Jean-Marie Defrance (; 1771–1835) was a French General of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

and the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. He was also a member of the

Council of Five Hundred The Council of Five Hundred () was the lower house of the legislature of the French First Republic under the Constitution of the Year III. It operated from 31 October 1795 to 9 November 1799 during the French Directory, Directory () period of t ...

(the lower house of the legislative branch of the French government under

The Directory The Directory (also called Directorate; ) was the system of government established by the Constitution of the Year III, French Constitution of 1795. It takes its name from the committee of 5 men vested with executive power. The Directory gov ...

), and a teacher at the military school of

Rebais Rebais () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Etymology Rebais has historically been attested in Latin as ''Rebascis'' in 635/636 and ''Rebascum'' in 1214. The toponym ''Rebais'' i ...

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

. Defrance had an extensive and successful military career in the

and the

. After the

First Battle of Zurich The First Battle of Zurich, from 4 to 7 June 1799, forced French General André Masséna to yield the city of Zurich to the Austrians, under Archduke Charles, and to retreat beyond the Limmat, where he managed to fortify his positions, whic ...

, he refused a battlefield promotion to brigadier general, asking instead for a cavalry regiment; he received command of the 12th Regiment of '' Chasseurs-a-Cheval'' (light cavalry) as '' Chef-de-Brigade'', a rank equivalent to colonel. He led this brigade in the campaigns of 1799–1800 in southwestern Germany and northern Italy. By 1805, he had been promoted to brigadier general. At the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

and the

Battle of Jena–Auerstedt The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt (; older spelling: ''Auerstädt'') were fought on 14 October 1806 on the plateau west of the river Saale in today's Germany, between the forces of Napoleon I of France and Frederick William III of Pruss ...

, he commanded a cavalry brigade of ''

carabinier A carabinier (also sometimes spelled carabineer or carbineer) is in principle a soldier armed with a carbine, musket, or rifle, which became commonplace by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The word is derived from the identical F ...

s'' in

Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty Étienne-Marie-Antoine Champion, comte de Nansouty (; 30 May 1768 – 12 February 1815) was a French cavalry commander during the French Revolutionary Wars who rose to the rank of General of Division in 1803 and subsequently held important milit ...

's First Division. By the

Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino ( ) or Battle of Moscow (), in popular literature also known as the Battle of the Generals, took place on the outskirts of Moscow near the village of Borodino on 7 September 1812 during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. ...

in September 1812, he had been promoted to general of division, commanding the 4th Cuirassier Division of Nansouty's reserves, where they charged the Shevardino redoubt. He fought his way across Germany to the

Rhine River The Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Cons ...

after the French loss at Leipzig and participated in the

Six Days' Campaign The Six Days Campaign (10–15 February 1814) was a final series of victories by the forces of Napoleon I of France as the Sixth Coalition closed in on Paris. The Six Days Campaign was fought from 10 February to 15 February during which time Na ...

. In the Hundred Days, he commanded part of Jean Maximilien Lamarques Army of the West. At the second Bourbon Restoration in France, Bourbon Restoration, he retained his titles and honours and subsequently held several command posts until retirement in 1829. He died in 1835.

Family

Jean-Marie Defrance was born on 21 September 1771 at Wassy, Vassy, in the Champagne (province), Champagne province and died 6 July 1835. On his mother's side, he was the grandson of the French writer Pierre Chompré (16981760); his father, Jean-Claude Defrance, was the medical doctor at the Royal Military School of Rebais, in Champagne. Jean-Marie Defrance married the daughter of the richest jeweler in Paris, by the name Foncier. C. Mullié. "DeFrance". Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850. Paris. 1850-.

Military career

Defrance was stationed in Saint-Domingue during the first Haitian Revolution, Haitian revolt and served in the volunteers ''Cape Dragoons''. On his return to France in 1792, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the cavalry regiment ''royal-étranger''. After serving in the Army of the North (France), Army of the North, he was appointed adjutant-general brigadier in the Army of Sambre and t-Meuse. He also served in the

. Defrance also served in the Swiss Campaign of 1799 as divisional Chief of Staff of the 1st Division of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan's Army of the Danube; after the losses at the battles of Battle of Ostrach, Ostrach and Battle of Stockach (1799), Stockach in March 1799, the Army of the Danube was combined with the Army of Helvetia, under the command of André Massena. Defrance continued in his capacity as divisional chief of staff. At the

in June 1799, he was appointed on the field as brigadier general, an honor which he declined, asking instead to be given command of a cavalry regiment. He received command of the 12th Regiment of ''Chasseurs-a-Cheval.'' As ''Chef-de-Brigade'', the equivalent of colonel in France's revolutionary-era field army, Defrance went to Italy and participated in the actions leading up to the Battle of Marengo. During the winter of 1800–1801, he campaigned in the Grison Alps, Grisons in Switzerland and returned to France after the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801.

