Simon François Gay de Vernon

Simon François Gay de Vernon called Gayvernon, (born November 24, 1760 in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat (Haute-Vienne); † November 3, 1822 ibid), French pioneer officer , later Baron d'Empire, was professor for Fortress construction at the École polytechnique from 1798 to 1804, later director of studies until 1812.

Life

Fortifications on the Petersaue

Gay de Vernon was born to Charles Gay de Vernon and his wife Valérie Marie Fargeau de Mortegoute. He studied at the Séminar of Limoges later at the military school École royale du génie de Mézières in what is now Charleville-Mézières (graduation 1780). Under the command of Adam-Philippe de Custine, he held the post of Adjudant-Général in the French Army of the Rhine from 1792 to 1793 . After taking Mainz , he fortified this battlefield together with the Colonel du génie Clément. This work temporarily ended with the siege of Mainz (1793) , which briefly interrupted the French presence on the left bank of the Rhine.

In 1798 he was promoted to engineer colonel and was appointed professor of fortification at the École polytechnique . The following year, supported by Général Jourdan , he petitioned the Council of Five Hundred to seek the rehabilitation of his brother Léonard Honoré Gay de Vernon . This approach was successful on July 23, 1799.

Simon Gayvernon taught his students at the Polytechnic in theoretical fortress construction, which was based on a geometric approach taking military issues into account. His script , which was published in 1805, was also translated into German and English and served as a standard work for military schools until the beginning of the 19th century.

In 1814 he was by Louis XVIII. promoted to maréchal de camp , which today corresponds roughly to the brigadier general .

Fonts

• Traité élémentaire d'art militaire et de fortification, à l'usage des élèves de l'École polytechnique, et des élèves des écoles militaires. 2 volumes. Allais, Paris 1805, (digital copies: Volume 1 , Volume 2 ).

Individual evidence

1. ^ Translation by John Michael O'Connor (Verlag J. Seymour, New York, 1817) published in two editions under the title "  A Treatise on the Science of War and Fortification  ".
2. ^ Karl Anton Schaab : The history of the federal fortress Mainz, historically and militarily based on the sources. Self-published by the author, Mainz 1835, urn : nbn: de: hebis: 77-vcol-18941 .

literature

• Ambroise Fourcy: Histoire de l'École Polytechnique. Self-published, Paris 1828, ( digitized ; reprint : Belin, Paris 1987, ISBN 2-7011-0640-0 ).
• Paul-Bernard Granet: Simon François Gay de Vernon, Baron de l'Empire 1760-1822. 2003, (Archives Départementales de Haute-Vienne, 40 J 252).
• Ian V. Hogg : Fortress. A History of Military Defense. St. Martin's Press, New York NY 1977.
• Ramsay Weston Phipps: The Armies of the First French Republic and the Rise of the Marshalls of Napoleon I. Volume 2: The Armées de la Moselle, du Rhin, de Sambre-et-Meuse, de Rhin-et-Moselle. Oxford University Press, London 1929.