Pierre Dupont de l'Étang

Pierre Dupont de l'Étang

Surrender after the Battle of Bailén

Pierre Antoine Dupont de l'Étang ( Comte since 1804 ) (born July 14, 1765 in Chabanais , † March 9, 1840 in Paris ) was a French general at the time of the French Revolution , under Napoleon and the restored kingship .

Life

He received his education in the military school in Paris. After completing his training as an artillery officer, he entered the Dutch military in 1785. During the French Revolution, he joined the French army in 1792. He was initially an adjutant to General Theobald Dillon . When he was murdered, Dupont de l'Étang was present, tried to save the general and was wounded in the process.

Later he was under Charles-François Dumouriez and distinguished himself on various occasions. He played an important role in the defense of the city through his orders as a staff officer during the siege of Dunkirk by Friedrich August, Duke of York and Albany and was promoted to Général de brigade . In 1793 he left the army because he refused the reign of terror . At the time of the board of directors he was head of the topographic cabinet. Lazare Nicolas Marguerite Carnot brought him to the War Ministry and entrusted him with the management of the war depot. With the coup d'état of the 18th Fructidor V (1797) he temporarily lost his offices. Meanwhile in the rank of Général de division , Dupont de l'Étang supported Napoleon's plans in the coup d'état of 18th Brumaire VIII in 1797 .

At the Battle of Marengo he distinguished himself again and was rewarded with the post of envoy in Turin in gratitude . He became governor of Piedmont and invaded Tuscany , formed a provisional government, and defeated an outnumbered Austrian army. In 1804, Napoleon made him count. He was also able to distinguish himself in the battle of Ulm in 1805 and in the campaign against Prussia in 1806/07, especially in the battle of Friedland .

He then served in the war in Spain. On June 8, 1808, he took Cordoba . His troops destroyed and plundered the rich city in a violent action lasting several days. His far advanced position could not be held in the face of the insurgents and Dupont de l'Étang withdrew. The troops moved through the hot Sierra Morena and along the Guadalquivir . The way back to Madrid was cut off by regular Spanish units that had gone over to the side of the rebels. After a brief fight in the Battle of Bailén on July 19, he had to sign the surrender and go into captivity. This defeat was the first of its kind in Napoleon's time and gave impetus to the uprising of the Spaniards.

After returning to France, Dupont de l'Étang was brought to court martial. Although he was not convicted, he was imprisoned until 1813 on imperial orders.

After the restoration of the kingdom under Louis XVIII. he became Minister of War, Peer of France and Commander of the Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis . In December 1814 he was replaced as Minister of War, but remained in the king's favor. He received the Grand Cross of the Order of Ludwig in 1821, was commander of a military division and was a member of the Chamber of Deputies on several occasions. In 1832 he retired for reasons of age.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Johannes Willms : Napoleon - A biography. Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-406-52956-9 , p. 481.

literature

• General German real encyclopedia for the educated classes. Conversations Lexicon. Volume 5, Leipzig, 1852, p. 302.
• Hans Eggert Willibald von der Lühe: Militair-Conversations-Lexikon. Volume 4, Leipzig 1834, pp. 559f.

predecessor	Office	successor
Henri Clarke d'Hunebourg	Minister of War of France April 3, 1814 - December 2, 1814	Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult

Web links

Commons : Pierre Dupont de l'Étang  - Collection of images, videos and audio files