Nicolas Bernard Guiot de Lacour

Nicolas Bernard Guiot de Lacour (born January 25, 1771 in Carignan , † July 28, 1809 near Gundersdorf ) was a French general de division of infantry and cavalry .

Life

In 1787 Guiot de Lacour joined the royal army as a cadet . He was soon able to distinguish himself through bravery and was also promoted quickly. Already in the First Coalition War he fought under the leadership of Marshal André Masséna in Italy in the Battle of Mondovi (April 20/22, 1796) and the Siege of Mantua (1796–1797) (June 1796 / February 1797).

After further promotions, Guiot de Lacour fought in the Battle of Ostrach (March 21, 1799) and the Battle of Stockach (March 25, 1799). On October 1, 1799, his brigade was caught in a cauldron of the Russian Suworow Army near Muotathal and thus taken prisoner by the Russians.

When Napoleon assembled an expeditionary army to Saint-Domingue ( Hispaniola ) in 1802 , Guiot de Lacour volunteered. Together u. a. with Pierre-Alexandre d'Arriule , Philibert Fressinet Gabriel de Hédouville and Pierre Quantin , he fought against the insurgents under Toussaint Louverture under the leadership of General Charles Leclerc d'Ostin . This campaign failed and after the death of Leclerc d'Ostin, Guiot de Lacour returned to France in 1803.

Guiot de Lacour led his own command at Caldiero (29/31 October 1805) and Valvasone (11 November 1805) and took part in the siege of Gaeta (February / July 1806).

He fought off Abensberg (April 19/20, 1809), Landshut (April 1809), Eggmühl (April 22, 1809) and Aspern (May 21/22, 1809). Guiot de Lacour was seriously wounded in the Battle of Wagram (July 5th / 6th, 1809) and died three weeks later in the military hospital near Gundersdorf on July 28th, 1809.

Honors

Bust in the Battle Gallery of Versailles Palace

• June 14, 1804 Commander of the Legion of Honor
• June 29, 1808 Baron de l'Émpire
• His name can be found on the eastern pillar (11th column) of the triumphal arch on Place Charles-de-Gaulle ( Paris ).
• The sculptor Jean-Baptiste Debay (1802–1862) created a bust of General Guiot de Lacour for the Battle Gallery (Prince Wing) in the Palace of Versailles .

literature

• 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.).
• Frederick Schneid: Napoleon's Italian Campaigns. 1805-1815 . Praeger, Westport, Conn. 2002, ISBN 0-275-96875-8 .
• Digby Smith : The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book . Greenhill, London 1998, ISBN 1-85367-276-9 .