Antoine-Charles-Louis, Comte de Lasalle (10 May 1775,
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
6 July 1809,
Wagram
Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the states of Austria, state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Morava (river), Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city ...
) was a French
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
general during the
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.
...
and
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, often called "The
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 ...
General". He first gained fame for his role in the
Capitulation of Stettin. Over the course of his short career, he became known as a daring adventurer and was credited with many exploits. Eventually, he fought on every front and was killed at the
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles ...
.
Early career
Antoine
Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin.
The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...
Lasalle was born on 10 May 1775 in
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
,
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
province, into a family of minor nobility. His father was Pierre Nicolas de Lasalle d’Augny, an officer in the
French Royal Army and a knight of the
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewar ...
, and his mother was Suzanne Dupuy de la Gaule. On his maternal side, Lasalle was a descendant of
Abraham de Fabert
Abraham de Fabert, marquis d'Esternay (11 October 159917 May 1662) was a Marshal of France.
Biography
Fabert was the son of Abraham Fabert, seigneur de Moulins (died 1638), a famous printer who rendered great services, civil and military, to Hen ...
, a
Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...
. His military inclinations showed at an early age and, thanks to his family's status, when he was eleven years old he was able to join the Foreign Infantry Regiment of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
(German) as a second lieutenant replacement on 19 June 1786, rising to the rank of second lieutenant by the age of fourteen.
When the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
broke out, Lasalle embraced it and was assigned as a second lieutenant to the 24th Cavalry Regiment on 25 May 1791. Being an officer in the French Army had always been a privilege of the nobility, but this was reversed by a government decree in 1792, to the point of forbidding people of aristocratic origins to have military command. As result, he lost his commission but he remained loyal to France. The incident did not deter his desire for a military career, so he enlisted as a private in 1792 and moved to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
He joined the Section des Piques, a group of radical Parisian revolutionaries in 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.
Nat ...
. By 1793, he had joined 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 ...
in Italy as a volunteer in the 23rd Horse Chasseur Regiment. He was soon elected sergeant and led his company to attack and capture an enemy artillery battery. The general in command witnessed the fearlessness that Lasalle had demonstrated, and proposed that he be made an officer. Lasalle rejected this because it would separate him from his men.
The Army of Italy
Through family friendship with
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 ...
, he won back his pre-Revolutionary grade of lieutenant and became Kellermann's
aide-de-camp on 10 March 1795. Enjoying the challenges of staff work, he stayed with Kellermann when he transferred to the
Army of Italy on 6 May 1795. He was employed as assistant to Kellermann's son, Adjutant-General
François Étienne de Kellermann
François Étienne de Kellermann, 2nd Duke of Valmy (4 August 1770 – 2 June 1835) was a French cavalry general noted for his daring and skillful exploits during the Napoleonic Wars. He was the son of François Christophe de Kellermann and the fat ...
in May, 1796. Lasalle was soon promoted to Captain on 7 November, the same year.
Battle of Rivoli
![Le chef d'escadron Lasalle à la bataille de Rivoli](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Le_chef_d%27escadron_Lasalle_%C3%A0_la_bataille_de_Rivoli.jpg)
He justified his rapid progress and reputation when, at the Battle of Rivoli, he spurred ahead with the entire cavalry26 horsemen of the 22nd Horse Chasseurs. A battery of 15 French guns blasted the Austrian
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 ...
s, while two columns of infantry were led forward supported by cavalry under
Charles Leclerc
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver, currently racing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He won the GP3 Series championship in 2016 and the FIA Formula 2 Championship in .
