- Pierre Dupont de l'Étang
Pierre-Antoine,
comte Dupont de l'Étang (1765-1840) was a Frenchgeneral of the French Revolutionary andNapoleonic Wars , as well as a political figure of theBourbon Restoration .Life
Revolutionary Wars
Born in
Chabanais ,Charente , he first saw active service during theFrench Revolutionary Wars , as a member ofMaillebois legion inHolland , and in 1791 was on the staff of the Army of the North under GeneralTheobald Dillon .He distinguished himself in the
battle of Valmy , and in the fighting aroundMenen in he forced an Austrian regiment to surrender. PromotedBrigadier General for this accomplishment, he soon received further advancement fromCarnot , who recognized his abilities. In 1797 he became "Général de Division".The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, whom he warmly supported in the 18 Brumaire Coup (November 1799), brought him further opportunities under the Consulate and Empire. In the he was chief of staff to
Louis Alexandre Berthier , the nominal commander of the Army of Peierve of the Ains which won thebattle of Marengo . After the battle he sustained a successful combat, against greatly superior forces, at Pozzolo.Napoleonic Wars
In the campaign on the Danube in 1805, as the leader of one of
Michel Ney 's divisions, he earned further distinction, especially in theBattle of Haslach-Jungingen (Albeck), in which he prevented the escape of the Austrians fromUlm , and so contributed most effectively to the isolation and subsequent capture of Freiherr Mack von Leiberich and his whole army. He also distinguished himself in theBattle of Friedland .With a record such as but few of Napoleon's divisional commanders possessed, he entered
Spain in 1808 at the head of a motleycorps made up of provisional battalions and Swiss troops impressed into French service from the Spanish Royal Army ("seePeninsular War "). After the occupation ofMadrid , Dupont, newly createdcount by Napoleon, was sent with his utterly inadequate force to subdueAndalusia . After a few initial successes he had to retire toward the passes of theSierra Morena . Pursued and cut off by the Spanish army under the Duke of Castaños, his corps was defeated in theBattle of Bailén after his Swiss deserted and returned to their former allegiance. Painfully wounded in the hip, Dupont felt constrained to capitulate. Even so, Dupont sent secret orders to General Vedel to escape with his division, which was outside the Spanish trap. When the Spanish found out, they threatened to massacre Dupont's men if Vedel did not also surrender. Inexcusably, that officer also capitulated. Altogether 17,600 French soldiers laid down their arms in the disaster. This brought down the entire house of cards that Napoleon had so carelessly erected in Spain to further his ambitions. Madrid fell to the resurgent Spanish forces and this soon compelled Napoleon to intervene with his Grand Army in order to salvage the situation.Disgrace and Bourbon Restoration
He fell into the emperor's disgrace, as it was not taken into account that his troops were for the most part raw levies, and that ill-luck contributed materially to the catastrophe. After his return to France, Dupont was sent before a
court-martial , deprived of his rank and title, and imprisoned atFort de Joux from 1812 to 1814.Released only by the initial Restoration, he was employed by King Louis XVIII in a military command, which he lost on the return of Napoleon during the
Hundred Days . But the Second Restoration saw him reinstated to the army, and appointed a member of the "conseil privé" of king Louis. Between April and December 1814, he was Minister of War - hisreactionary politics made the monarch recall him. From 1815 to 1830, Dupont was deputy for the Charente. He lived in retirement from 1832 until his death.Writings
Military treaties
*"Opinion sur le nouveau mode de recrutement" (1818)
*"Lettres sur l'Espagne en 1808" (1823)
*"Lettre sur la campagne d'Autriche" (1826)Other
*Poems, including "L'Art de la guerre, poème en dix chants" (1838), and verse translations from
Horace andHomer (1836).
*At the time of his death he was on the point of publishing hismemoirs .References
* Glover, Michael. "The Peninsular War 1807-1814." Penguin, 1974.
* Smith, Digby. "The Napoleonic Wars Data Book." Greenhill, 1998.
* [http://www.bicentenariobailen.com Bicentenario de la Batalla de Bailen]
*1911
*"Dictionnaire Bouillet", 1869
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