Louis Vallin

Louis Vallin

Louis Vallin (born August 16, 1770 in Dormans , † December 25, 1854 in Paris ) was a French général de division of the cavalry .

Life

Vallin was a son of the officer Joseph Édmond Vallin and his wife Marie Anne Labouret. After being educated by private tutors, he attended the Collège Louis-le-Grand to study law.

Enthusiastic about the ideals of the revolution , he broke off his studies and joined the army as a volunteer. He performed his first service under Marshal Nikolaus von Luckner and was promoted several times.

A little later he changed to the staff of General Jean Hardy as an adjutant and fought under his leadership a. a. at Fleurus (June 26, 1794) and took part in the siege of Maastricht .

After further promotions, Vallin moved to General François Séverin Marceau as chief de bataillon and also fought in the Battle of Wagram (July 5-6, 1809). The following year, Vallin married in Paris on July 12th Saubade Garat (1769-1821), a daughter of Martin Garat, the general manager of the Banque de France . They had two daughters: Léonie-Louise, who later married the Mayor of Mende , Jules André Borelli de Serres, and Marie-Louise, who later married the State Councilor Louis François Basset de Châteaubourg.

Vallin took part in Napoleon's Russian campaign in 1812 and was used in several battles.

After the Battle of Paris (March 30, 1814) and the abdication of Napoleon (→ Treaty of Fontainebleau ) Vallin became part of the Bourbons .

on July 3, 1815 he was by King Louis XVIII. provided with the honorary title of lieutenant-général .

When it consolidated again after the Restoration and the July Revolution , Vallin - after a brief suspension - returned to office and dignity.

In 1823 he took part in the invasion of Spain (→ Trienio Liberal ). When he returned to France the following year, he switched from active service and took on more administrative tasks. He headed several commissions for restructuring the army (especially the cavalry) and in 1827 served as inspector general of the cavalry.

On January 1, 1853, Louis Vallin officially retired. He died at the age of 84 on December 25, 1854 in Paris, where he found his final resting place.

Honors

• March 25, 1804 Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
• May 30, 1809 Officer of the Legion of Honor
• August 15, 1809 Baron de l'Émpire
• September 13, 1813 Commander of the Legion of Honor
• 1814 Chevalier des Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis
• 17th August 1822 Viscount de l'Émpire
• June 1, 1823 Grand Officier of the Legion of Honor
• November 3, 1827 Commandeur des Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis
• 1923 Russian Order of St. George , 3rd class
• Order of the Iron Crown
• His name can be found on the eastern pillar (12th column) of the Triumphal Arch on Place Charles-de-Gaulle (Paris)

literature

• Karl Bleibtreu : Marshals, generals, soldiers of Napoleon I. VRZ-Verlag, Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-931482-63-4 (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 . Poignavant, Paris 1851 (2 vols.).
• Stephen Pope: The Cassell Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars . Cassell, London 1999, ISBN 0-304-35229-2 .
• Jean Tulard (Ed.): Dictionnaire Napoléon . Fayard, Paris 1995, ISBN 2-213-02286-0 .