HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jean Boudet (; 9 February 1769, in
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
– 14 September 1809, in
Moravské Budějovice Moravské Budějovice (; ) is a town in Třebíč District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative divisi ...
, now in the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
) was a French
général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...
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 ...
. The campaigns in which he was involved include the
Saint-Domingue expedition The Saint-Domingue expedition was a large French military invasion sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, then French Consulate, First Consul, under his brother-in-law Charles Leclerc (general, born 1772), Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc in an attempt to ...
. He was made a grand officer of the
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
on 2 June 1809 and a knight of the
Order of the Iron Crown The Order of the Iron Crown () was an order of merit that was established on 5 June 1805 in the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte under his title of Napoleon I, King of Italy. The order took its name from the ancient Iron Crown of Lombard ...
, as well as a
Comte de l'Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles in a newly established ' (imperial nobility) to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both befo ...
in 1808. His name is engraved on the 16th column of the east side of the
Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
in Paris.


Life


To 1801

Boudet began his military career as a sous-lieutenant in the légion de Maillebois, before becoming a dragoon in the régiment de Penthièvre in 1785. Later, on the formation of the
National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
s, he entered a battalion of volunteers in
Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.
as a lieutenant in 1792. In 1793 he gained distinction for his bravery at the 1793 fighting at Château-Pignon and assisted at the
Siege of Toulon The siege of Toulon (29 August – 19 December 1793) was a military engagement that took place during the Federalist revolts and the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. It was undertaken by forces of the French Re ...
as a captain, then in 1794 he fought in the
War in the Vendée The War in the Vendée () was a counter-revolutionary insurrection that took place in the Vendée region of French First Republic, France from 1793 to 1796, during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately so ...
. He set off from
île de Ré Ile or ILE may refer to: Ile * Ile, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino aci ...
for
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
(then occupied by the British) with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, beside
Victor Hugues Jean-Baptiste Victor Hugues (July 20, 1762 – August 12, 1826) was a French politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Guadeloupe from 1794 to 1798. He is best known for his actions during the French Revolutionary Wars ...
, on 21 April 1794. He was landed at Pointe des Salines and captured
fort Fleur d'épée Fort Fleur d'épée is a fortification on Grande-Terre on Guadeloupe. The origins of its name are unknown, though it may correspond to the nickname of a soldier who lived in it. It was built from 1750 to 1763 on a polygonal plan by Vauban in the ...
and the town of
Pointe-à-Pitre Pointe-à-Pitre (; , , or simply , ) is the second most populous commune of Guadeloupe (after Les Abymes). Guadeloupe is an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a ''Subprefectu ...
, strongly defended by the British. He was made chef de brigade on 18 June 1794 and then général de brigade and supreme commander of all land forces on
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
on 14 December 1795. On 28 December 1794, at
Pointe-à-Pitre Pointe-à-Pitre (; , , or simply , ) is the second most populous commune of Guadeloupe (after Les Abymes). Guadeloupe is an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a ''Subprefectu ...
, he married Marie Joseph Elisabeth Augustine Darboussier. He completed the conquest of the island by a long series of brilliant feats of arms and the
French 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 ...
(via
Victor Hugues Jean-Baptiste Victor Hugues (July 20, 1762 – August 12, 1826) was a French politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Guadeloupe from 1794 to 1798. He is best known for his actions during the French Revolutionary Wars ...
and
Lebas Lebas is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alain Lebas (born 1953), French sprint canoeist * Jean-Baptiste Lebas (1898–1944), French politician * Louis-Hippolyte Lebas (1782–1867), French architect *Philippe-François ...
) raised him to the rank of
général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...
. Boudet headed some dragoons to punish the rebellion of
Le Lamentin Le Lamentin (; ; ) is a city and town, located in the French overseas department and region of Martinique. With its area of 62.32 km2, it is the town with the largest area in Martinique. Le Lamentin, with close to 40,000 inhabitants, is the ...
in December 1797 and then, after two years and having made the island defensible, he returned to France in April 1799 to take part in the Dutch campaign, under the command of general Brune. After
18 brumaire The Coup of 18 Brumaire () brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of the French First Republic. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and would soon lead to the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the ...
, he joined the armée de réserve, commanded by Berthier and being readied for
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. He led the vanguard in the second Italian campaign of
Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
and gained distinction at the head of his division, especially at Lodi and Marengo, being wounded at the latter.


