Pierre Benoît Soult (; 19 July 1770 – 7 May 1843) joined the French royal army before the French Revolution. He fought in 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 ...

, emerging from the conflict as colonel of a cavalry regiment. A good deal of his early career was spent as aide-de-camp to his brother

Jean-de-Dieu Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman. He was a Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and served three times as President of the Council of ...

who became

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

in 1804. Transferred to Spain during 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 first led a corps cavalry brigade, then after 1813 he commanded a cavalry division. During the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

he took part in the 1814

Battle of Orthez The Battle of Orthez (27 February 1814) saw the Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington attack an Imperial French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France. The outnumbered F ...

where he commanded 2,700 cavalry and watched the river line upstream (east) from the town of Orthez. He also saw action during the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...

after

Napoleon 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 ...

returned from exile in Elba. After 1830, he was brought out of retirement when his brother became part of the government. SOULT, P. is one of the

names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe The following is a list of the 660 names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris. Most of them represent generals who served during the French First Republic (1792–1804) and the First French Empire (1804–1815). Underlined names signify t ...

Early career

His brother,

, was

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

François Joseph Lefebvre François Joseph Lefebvre, Duke of Danzig ( , ; 25 October 1755 – 14 September 1820) was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, and one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by N ...

, but on 11 October 1794 he was promoted general of brigade and assigned to lead a brigade in André Poncet's division. When the Army of Sambre and Meuse crossed the

Lahn The Lahn () is a , right (or eastern) tributary of the Rhine in Germany. Its course passes through the States of Germany, federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km). ...

River on 20–21 September 1795, Jean-de-Dieu Soult's brigade led Poncet's division. Pierre Soult, who served as his brother's aide-de-camp, led a group of soldiers across the river and held a small bridgehead until the rest of the brigade arrived. However, the ford was so narrow that some soldiers drowned. Soult saw that the cavalry was missing the ford, so he dashed back to the bank, just as General of Brigade Louis Klein fell off his horse and began to sink. Soult swam out and saved Klein's life, earning him a letter of thanks from the French government.

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soult, Pierre Benoit 1770 births 1843 deaths People from Tarn (department) Barons of the First French Empire Members of the Chamber of Representatives (France) Members of Parliament for Tarn French generals French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe Recipients of the Legion of Honour Knights of the Order of Saint Louis