Joseph Vinoy (; 10 August 1803 – 27 April 1880) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

soldier, who commanded the French capital's defenses during the siege of Paris in the course of the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

Biography

He originally intended to join the Church, but, after some years at a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

, he decided upon a military career and joined the

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in 1823. As a sergeant in the 14th line infantry, he took part in the

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

n expedition of 1830. He won his commission at the capture of

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and during the subsequent campaigns rose to the rank of Colonel. He returned to France in 1850. In the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, he served under

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as general of brigade. For his brilliant conduct at the

Battle of Malakoff The Battle of Malakoff (, ) or the Storming of the Malakhov Kurgan () was a series of French attacks against Russian forces on the Malakoff redoubt. The first attack was unsuccessful, and occurred on 18 June 1855; subsequent capture of the ...

in 1855 he was promoted to General of division. He later led a division of

Adolphe Niel Adolphe Niel (4 October 180213 August 1869) was a French Army general and statesman. Biography He was born at Muret, Haute-Garonne and entered the École Polytechnique in 1821. Niel entered the engineer school at Metz, became lieutenant in the ...

's corps in the Battle of Solférino. Retired on account of his age in 1865, he was recalled to active service on the outbreak of the

in 1870. After the early reverses he was made head of the XIII army corps, which did not arrive at the front in time to be involved in the catastrophe of Sedan. By a skillful retreat he brought his corps intact to Paris on September 7. During the Siege of Paris, Vinoy commanded the III army operating on the south side of the capital and took part in all the actions in that quarter. On

Louis Jules Trochu Louis-Jules Trochu (; 12 March 18157 October 1896) was a French military leader and politician. He served as President of the Government of National Defense—France's ''de facto'' head of state—from 4 September 1870 until his resignation on ...

's resignation he was appointed to the supreme command, in which capacity he negotiated France's surrender. During the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

, he held important commands in the army of

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, occupying the burning

Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was b ...

and the

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on May 23, 1871. He was subsequently made a Grand Chancellor of the

Legion of Honour 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 ...

. Vinoy wrote several memoirs of the Franco-Prussian War: ''Operations de l'armée pendant le siege de Paris'' (1872); ''L'Armistice et la commune'' (1872); and ''L'Armée française'' (1873). The Municipality of Vinoy in Quebec, Canada, was named in his honour (since 1996 part of the Municipality of Chénéville).

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vinoy, Joseph 1803 births 1880 deaths People from Isère French generals French military personnel of the Crimean War French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Military governors of Paris Grand Chancellors of the Legion of Honour