Leclerc ...
and Lasalle. The packed Austrian soldiers in the gorge fled when their own dragoons began trampling on them in panic. As a result, an entire battalion of the Deutschmeister Regiment threw down its arms in panic and fled. Likewise, the dispersed infantry on the Trambasore Heights were unable to hold once Lasalle and the French cavalry got in their midst. Lasalle and his men continued to support Generals
Lebley and
Vial
A vial (also known as a phial or flacon) is a small glass or plastic vessel or bottle, often used to store medication as liquids, powders or capsules. They can also be used as scientific sample vessels; for instance, in autosampler devices i ...
until the battle was over. There were 5,000 French casualties and 14,000 Austrian casualties. Eleven flags were captured, five of which were captured by Lasalle. After the battle, all of the trophies were piled up before Napoleon and Lasalle lay exhausted a few feet away on top of his five flags. Napoleon said, "Go to sleep on your flags, Lasalle, for it was well-deserved!”
With 16 men from the new Corps of Guides, Lasalle charged the enemy's
Uhlan
Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, Pr ...
s, forcing them to evacuate the city and retreat to the
Tagliamento
The Tagliamento () is a braided river in north-east Italy, flowing from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea at a point between Trieste and Venice.
The Tagliamento river is considered as the last morphologically intact river in the Alps. (Its c ...
. Lasalle was the first to cross the river in pursuit of them. Lasalle and his men successfully drove the enemy out of the Tagliamento, ending the campaign in Italy with an overwhelming French Victory.
The invasion of Egypt
Napoleon Bonaparte personally asked Lasalle to participate in the
Campaign in Egypt. Excited about participating in this exotic expedition, he joined the
Army of the East. They invaded
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
and from there marched to
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
. On 21 July 1798, in the
Battle of the Pyramids
The Battle of the Pyramids, also known as the Battle of Embabeh, was a major engagement fought on 21 July 1798, during the French Invasion of Egypt. The battle took place near the village of Embabeh, across the Nile River from Cairo, but was ...
, the Turks, reassured by the easy refuge the village of Embabeh provided for them, resisted the efforts of the French Army. Lasalle, at the head of 60 men, charged the village and routed the garrison, chasing them wildly. He cut off the retreating army by taking a secret route through the
Giza Pyramids
The Giza pyramid complex ( ar, مجمع أهرامات الجيزة), also called the Giza necropolis, is the site on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo, Egypt that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Men ...
, allowing Napoleon to crush his opponents. Because of this bold move, Napoleon promoted Lasalle to Lieutenant Colonel of the 22nd Horse Chasseur Brigade and 7th Hussars.
He traveled back to the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
with General
Louis Desaix
Louis Charles Antoine Desaix () (17 August 176814 June 1800) was a French general and military leader during the French Revolutionary Wars. According to the usage of the time, he took the name ''Louis Charles Antoine Desaix de Veygoux''. He was co ...
and fought at the Battle of Salahieh on 11 August. While battling and besting a group of
Mamelukes, the cord that attached his sabre to his wrist snapped, leaving the sabre on the ground. He calmly dismounted and picked it up in the middle of the fray, quietly mounted his horse and continued fighting. This fearlessness made him a popular companion for risky missions.
Major battles
Two weeks later at the Battle of Remedieh, he chopped both hands off a Mameluke who was fighting General
Davout
Louis-Nicolas d'Avout (10 May 1770 – 1 June 1823), better known as Davout, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and th ...
, saving his life. He then overthrew several Mamelukes, broke his sword over the head of Osman Bey, broke a pair of pistols while defending himself, took the sword of a wounded dragoon, returned to the mêlée, rallied his troops, restored the fight, and drove the enemy to the desert. On 22 January, at the Battle of Samanhout, he executed some brilliant cavalry charges that led considerable losses for the enemy. Finally on 1 March 1799, at the Battle of Gehemi, he completely defeated a regiment of Arabs who had come from
Yanbu' al Bahr
Yanbu ( ar, ينبع, lit=Spring, translit=Yanbu'), also known simply as Yambu or Yenbo, is a city in the Al Madinah Province of western Saudi Arabia. It is approximately 300 kilometers northwest of Jeddah (at ). The population is 222,360 (2 ...
to help the Mamelukes, and killed over 300 men. Lasalle continued to follow his regiment and played a major role in General Desaix's subjugation of Upper Egypt against
Murad Bey
Murad Bey Mohammed ( 1750 – 22 April 1801) was an Egyptian Mamluk chieftain ( Bey), cavalry commander and joint ruler of Egypt with Ibrahim Bey. He is often remembered as being a cruel and extortionate ruler, but an energetic courageous fighter ...
