsberg, on December 21, 1812."
His name is engraved on the east pillar of the triumphal arch in Paris in the 15th column.
Lariboisière was Count of the Empire and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor
- He participated in:
- Siege of Mainz
- Siege of Toulon
- Battle of Austerlitz
- Battle of Jena
- Battle of Heilsberg
- Battle of Friedland
- Battle of Wagram
- Battle for Smolensk
- Battle of Borodino
literature
- Georges Six: Dictionnaire Biographique des Généraux & Amiraux Français de la Révolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814). Gaston Saffroy, Paris 2003.
- Charles Mullié: Biography of the célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850. Poignavant et Cie, 1852.
Web links
Footnotes
- ↑ Biography of the célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850 (Mullié) p. 172
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Baston de Lariboisière, Jean Ambroise |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Baston, Jean Ambroise |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 18, 1759 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fougères |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 21, 1812 |
| Place of death | Königsberg (Prussia) |