Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
Laurent, marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr (born April 13, 1764 in Toul , † March 17, 1830 in Hyères ) was a French officer, Marshal of the Empire and Peer of France , and Minister of War and Navy of France.
biography
The beginnings
Laurent Gouvion actually intended to become a painter. He left his parents' home at the age of 18 to study in Rome , which he did with little success. Back in Paris , he joined after the beginning of the war on 1 September 1792 in the "1 e Bataillon de Chasseurs de Paris" (1st Battalion of the "Raiders of Paris") and was established in November - as the short term in the revolutionary army usual - elected captain by his comrades and then transferred to the Armée du Rhin (Rhine Army). In order to distinguish himself from his relatives, who also served in the army, he added "Saint-Cyr" to his name. When his Terrain drawings were seen by General Custine , he joined the General Staff as an assistant and shortly afterwards was commanded by the people's representatives, who were then with the army, as Chief of General Staff to General Férey, where he led an operation brilliantly.
Under General Hoche , he was promoted to Général de brigade (March 5, 1794) and then to Général de division within just seven days and pushed the Prussian army back near Mainz with the 2nd Division . Under General Moreau's supreme command on June 1, 1796, he commanded the left wing of the "Rhine and Moselle Army". Here he contributed to the happy outcome of the Battle of Biberach and the Battle of Malsch . The left bank of the Neckar was conquered by Gouvion's rapid advance and could be held against Archduke Karl . Only when the " Armée de Sambre-et-Meuse " had to take several slaps did the "Rhine Army" also have to withdraw. In the winter of 1796/97 he and Desaix defended the fortified camp near Kehl.
When Moreau fell out of favor and Hoche took command of both armies, but died on September 15, 1797, Gouvion was given command of the dying man. After the Peace of Campo Formio , Gouvion fought in the Jura , in 1798 briefly received supreme command of the army in Rome and was then sent to the army outside Mainz. In 1799 he entered Swabia under Jourdan , a campaign that was not very successful.
Under Napoleon
On June 25, 1799 he was commanded to the Armée d'Italie and led troops who had little pay, clothing and provisions, but was still able to move into Genoa on December 15 after the successful battle of Albano . Napoléon honored him with a precious saber that was originally intended for the Turkish sultan .
In early 1800 Gouvion came back to the "Rhine Army" under Moreau, was able to throw the Austrians back via Biberach and was wounded several times. He cured himself in Paris, where he became a State Councilor on the War Committee on September 20. In 1801 he came to Spain and, because the expedition to Portugal was not carried out, was ambassador there from November 2nd to August 1802, then commander of the Franco-Italian corps, which had to occupy Apulia .
In May 1805 he was at the coronation in Milan , led the evacuation of the Kingdom of Naples and was subordinate to Masséna . He joined the army that led Joseph Bonaparte to Naples, then he commanded Abruzzo until the end of 1806 , after which he took over the camp of Boulougne and the supreme command of the 1st Reserve Corps.
On August 17, 1808, he became the commander of the VII Corps of the " Spanish Army " and operated in Catalonia . He conquered the fortress of the city of Roses , freed the enclosed Duhesme from Barcelona , defeated the Spanish under General Caldagnes at Molins de Rei and the troops under Reding at Igualada . He defeated the latter troops again on February 25, 1809 in the Battle of Valls , whereupon he succeeded in driving the Spanish troops back over the Ebro . In May he began the siege of Gerona , when he learned of his surprising replacement by Marshal Augereau , he remained in his position for three months because of his illness and then left Catalonia. The emperor was so upset that Gouvion was placed under house arrest on his estates without pay. It was not until 1811, with the birth of the King of Rome , that he was called back to Paris and received his arrears salary and his seat on the Council of State.
Napoleon's end
In the Russian campaign of 1812 Gouvion received the VI. Corps, consisting of French troops and the Bavarian contingent . On August 7th it was subordinated to the II by Charles Nicolas Oudinot . On August 16, both were wounded in the First Battle of Polotsk , Oudinot withdrew and Gouvion fought the Russians again the following day. For his brave behavior he received the Marshal's baton . Two months later, on October 20, he was defeated by the opposing troops of General Wittgenstein in the Second Battle of Polotsk , was seriously wounded and had to unite with Lefebvre's corps and withdraw.
In the liberation war of 1813 he was given the XIV Corps, meanwhile recovered, and on October 17th he defended Dresden against General Ostermann-Tolstoy . Meanwhile, Napoléon's main army was defeated in the Battle of Leipzig . Saint-Cyr had to complete an honorable surrender on November 14th and leave Dresden, his troops were interned in Austria. When he returned to France, Louis XVIII was. already on the throne and he on the list of Pairs of France .
On March 19, 1815 he was given command of the army that had gathered near Orléans , but when Napoléon returned for the reign of the Hundred Days , he withdrew to his possessions. In the following period he held the Ministry of War twice (July 7th - September 26th 1815 and September 12th, 1817 - November 19th 1819) and once the Ministry of the Navy. Due to disagreements with cabinet members, Gouvion withdrew into his private life in 1819, where he died on March 17, 1830.
Honors
His name is entered on the triumphal arch in Paris in the 13th column (GOUVION-SAINT-CYR).
Gouvion Saint-Cyr was Colonel général des cuirassiers .
literature
- Karl Bleibtreu : Marshals, generals, soldiers of Napoleon I. VRZ, Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-931482-63-4 (repr. Of the Berlin 1898 edition)
- Désiré Lacroix: The Marshals Napoleon I. Verlag Schmidt & Günther, Leipzig 1898.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
|
Louis-Nicolas Davout Henri Clarke d'Hunebourg |
Minister of War of France July 7, 1815 - September 26, 1815 September 12, 1817 - November 19, 1819 |
Henri Clarke d'Hunebourg Marie Victor Nicolas de Fay, marquis de La Tour-Maubourg |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gouvion Saint-Cyr, Laurent de |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French politician and military |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 13, 1764 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Toul , France |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 17, 1830 |
| Place of death | Hyeres , France |