.
The 22nd Horse Chasseurs returned to Cairo after the victory and were tasked to contain Egypt and to ensure communications between Salahieh and Cairo. Lasalle successfully completed this mission. After the signing of the
Convention of El-Arish on 24 January 1800, Lasalle returned home to France. To advertise his recent adventures, he adopted the Mamelukes' baggy red trousers (''
saroual
Sirwal, also sherwal, saroual, seroual, sarouel or serouelSmith, Robin (199''American Civil War Zouaves'', p. 52. Osprey PublishingAt Google Books. Retrieved 23 August 2013. ( ar, سِرْوَال (''sirwāl''), (''šalvâr'') ku, شهواڵ ...
'') as part of his uniform. On 5 August, after his return, he received pistols and a
Sabre of Honour from Napoleon. On 25 August of the same year he received the command of the 10th Hussars as Colonel or
chef de brigade Chef de brigade was a military rank in the French Royal Artillery and in the revolutionary French armies.
Before the revolution
''Chef de brigade'' was equivalent to major in the French Royal Corps of Artillery. Each regiment of artillery was div ...
.
Interlude in France
![Général Antoine Charles Louis Comte de Lasalle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/G%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral_Antoine_Charles_Louis_Comte_de_Lasalle.jpg)
He was one of the best commanders of light cavalry, as well as being intelligent, well-educated, and witty; yet, according to Divisional General
Jean-Antoine Marbot
Jean-Antoine Marbot ( , ; 7 December 1754 – 19 April 1800), also known to contemporaries as Antoine Marbot, was a French general and politician. He belongs to a family that has distinguished itself particularly in the career of arms, giving t ...
, he posed as a libertine and ruffian who "might always be seen drinking, swearing, and smashing everything", carefully maintaining the hussar image and reputation. He also founded the "Society of Alcoholics", which shocked the high society of Paris (except for Napoleon). One evening Lasalle made
Paul Thiébault
Paul Charles François Adrien Henri Dieudonné Thiébault (14 December 1769, Berlin - 14 October 1846, Paris) was a general who fought in Napoleon I's army. During his military career he wrote a number of histories and memoirs, the last of whic ...
count all the empty wine bottles. Thiébault asked "Do you want to kill yourself?” which prompted the famous reply from Lasalle: "My friend, any hussar who does not die by thirty is a blackguard..."
Affair and marriage
Lasalle had been intimately connected with Joséphine Berthier, the wife of General
Victor Leopold Berthier (Minister of War and Chief of Staff) and sister-in-law to Marshal
Louis-Alexandre Berthier
Louis-Alexandre Berthier (20 November 1753 – 1 June 1815), Prince of Neuchâtel and Valangin, Prince of Wagram, was a French Marshal of the Empire who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was twice Minister ...
. Joséphine and Berthier divorced and Lasalle immediately proposed to her. Napoleon gave Lasalle 200,000 francs towards the nuptials. When they met at the
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...
, Napoleon asked, "When is the wedding?” Lasalle replied, "Sire, when I have enough money to buy the wedding presents and furniture". Napoleon said, "But I gave you 200,000 francs last week, what did you do with them?". Lasalle replied, "I used half to pay my debts and have lost the rest gambling". Such a confession would have broken the career of any other soldier but, coming from Lasalle, it made the Emperor smile. Napoleon merely ordered his Grand Marshal of the Palace, and aide, General
Géraud Duroc
Géraud Christophe Michel Duroc (born de Michel du Roc; 25 October 1772 – 23 May 1813), 1st Duke of Frioul (''Duc de Frioul''), was a French general and diplomat who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted ...
to give Lasalle another 200,000 francs. When a prefect asked why Napoleon didn't discipline Lasalle for his conduct, Napoleon responded that "It only takes a stroke of a pen to create a prefect, but it takes twenty years to make a Lasalle".
