Jean Étienne Philibert de Prez de Crassier or Étienne Desprez-Crassier (18 January 1733 – 6 July 1803) was a French political and military leader in the early years of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

. Despite being from the minor nobility, he entered the

French Royal Army The French Royal Army (french: Armée Royale Française) was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon Dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude ...

as a

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

at the age of 12 because of his family's poverty. He fought in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

and the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

, becoming a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in 1785 and retiring two years later.

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

lent him the money needed to recover the Deprez family property. He was elected to the Estates General as a nobleman in 1789. After being promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

he led a division at

Valmy Valmy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. Geography The town stands on the west flank of the Forest of Argonne, Argonne massif, midway between Verdun-sur ...

in 1792. He became commander of the ''

Army of the Rhine An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

'' and '' Army of the Western Pyrenees''. Imprisoned during the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

, he was released and restored to his former rank but retired in 1796.

Career

Deprez-Crassier was promoted ''

maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général''). Se ...

'' (

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

) on 1 March 1791. While leading 600 troops, he fought a skirmish with the Prussians at

Fontoy Fontoy (; german: Fentsch; Lorraine Franconian: ''Fensch'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It contains the source of the Fensch river. See also * Communes of the Moselle department The following ...

on 19 August 1792. His detachment consisted of two companies of

grenadiers A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

and five squadrons of

Chasseurs à Cheval ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army origi ...

. His soldiers encountered a superior force of five squadrons of the ''Wolffradt''

Hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

Regiment and were defeated with a loss of 200 killed and wounded plus 24 men captured. Nevertheless, he was promoted to

on 5 September 1792. During the

Battle of Valmy The Battle of Valmy, also known as the Cannonade of Valmy, was the first major victory by the army of France during the Revolutionary Wars that followed the French Revolution. The battle took place on 20 September 1792 as Prussian troops comm ...

on 20 September 1792 Deprez-Crassier led a detachment in

François Christophe Kellermann François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King ...

's ''

Army of the Centre The Army of the Centre (''armée du Centre'') was one of the first French Revolutionary Armies, named after the location it was set up, the Centre region. It was established by the order of King Louis XVI on 14 December 1791 and attached to Champ ...

''. Under his command were the 1st Battalion of the 1st Line Infantry Regiment, one grenadier battalion, three squadrons each of the 3rd Hussar and 1st Chasseurs à Cheval Regiments and two squadrons of the 4th

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

Regiment. The day before the battle Kellermann sent the Advance Guard under Deprez-Crassier forward from his camp at Dommartin-la-Planchette toward Somme-Bionne. At his position at the La Lune tavern, Deprez-Crassier was joined the next morning by the Reserve under

Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Valence Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Timbrune de Thiembronne, Comte de Valence (22 September 1757 – 4 February 1822) commanded French troops during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. A nobleman, he joined the French Royal Army as a capt ...

. As the Prussians advanced on his position Kellermann decided to move his main force to the mound of

under cover of a morning fog and the forces of Deprez-Crassier and Valence. During this time three squadrons of Prussian hussars blundered into the covering force and were repulsed. As the Prussians brought up their artillery to fire on the La Lune position, Kellermann established his defensive lines at Valmy. Coming under fire, Deprez-Crassier and Valence fell back to take post near the hamlet of Orbeval on the left of the main position at Valmy. At this time

Charles François Dumouriez Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez (, 26 January 1739 – 14 March 1823) was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. He shared the victory at Valmy with General François Christophe Kellermann, but later deserted the Revo ...

sent forward nine battalions from the ''

Army of the North The Army of the North ( es, link=no, Ejército del Norte), contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was fre ...

'' to reinforce Kellermann's left flank, 16 battalions to buttress his right and another 12 battalions and six squadrons to form a reserve. When the fog lifted the Prussian generals were surprised to see the French army arrayed in great strength before them. The famous artillery duel followed, after which the Prussian commander

Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Charles William Ferdinand (german: Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand; 9 October 1735 – 10 November 1806) was the Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a military leader. His titles are usually shortened to Duke of Brunswic ...

declined to press home the attack.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deprez-Crassier, Etienne 1733 births 1803 deaths People from Divonne-les-Bains French nobility Members of the National Constituent Assembly (France) French generals French military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession French military personnel of the Seven Years' War French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Knights of the Order of Saint Louis