Louis Alexandre Brière de l'Isle

Louis-Alexandre-Esprit-Gaston Brière de l'Isle

Louis-Alexandre-Esprit-Gaston Brière de l'Isle (born June 4, 1827 in St. Michel du Francois , Martinique , † June 19, 1896 in Saint-Leu-Taverny , Seine-et-Oise ) was a French general de division .

Brière attended the Saint-Cyr Military School and entered the marine infantry in 1847 . As a captain he took part in the Sino-French War (1859-1860). As a battalion chief he fought in Cochinchina (1861–1862).

In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 he distinguished himself as a colonel in the defense of Bazeilles and was wounded and captured near Sedan . Upon his return, he became chief of the Marines Bureau in the Ministry of Navy . In 1876 he was appointed governor of Senegal , where he stayed until December 1881 and has since been promoted to brigadier general.

In 1882 and 1883 he was Inspector General of the Naval Forces. In December 1883 he was sent to Tongking as the commander of the 1st Brigade of the Expeditionary Force under General Millot . In his place, Brière de l'Aisle took over the supreme command in September 1884. In January 1885 he became division general and captured Lang-son in February . Thereupon, however, he turned with the greater part of his army to Thupen-Quan in order to provide relief there and left General Negrier with insufficient strength in Lang-son. Here he was defeated by the Chinese on March 24, 1885, whereupon Brière was withdrawn from command.

In January 1887 he was reappointed Inspector General of the Naval Forces. Louis-Alexandre-Esprit-Gaston Brière de l'Isle died on June 19, 1896 in St. Leu-Taverny in the Seine-et-Oise department.