Despite this extravagance, Lasalle apparently possessed a sense of duty and responsibility towards his new family and cared for Berthier's three boys, Alméric-Alexandre (b. 1797), Oscar (b. 1799), and Alexandre-Joseph (b. 1802) as if they were his own. (In fact, Alméric-Alexandre and Oscar probably were his illegitimate sons. He and Joséphine had their own little girl, Charlotte-Joséphine, who was born in May, 1806.) On 14 June 1804 he was made a member of law in the 5th Cohort of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
as a Commander. He took up his post in
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...
, Spain later that year.
Duelling and boredom in Spain
Shortly after his arrival in Spain, Lasalle found himself involved in a duel by sabre. He had been attempting to seduce the wife of the Captain of Engineering when the captain caught them ''
in flagrante delicto
''In flagrante delicto'' (Latin for "in blazing offence") or sometimes simply ''in flagrante'' ("in blazing") is a legal term used to indicate that a criminal has been caught in the act of committing an offence (compare ). The colloquial "caught ...
''. Lasalle was generous (or cautious) enough not to attack and contented himself with parrying, but he did so with such vigor that it broke the engineer's wrist. As the engineer was doubled over with fatigue and pain, Lasalle let down a hard blow with the flat edge of his sabre on the man's back. When it was obvious the engineer could take it no more, Lasalle opted to end the battle by saying, "If you had known me better you would have attached less importance to the fact you have been injured, and if I had known better, I would have refrained from continuing to fight after you had been injured. Let us finish this fight for it is far too unequal, but because of your actions I now know you are a man of honor."
This (and other) indiscretions didn't tarnish his reputation for handling light cavalry and, by 1 February 1805, he was promoted to Brigadier General. A month and a day later, he took command of the 2nd Brigade of Dragoons stationed in
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
. He soon became sick of drilling and parades, but things changed when Napoleon set his sights on the new Austrian and Russian threats along the Rhine, sending Lasalle and his men into action.
On the Prussian Front
![Le général Lasalle à Prenslow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Le_g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral_Lasalle_%C3%A0_Prenslow.jpg)
Lasalle went into immediate action at the
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz in ...
, with the 1st Dragoon Division, under the command of Divisional General
Louis Klein
Dominique Louis Antoine Klein (19 January 1761 – 2 November 1845) served in the French military during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars as a general of cavalry.
Initially part of the house guard at the royal residences fo ...
, in the Cavalry Reserve of Marshal
Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...
. Because of his successes on the field, he was given command of a Light Cavalry Brigade consisting of the 5th and 7th Hussar Regiments, also under the command of Marshal Murat. Lasalle's star was high during the
1806 campaign for Prussia, where his hussars became known as the "Brigade Infernale" ("Hellish Brigade"), with Colonels
François Xavier de Schwarz and Ferdinand-Daniel Marx as his regimental commanders.
He then fought at
Schleiz
Schleiz is a town in the district of Saale-Orla-Kreis in Thuringia, Germany. The former municipality Crispendorf was merged into Schleiz in January 2019, and Burgk in December 2019.
Location
Schleiz is in the Thuringian Vogtland area, an ar ...
and
Jena-Auerstedt, where he captured the
King of Prussia
The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...
's bodyguard and forced the
Prince of Hohenlohe to retreat. On 26 October 1806, Lasalle was in pursuit of Hohenlohe when he observed Prussian infantry northwest of his position, at the edge of the forest, near
Zehdenick
Zehdenick is a town in the Oberhavel district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Havel, southeast of Fürstenberg/Havel, and north of Berlin (centre). Since 31 July 2013, the city has the additional appellation "Havelstadt".
...