Career during the Napoleonic Wars

In 1803, with Napoleon's military reorganisation, the title ''Chef-de-Brigade'' reverted to colonel; Defrance retained his command of the 12th Regiment of ''Chasseurs-a-Cheval''. He was named Officer of the Légion d'honneur on 14 June 1804. On 1 February 1805, he accepted a promotion to brigadier general and commanded a brigade in the Danube campaign against Austria and Russia at the battles of Ulm campaign, Ulm and Battle of Austerlitz, Austerlitz.Broughton
''Commanders of the 12th Regiment of Chasseurs-a-Cheval''
In 1806, he campaigned against Kingdom of Prussia and Russia at the

. There, and at the Battle of Friedland on 14 June 1807, he commanded a

brigade—the first and second regiments—in

's First Division. Napoleon raised him to Count of the Empire on 2 July 1808. At the Battle of Wagram (1809), he again commanded the carabinier brigade. The confiscation of the Prussian cavalry and draft stock required supervision to integrate the acquisitions into the Grande Armée. After completing several terms as an inspector general of cavalry, Defrance was appointed general of division in August 1811 and joined Joachim Murat's Cavalry in February 1812 for Napoleon's French invasion of Russia, Invasion of Russia. At the

, he commanded 4th Cuirassier Division, which included three brigades and two horse artillery units of 12 guns. These were assigned to Nansouty's Reserves and assaulted the Shevardino redoubt on 5–6 September. During the Saxon campaign, Defrance was appointed Inspector General for the Grande Armée. He also commanded the 4th Heavy Cavalry Division at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, and one of his brigades remained at Lindenau to cover a possible retreat. In January 1814, for the last few months of Napoleon's rule, Defrance commanded four regiments of Imperial Guard (Napoleon I), Imperial Guard and fought in the Battle of Montmirail, action of 11 February at Montmirail, Marne, Montmirail, during the

. On 7 March, with much smaller force than his opponent, he repulsed the Russian assault at Rheims, but on 12 March was forced to relinquish the city as more Coalition troops arrived. The following day, he attacked the Russian cavalry, but was again forced to withdraw when faced with superior numbers.

Late military career

During the first Bourbon Restoration in France, Bourbon Restoration, Louis XVIII of France, Louis XVIII appointed Defrance as inspector general of cavalry. During the Hundred Days, Napoleon's brief return to France, Jean-Marie Defrance commanded the cavalry element of the Corps of Observation of the Vendée, Army of the West. Under overall command of Jean Maximilien Lamarque, one of Napoleon's fiercest supporters, it was formed to suppress potential Royalist insurrection in the Vendée region of France.David Chandler. ''Dictionary of the Napoleonic wars''. Wordsworth editions, 1999, p. 30. Defrance did not participate in the Battle of Rocheserviere, in which Lemarque's army brutally crushed the anticipated Vendéen uprising. He remained instead at his post of the 18th military division, inspecting the cavalry depots in the upper Loire. Defrance retained his rank after the second restoration and commanded the First Military Division in Paris from 1819 to 1822. He also taught at the military school in Rebais. Defrance's name is engraved on the east side of the Arc de Triomphe.

References

Notes and citations

Bibliography

* Broughton, Tony
''Commanders of the 12th Regiment of Chasseurs-a-Cheval''
Military Subjects: Organization, Tactics and Strategy
Napoleon Series
Robert Burnham, Editor in chief. November 2000. Accessed 8 May 2010. * Chandler, David. ''Dictionary of the Napoleonic wars''. Wordsworth editions, 1999. * Mikaberidze, Alexander and Eman Vovsi.''The Battle of Borodino: Order of Battle of the Allied Army''
Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns
Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010. * Millar, Stephan. ''French Order of Battle for Friedland: 14 June 1807'
Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns
Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010. * Millar, Stephan. ''French Order-of-Battle at Leipzig: 16–18 October 1813: Northern Sector.'
Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns
Robert Burnham, Editor in chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010. * Mullié, Charles. "DeFrance". Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850. Paris. 1850-. * Riehn, Richard K. ''Napoleon's Russian Campaign.'' John Wiley & Sons, 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Defrance, Jean-Marie 1835 deaths 1771 births French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Noble titles of the First French Empire Commanders of the Order of Saint Louis Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe