François Nicolas Benoît, Baron Haxo (24 June 1774 – 25 June 1838) was a French Army general and military engineer during the French Revolution and

First Empire First Empire may refer to: *First British Empire, sometimes used to describe the British Empire between 1583 and 1783 *First Bulgarian Empire (680–1018) *First French Empire (1804–1814/1815) * First German Empire or "First Reich", sometimes use ...

. Haxo became famous in the Siege of Antwerp in 1832. He is the nephew of revolution era General Nicolas Haxo of

Étival-Clairefontaine Étival-Clairefontaine () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. The Clairefontaine Paper Mill is located in this city. The origins of Sanctivagium, altered in medieval Latin as Stivagium and Estival Old Fren ...

and Saint-Dié-des-Vosges in Lorraine, France.

Biography

François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo was born in

Lunéville Lunéville ( ; German, obsolete: ''Lünstadt'' ) is a commune in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It is a subprefecture of the department and lies on the river Meurthe at its confluence with the Vezouze. History Lun ...

, France and began his career with the Military engineers (''Génie Militaire'') in 1793. Haxo embraced the military early in his career. He finished the School of Artillery and Engineers of Chalons-sur-Marne in 1793 with the rank of Lieutenant Minor. Soon after, Haxo earned the rank of Captain of Engineers in the Army of the Rhine in 1794. In 1796, he attended École Polytechnique. In 1801, he became a battalion commander following the capitulation of Fort Bard (1 June 1800) by the Army of Italy, part of the French military from 1792 to 1802. Haxo has been called the Vauban of the nineteenth century given his work repairing and reinforcing various fortifications and citadels in the early 1800s. This work became necessary as a result of the development of more sophisticated artillery since the time of Vauban (1633–1707). For example, in Besançon in the late seventeenth century, guns did not have enough range to reach the citadel from the hills of

Bregille Bregille () is a district of the French city of Besançon, located on the right bank of the Doubs, south-east of the historic center. It has developed on the eponymous hill Bregille which culminates at 458 meters, almost 200 meters above the river l ...

and Chaudanne, whose peaks were higher. However, in the early nineteenth century, guns improved and artillery shelling became possible. Haxo built a fort on each of the two hills to prevent the enemy seizing them and using them for artillery shelling. In 1807, Haxo was responsible for improving the defenses of Constantinople. He then went to Italy, to serve under General Chasseloup. In 1809, having been promoted to Major, he distinguished himself in the Siege of Zaragoza.

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

then appointed him Colonel. Haxo took part in the Battle of Wagram, and then returned to the Iberian Peninsula to direct the siege operations of

Louis-Gabriel Suchet Louis-Gabriel Suchet (2 March 1770 – 3 January 1826), Duke of Albufera (french: Duc d'Albuféra), was a French Marshal of the Empire and one of the most successful commanders of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is regarded ...

's army in Catalonia and Valencia. In 1810, he was promoted to Brigadier General and gained the title of baron in 1811. In the same year, he helped to prepare the occupied fortresses of Germany against a possible Russian invasion. In 1812, he was chief engineer of Louis-Nicolas Davout's I Corps, and after the retreat from Moscow, was promoted to the rank of Division General. In 1813, in addition to commanding the Guard Engineers, he constructed the works around Hamburg, making defense of Davout's fortress possible. On 30 August, he was wounded and taken prisoner with General Dominique Vandamme during the Battle of Kulm. After the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, Louis XVIII of France wished to give Haxo a command in the Royal Guards, but the general remained faithful to Napoleon. During the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), 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 ...

, Haxo laid out the provisional fortifications of Paris and fought at the Battle of Waterloo. It was after the Second Restoration that the best work of his career was accomplished. As Inspector General he managed to reconstruct the old Vauban and Cormontaigne fortresses, which had failed during the invasions of 1814 and 1815. In 1815, he was relieved from the military by the Restoration government. In 1819, however, he was reinstated as Inspector General of frontier fortifications (Grenoble, Besançon, Dunkirk, St. Omer, Sedan, the Fort Lock, Belfort, and Bitche). Haxo was part of the Council of War called upon to judge General Charles Lefebvre-Desnouettes and voted for his death. Mortier monstre - Liège - Anvers 1832

Appointed Inspector General of the Royal Weapon and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, Louis Philippe I named him

Peer of France The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...

in 1832 and presented him with the Grand Cross in 1833, as well as state counselor and member of the fortifications committee. During this time, Haxo voted against detached forts, instead supporting their continuous enclosure. Soon after he was named Peer of France, the French intervention in Belgium began involving the Siege of Antwerp. Under Étienne Maurice Gérard, Haxo directed the besiegers and completely outmatched the opposing engineers. The fortress was forced to surrender after a siege of a little more than three weeks, ending on 23 December 1832. Casemates Haxo

Subsequently, Haxo was regarded as the premier military engineer in Europe. He oversaw the fortifications of Belfort, Grenoble, Besançon,

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Fort l'Ecluse. He is credited with the invention of an open-backed covered gun emplacement, known in English as the Haxo

casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which artillery, guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to Ancient history, antiquity, th ...

. During the later years of his life, Haxo wrote ''Mémoire sur le figure du terrain dans les cartes topographiques'' (Paris, N.D.), and the biography of General Dejean (1824). General Haxo died in Paris on 25 June 1838.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haxo, Francois Nicolas Benoit, Baron 1774 births 1838 deaths People from Lunéville French generals French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Members of the Chamber of Peers of the July Monarchy Peers of France Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Commanders of the Order of Saint Louis Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe

Biography

See also

References

Sources