. Unconcerned about the enemy's huge numerical superiority, he charged. After fierce fighting, the Prussians managed to beat back Lasalle's hussars until cavalry reinforcements arrived. General
Grouchy arrived at about the same time and the combined attacks destroyed the Prussian cavalry. The Prussian infantry moved into the woods and then withdrew.
On 28 October, as they approached
Prenzlau
Prenzlau (, formerly also Prenzlow) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, the administrative seat of Uckermark (district), Uckermark District. It is also the centre of the historic Uckermark region.
Geography
The town is located on the Uecker, Ucke ...
, they realized the Prussian Army had been inside the city for some time. Marshal Murat arrived at 10 a.m. and ordered Lasalle to cut the road from
Gustow
Gustow is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe aft ...
and to storm the northern gates of the city. Lasalle took his troopers right up to the city gates and burst them open. He continued on through the city and out the east gates where he could see Hohenlohe's army forming in a plain north east of the city.
Capitulation of Stettin
![Taking of Stettin by French troops 1806](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Taking_of_Stettin_by_French_troops_1806.PNG)
The next day Lasalle and his hussars marched to the fortress of
Stettin
Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...
, arriving well ahead of the main French force. He prepared to attack but decided to try a bluff instead. Pretending that the entire army had arrived, he demanded that Stettin surrender. General
Romberg's reply was predictable:. "Tell your master that the town of Stettin was entrusted to my safeguard and that I shall defend it to my last man". Lasalle then resorted to threats: "If, by 8 a.m. you have not surrendered, the town will be bombarded by our artillery, stormed by 50,000 men, the garrison will be put to the sword and the town will be plundered during twenty-four hours". Convinced that he was faced with 50,000 French soldiers, Romberg entered into negotiations and capitulated on the evening of 29–30 October. Over 5,000 men and 281 guns were surrendered, and Lasalle became a national hero. Napoleon wrote to Murat, "If your Light Cavalry captures fortified towns, I’ll have to discharge my Engineer Corps and have my heavy artillery melted down".
In spite of their victory, Lasalle's troops were exhausted. He later wrote: "Who could recognize the brilliant hussars from Kronach fourteen months ago, those of the 5th Regiment with their white pelisses with lemon-yellow braids and their sky-blue breeches, those of the 7th Regiment with their green pelisses with daffodil-yellow braids and their scarlet breeches? Today the whole brigade, men and horses adorned alike in mud, have neither form nor color. Their uniform is misery".
Battles of Lübeck and Golymin
![Le général comte de Lasalle menant une charge de sa cavalerie](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Le_g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral_comte_de_Lasalle_menant_une_charge_de_sa_cavalerie.jpg)
The capitulation of Stettin had prevented Prussian General
Blücher from passing the frontier into Eastern
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
. Now Blücher was determined to escape from the French at any cost. Murat, together with Lasalle,
Bernadotte and
Soult
Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia, (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and often called Marshal Soult. Soult was one of only six officers in Frenc ...
were in hot pursuit, forcing Blücher farther and farther to the north. Having run out of Prussian territory, On 5 November, he marched into the neutral city-state of
Lübeck
Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...
, where he demanded money and food from the city authorities. The next day, Bernadotte's men arrived and attacked the walls. Lasalle was among these men and fought bravely.
During the
Battle of Golymin
The Battle of Golymin took place on 26 December 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars at Gołymin, Poland, between around 17,000 Russian soldiers with 28 guns under Prince Golitsyn and 38,000 French soldiers under Marshal Murat. The Russian forc ...
, General Lasalle led his legendary "Hellish Brigade" against a Russian battery of 12-15 guns. The hussars charged with vigor but were abruptly seized with panic, turned about and, in disorder, stampeded back to the rear. Of the whole brigade only the elite company of the 7th Hussars, placed immediately behind Lasalle himself, remained firmly at their posts. Lasalle was furious. He rode after them, screamed "Halt!", and brought them back. Lasalle kept them within a short range from the Russian guns as punishment for their behavior, standing 20 paces in front of his men, remaining motionless and calm, although under enemy fire.
