Alexandre Camille Taponier (2 February 1749–13 April 1831) commanded an infantry division in several battles during the
French Revolutionary Wars. He joined 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 ...
in 1767. He became a
chef de bataillon on 15 October 1793 and a
general of division less than two months later on 7 November, a speed of promotion that is astonishing. He led his division at the end of 1793 in the battles of
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
,
Froeschwiller and
Second Wissembourg.
He led a division at the
Siege of Luxembourg in 1794–1795 and at
Ettlingen and
Neresheim in 1796. That summer, army commander
Jean Victor Marie Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau (, 14 February 1763 – 2 September 1813) was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, but later became a rival and was banished to the United States.
Biography
Rise to fame
Moreau was born at Morla ...
forced him to resign after accusing him of demanding irregular contributions. Placed on active service again, he commanded the 13th Military Division for a few months in 1799–1800. He became a member of the
Légion d'Honneur in 1805 but was not employed during the
Napoleonic Wars and retired from military service in 1811 at age 62. Taponier is one of the
names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe on Column 5.
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
French soldiers
French generals
French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars
People from Drôme
1749 births
1831 deaths
Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
{{mil-hist-stub