Saint-Domingue

Just as peace accords were being signed with the British at London (1 October 1801) he was chosen the expedition being prepared for Saint-Domingue due to his colonial experience (as were other leaders of this expedition, such as Edme Étienne Borne Desfourneaux and Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Rochambeau). On 8 October he was put in command of the troops gathered at Rochefort, which would form the core of his division on Saint-Domingue. Leaving Brest on 11 December 1801 and landing at
Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...
on 5 February 1802, he treated its black, white and creole inhabitants equally and was thus made very welcome. Operating in isolation from the rest of his supreme commander
Charles Leclerc Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
's troops, Boudet easily captured Leogane (11 February) then followed
Dessalines Dessalines (; ) usually referred to as ''Marchand-Dessalines'' (), is a commune in the Artibonite department of Haiti. It is named after Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler and emperor of independen ...
's bloody trail as far as Saint-Marc (25 February), then to the redoubt at Crête-à-Pierrot. He assaulted the redoubt on 11 March, being wounded in the heel by shrapnel and forced to abandon his command of the division to Rochambeau. The Haitian historian A. Beaubrun-Ardouin (slightly suspected of pro-French bias) writes that Boudet was almost unique in his humanity towards enemy soldiers or prisoners, gaining respect even from his enemies. During this time Magloire Pélage's provisional government on Guadeloupe, wishing to prove its loyalty to the government of mainland France, demanded that Leclerc send him Boudet to take command of the island until Paris officially sent it a new governor. He was still highly appreciated by Guadeloupe's inhabitants since his previous time on the island and thus left Saint-Domingue for Guadeloupe on 21 April 1802, but unfortunately general
Antoine Richepanse Antoine Richepanse (25 March 1770 – 3 September 1802) was a French Army officer and colonial administrator. Richepanse was born in Metz as the son of an officer of the Conti-Dragoon Regiment. When the French Revolution started Richepanse distin ...
's expedition reached the island before him (6 May) and Richepanse's brutal command immediately ignited a revolt there by Louis Delgrès and his companions. Boudet reached the island on 28 May but his presence there rapidly became useless and he returned to Saint-Domingue, where he was put at the head of the division in the north in September before being sent back to France by Leclerc on 28 September to inform Bonaparte of the dramatic situation. This was a trusted mission given to an officer whose merit he praised, though in correspondence Leclerc later accused him of embezzlement during his time on Saint-Domingue.


Europe

General Boudet was welcomed back to France as a hero and made commander of the 1st Infantry Division in the corps of general Claude-Victor Perrin (26 October 1803) in the northern Netherlands. He then moved to the corps under general
Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, duc de Raguse (; 20 July 1774 – 22 March 1852) was a French general and nobleman who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire and was awarded the title (). In the Peninsular War Marmont succeeded th ...
, at the Utrecht camp (5 February 1804). He took part in the 1805 campaign under Marmont before being sent to the armée d’Italie in 1806. In 1807 he was in Germany and took part in the siege of Colbert under the command of
Murat Murat may refer to: Places Australia * Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia * Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area France * Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier * Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal Elsew ...
and, after the
Treaties of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit (), also collectively known as the Peace of Tilsit (; ), were two peace treaties signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland, at the end of the War o ...
, captured
Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...
. In return for Boudet's services, Napoléon made him a comte d'Empire in 1808 and gave him land with a revenue of 30,000 francs in
Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania (; ) was a dominions of Sweden, dominion under the Sweden, Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish-Swedish War, Polish War and the Thirty Years' War ...
. He took up garrison duties in the
Hanseatic The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...
towns and was in the front rank during the Austrian campaign of 1809 at the head of the 4th Division of the 4th Army Corps commanded by marshal
André Masséna André Masséna, prince d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshal of the ...
. General Boudet assisted in the capture of
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
then distinguished himself in the fierce defence of the village of
Essling Essling
Essling entry in the Viennese government's history wiki (German)
() is a neighbourhood ...
(21–22 May 1809), turning a granary into an impregnable bunker. As Napoleon himself admitted, it was to general Boudet's conduct that the French owed their victory at Aspern. He lost his artillery at Battle of Wagram, Wagram on 6 July, however, leading to fierce public criticism of Napoleon. He died on 14 September, shortly after a humiliating interview with Napoleon earlier that day, either by suicide or dying of despair.


Arms


External links

* Service Historique de l’Armée de Terre – cote : 7 Yd 391. * ''État de services''
web.genealogie.free.fr : ''Les militaires''
* Biograph


Bibliography

* * * Alexis Beaubrun-Ardouin, ''Étude sur l'histoire d'Haïti'', t.5 * Maurice Begouën-Demeaux, ''Mémorial d'une famille du Havre: Stanislas Foäche (1737–1806)'', t.5 * Laura Virginia Monti, ''A calendar of Rochambeau's papers at the university of Florida Libraries'' * Jan Pachonski et Reuel K. Wilson, ''Poland's Caribbean tragedy: a study of Polish legions in the Haitian war of Independence, 1802-1803''


Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boudet 1769 births 1809 deaths Military personnel from Bordeaux French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French generals 18th century in Guadeloupe People of the Haitian Revolution 1800s suicides Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe Suicides in the Czech Republic