He then finally rallied his troops and commanded "Break the ranks!", and with the support of Klein's dragoon division charged the enemy from the flank. The Russians were routed and fled under the cover of artillery as Lasalle pursued until the battle was won.
Promotion and cavalry trainer
On 30 December 1806, Lasalle was promoted to Divisional General and given command of the Light Cavalry Division in Murat's Cavalry Reserve. Shortly thereafter, Napoleon authorized raising a guard regiment of Polish Light Horse. Under General Lasalle they were given an intensive course in horsemanship and discipline, becoming one of the finest regiments in the Imperial Guard. An officer of the Poles wrote: "It was in Lasalle's school that we learned outpost duty. We have kept a precious memory of this general in whom all the lovable and imposing qualities of a born marshal were combined ... He should have replaced Murat to whom he was vastly superior ..."
Battle of Heilsberg
During the Battle of Heilsberg, on 12 June 1807, Murat was surrounded at the height of a mêlée by 12 Russian dragoons. Lasalle was in command of three brigades of light cavalry which contained the "Hellish Brigade", two lancer regiments, and five horse chasseur regiments. Lasalle saw Murat in trouble and charged at the enemy, killing the officer who commanded the detachment and putting 11 dragoons on the run, saving Murat's life. Shortly after, Murat and other members of the "Hellish Brigade" saved Lasalle from certain death. Afterwards, while shaking hands, Murat told Lasalle, "General, we are even". The following July, Napoleon made Lasalle a Grand Cross Knight of the
Order of the Iron Crown
The Order of the Iron Crown ( it, link=no, Ordine della Corona Ferrea) 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 ...
. He was then sent to Spain under the orders of
Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Jean-Baptiste Bessières (; 6 August 1768 – 1 May 1813), 1st Duke of Istria (''Duc d'Istrie''), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. His younge ...
.
The Peninsular War
Lasalle was given command of the 1st Light Cavalry Division, consisting of the 8th Hussars, 13th, 16th and 24th Chasseurs. Lasalle's cousin, Pierre-Louis-Adolphe-Georges du Prel, became his aide-de-camp. He arrived in Spain on 15 February 1808. One of Lasalle's major faults was his willingness to repay resistance with brutality, and it was said of him that he "made Spain tremble". In June, Lasalle was responsible for the torching of
Torquemada, a village that resisted his troops. As his men approached
Palencia
Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia.
Located in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half o ...
, the insurgents abandoned their positions and fled to
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
, supported by a column of infantry.
Battling across Spain
After plundering
Torquemada and ransoming the town of
Palencia
Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia.
Located in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half o ...
, Lasalle set off for
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
. On 11 June 1808 Lasalle's army linked up with the troops of General
Merle
Merle may refer to:
People
*Merle (given name), a given name used by both men and women
*Merle (surname), a surname of French origin
Others
*Merle (dog coat), a pattern in dogs’ coats
*Merle (grape), another name for the wine grape Merlot
*Akaf ...
. The following day, their combined 9,000 strong army attacked a force of 4-5,000 men under Spanish General
Cuesta
A cuesta (from Spanish ''cuesta'' "slope") is a hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side, and a steep slope on the other. In geology the term is more specifically applied to a ridge where a harder sedimentary rock overlies a softer layer ...
, deployed along the
Cabezón bridge to bar the road to
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...
against oncoming French divisions. In the subsequent French attack the Spanish cavalry fled and the infantry broke, whereafter Lasalle proceeded to Valladoli, which he occupied the same night.
On 14 July at
Medina de Rioseco
Medina de Rioseco is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León and Spain. According to a 2011 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 4,967 inhabitants.
The city also has ...
, with 14,000 men under the command of Bessierès, he fought against over 20,000 Spaniards. Lasalle marched towards
Vitoria
Vitoria or Vitória may refer to :
People
* Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian
* Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer
* Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer
* Steven Vitória (b ...
