Isidore Lynch (7 June 1755 – 4 August 1841), was an Irish soldier. Lynch was the son of Isidore Lynch and Judith Meade of Lynch Grove,

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, and a member of

The Tribes of Galway The Tribes of Galway () were 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries. They were the families of Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Brown ...

. He was sent to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

to be educated at Louis-le-Grand,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He served in the 1770 war in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

under one of his maternal uncles, colonel-commandant of Clare's Regiment. In the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

he served under Count d'Estaing, who commanded Lynch to carry an urgent order to another column at the siege of

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

. To do so, Lynch chose to ride in a position that exposed him to fire from both the French and the English. Asked on his return why he chose such a route, he replied ''"Because it was the shortest."'' Returning to France in 1783 he was appointed colonel of the second regiment of Walsh in the Irish Brigade, and was decorated with the Cross of Saint Louis. However, he took service in the army of the republic during the French Revolution and became lieutenant-general. He commanded the corps of infantry at the

battle of Valmy The Battle of Valmy, also known as the Cannonade of Valmy, was the first major victory by the army of Kingdom of France (1791–92), France during the French Revolutionary Wars, Revolutionary Wars that followed the French Revolution. The battl ...

in 1792.

References

* ''Biographical Dictionary of Irishmen in France'', Richard Hayes,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, 1949 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Isidore 18th-century Irish military personnel 19th-century Irish military personnel Military personnel from County Galway 1755 births 1841 deaths Irish soldiers in the French Army Irish expatriates in France

Isidore Isidore ( ; also spelled Isador, Isadore and Isidor) is a masculine given name. The name is derived from the Greek name ''Isídōros'' (Ἰσίδωρος, latinized ''Isidorus'') and can literally be translated to 'gift of Isis'. The name has survi ...