Jean-Louis Debilly
Jean-Louis Debilly (born July 30, 1763 in Dreux , † October 14, 1806 during the Battle of Jena and Auerstedt ) was a French general de brigade of artillery and infantry .
Life
Debilly comes from a family whose roots can be traced back to the 13th century.
At the beginning of the revolution , Debilly was a math teacher in Paris . Enthusiastic about these ideals, he joined the Guard National . After defending the coast near Brest for a few weeks , he switched to the army.
He made a career there very quickly and after a short time he was Jean-Baptiste Kléber's chief of staff . Later the Directory appointed him General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan .
Further promotions followed when Debilly was again able to distinguish himself through bravery in front of Stockach (March 25, 1799) and Zurich (June 4/7, 1799).
In 1806 he led his own command under Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout and fought a. a. in the battle of Jena and Auerstedt (June 14, 1804). He was fatally wounded there and found his final resting place there.
Debilly was married twice: first to Jeanne Chénnard and then to Marie-Barbe Saum. He had two sons: Charles-Louis (1790– after 1848) and Édouard-Louis (1802–1874).
Honors
- June 14, 1804 Grand Officier of the Legion of Honor
- His name can be found on the eastern pillar (18th column) of the triumphal arch on Place Charles-de-Gaulle (Paris).
- His bust was placed in the Battle Gallery of the Palace of Versailles , which opened in 1837 .
- The rue de Billy in his hometown Dreux was named in his honor.
- The Passerelle Debilly , a pedestrian bridge over the Seine between the 16th and 7th arrondissement in Paris was named in his honor.
literature
- Gustave Chaix d'Est-Ange: Dictionnaire des familles francaises anciennes ou notables à la fin du XIXe siècle . Édition Vendôme, Paris 1983.
- David Chandler: Jena 1806. Napoleon destroys Prussia . Praeger, London 2005, ISBN 0-275-98612-8 .
- Charles Mullié: Biography of the célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850 . Poignavant, Paris 1851 (2 vols.).
- Francis L. Petre: Napoleon's conquest of Prussia 11806 . Greenhill, London 1993, ISBN 1-85367-145-2 .
- Digby Smith : The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book . Greenhill, London 1998, ISBN 1-85367-276-9 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Debilly, Jean-Louis |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French brigadier general of artillery and infantry |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 30, 1763 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dreux |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 14, 1806 |
| Place of death | during the battle of Jena and Auerstedt |