, commanding the rearguard, and protecting the French from another breach made by the enemy. As a result of these actions, he was named Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor and made a
Count of the Empire
As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution.
Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that th ...
.
On 7 November he fought at the
Battle of Burgos
The Battle of Burgos, also known as Battle of Gamonal, was fought on November 10, 1808, during the Peninsular War in the village of Gamonal, near Burgos, Spain. A powerful French army under Marshal Bessières overwhelmed and destroyed the ou ...
. The untrained Spanish militias were unable to form infantry squares and scattered in the face of massed French cavalry, while the stubborn Spanish and
Walloon Guard
The Walloon Guard (french: Garde Wallonne) was a Collaboration with the Axis Powers during World War II, collaborationist paramilitary formation which served as an auxiliary police in German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German-occupi ...
s stood their ground in vain. A few days later, at the Battle of Villa Viejo, he captured seven cannons and four flags. On 15 March,
Leval’s division and Lasalle’s cavalry crossed the
Tagus River
The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...
at
Talavera. On the next day they were joined by
Victor-Perrin, heading
Villatte’s and
Ruffin’s divisions, at Arzobispo. The rest of the cavalry, along with the artillery and the baggage, was sent to
Almaraz. Two days later, Lasalle reached Meza de Ibor and fought the Spanish troops, forcing them out of their defensive position on the Tagus.
Battle of Medellín
Lasalle then joined the Battle of Medellín. The Spanish had an army almost twice the size of the French. Lasalle's position was a bit dangerous, since the
Guadiana River
The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the e ...
was only a mile behind his back and Lasalle recognized how dangerous a retreat would be in the close confinements of the narrow bridge. Lasalle had been reinforced with seven infantry battalions from Villatte, and once he saw the Spanish routing to the west he ordered a powerful counter-attack. Lasalle's fresh battalions also attacked frontally, and French dragoons were now rolling over the center of the Spanish army, which attempted to flee in any way it could. Cuesta's army effectively ceased to exist.
That was his last battle on the Spanish Peninsula, where he was nicknamed "Pícaro" which means "rogue" or "adventurer" in Spanish. Napoleon called 33-year-old Lasalle from Spain to Germany. Lasalle's excitement at being ordered to join
Masséna’s corps in Germany was made clear by a chance meeting with
Roederer and Thiébault in Burgos. To Roederer’s question if he were traveling via Paris, Lasalle replied, "Yes, it’s the shortest way. I shall arrive at 5 a.m.; I shall order a pair of boots; I shall make my wife pregnant, and I shall depart". He left immediately to take command of the Light Cavalry Division in the IV Army Corps commanded by Masséna.
Final battles in Austria
Battle of Aspern-Essling
Lasalle joined the French Army for its 1809 Campaign along the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
. He arrived just prior to Napoleon's push across the Danube at
Aspern-Essling and was sent to scout the location of the Austrian army. The first stage of the operation began on 13 May 1809, laying a bridge of boats over the first arm of the Danube to
Lobau
The Lobau () is a Vienna floodplain on the northern side of the Danube in Donaustadt and partly in Großenzersdorf, Lower Austria. It has been part of the Danube-Auen National Park since 1996 and has been a protected area since 1978. It is used ...
. Then, the advance guard and Lasalle's light cavalry would pass into Lobau, together with the material needed to bridge the second arm to the left bank. As soon as this was finished,
Molitor’s division and Lasalle's four light cavalry regiments passed over and Lasalle's horsemen fanned out into the plain. There were no travelers or couriers to be intercepted there, as there had always been in Prussia and Spain; consequently, Lasalle's officers had nothing to go on but the evidence of their own eyes and ears.
On the morning of the 21st, great masses of men, guns and wagons had assembled on the island. In the next four hours both Aspern and Essling were taken and retaken several times. Napoleon ordered Lasalle's cavalry regiments to aid
Marulaz's distressed troops, but General
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
anticipated this maneuver sending nine regiments to drive off Lasalle, engaging him frontally with four regiments and using the remaining five to charge his flank. Lasalle fought them off, buying time for the hard-pressed French infantry in Aspern.
At 7 p.m. Lasalle mustered his troops for another charge. Lasalle managed to defeat the first Habsburg line, but Austrian hussars captured quite a few men of the 24th Chasseurs. Outnumbered on the second day of battle, Napoleon ordered Lasalle and
Espagne to defend a sector the IV Corps had been thrust into. Taking advantage of the fog, Lasalle's men fought along the defensive ground running between the two villages, charging the Austrians in a series of short, sharp charges intended to prevent them from launching a coordinated attack. These tactics worked, allowing General
Boudet to gain complete control of Essling.
Later, during Marshal
Lannes' advance, Lasalle and Marulaz's cavalry charged at least three times in an effort to support the infantry. Although the French were forced to withdraw, Lasalle's determination and courage prevented the withdrawal from becoming a rout.
Death at the Battle of Wagram
![Lasalle-wagram](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Lasalle-wagram.jpg)
On 5 July 1809, Lasalle fought at the
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles ...
commanding a Light Cavalry Division in the IV Corps of Marshal Masséna. On the morning of the battle, Lasalle had a presentiment about his death. He drew up a petition to the Emperor, asking him to take care of his children, and gave it to one of his friends to deliver to Napoleon, if necessary. On the eve of the battle, opening his luggage he found his broken pipe, a bottle of liquor and a broken glass that had been used by his wife. As a result of these omens, he told his aide-de-camp, "I will not survive this day". He wrote a letter to his wife that read: "Mon coeur est à toi, mon sang à l'Empereur, ma vie à l'honneur" (My heart belongs to you, my blood to the Emperor, my life to honor).
On the night of the second day, Lasalle's men had still not been ordered to fight so Lasalle went to Marshal Masséna to ask permission to pursue the enemy. Masséna ordered him to go aid General Jacques MacDonald, MacDonald. Lasalle exclaimed, "The battle is almost finished and we are the only ones who have not contributed to the victory! Let’s go, follow me!" Lasalle was temporarily separated from his division and accidentally alerted a battalion of enemy infantry, so he charged them with the 1st Cuirassier Regiment. Lasalle was shot in the chest but continued to charge. The enemy infantry broke and was routed as Lasalle and regiment pursued them. As he charged, Lasalle was shot between the eyes by a Hungarian grenadier and was killed instantly. Marulaz tried to avenge Lasalle by leading a hussar regiment against a square of Austrian infantry, but was wounded in the attempt and had to be carried to the rear.
Posthumous honours
* A street in Metz was named after him.
* His portrait was placed in one of the salons of the Hôtel de Ville, Paris, Hotel de Ville.
* In 1891, his remains were repatriated from Austria and entombed at Les Invalides.
* In 1893, an equestrian statue of him was erected in Lunéville.
* He has a bust in the Gallery of Battles of the Palace of Versailles.
* His name is marked on a pillar of the Arc de Triomphe.
* His name is used for a cycling event in the Netherlands, the Tour de Lasall
www.tourdelasalle.nl* He is briefly mentioned in Edgar Allan Poe's short story, The Pit and the Pendulum in which he ultimately saves a condemned main character from being executed by the Spanish Inquisition.
References
Sources
*
* Philip Haythornthwaite, ''Napoleon's Commanders (1): c1792-1809. (Elite, Vol.1)'', Osprey Publishing (2001)
Further reading
* Marcel Dupont, ''Le Général Lasalle'', Éditions Berger-Levrault (1929), reissued by the Librairie des Deux Empires (2001)
* François Guy Hourtoulle, ''Le Général Comte Charles Lasalle, 1775–1809'', Copernic (1979)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lasalle, Antoine Charles Louis
1775 births
1809 deaths
Military personnel from Metz
French generals
French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
French military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars
Cavalry commanders
Knights of the Order of Saint Louis
French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe