Jean-Baptiste Meynier, born 22 April 1749 – died 3 December 1813, was a French soldier who served during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, 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 France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

, and the

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 ...

. Between 1792 and 1793, he rose from a captain to a

general of division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army co ...

. During the Montenotte Campaign in 1796, he commanded a division under

Napoleon Bonaparte 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 wh ...

, who had a low opinion of his military talent. In 1803 he was appointed to command the fortress of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

. He died there in 1813.

Career

Meynier enlisted in the French royal army in 1765 and later fought in the

. He returned to France in 1785 and was promoted to

sous-lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 19 ...

in 1788,

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in 1791, and captain in 1792. While serving in the army of Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine on the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

River, Meynier was ordered to defend

Königstein Fortress Königstein Fortress (german: Festung Königstein), the " Saxon Bastille", is a hilltop fortress near Dresden, in Saxon Switzerland, Germany, above the town of Königstein on the left bank of the River Elbe. It is one of the largest hilltop fo ...

with a few soldiers. On 5 January 1793 the French suffered a local defeat at the hands of the Prussians. When the Prussians summoned Meynier to surrender the place, he refused and put on such a display of bravado that his enemies did not dare to attack the tiny garrison. He held out until it was finally obvious that no help would ever arrive, surrendering on 9 March. For this exploit, Meynier was jumped in rank from captain to

general of brigade 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 ...

. He was appointed commander of

Landau Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990) ...

on 7 April 1793. On 20 May 1793, Meynier was promoted to

and on 27 September that year he became a

. Meynier led the Avantgarde 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 ...

at the First Battle of Wissembourg on 13 October 1793. Augustin Joseph Isambert's brigade included the 6th, 48th, and 105th Line Infantry Regiments and the Corrèze, Lot-et-Garonne, and Jura

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 ...

Battalions. Ferette's brigade was made up of the 93rd and 95th Line Infantry Regiments. Jean-François Combez commanded the 1st and 2nd Grenadier Battalions, and the 7th

Hussars 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 a ...

, 8th and 10th

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 ...

, and 8th, 11th, and 17th Dragoons. A 30 October 1793 order of battle shows Meynier's Avantgarde consisting of the same units as at Wissembourg, with the 93rd and 95th Line subtracted and the 12th Line added. In addition, the cavalry regiments were regrouped under the command of Jean Claude Loubat de Bohan. On 17 to 20 September 1794, Meynier led a division in the battle of Kaiserslautern. In the Coalition victory, both sides lost about 1,000 killed and wounded, but the Coalition forces captured 3,100 Frenchmen, four guns, and three colors. A muster roll for

's Army of Italy on 9 April 1796 shows Meynier in command of one of two divisions in

André Masséna André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...

's Advance Guard. Under his leadership were 9,526 troops in the 11th and 27th Light Infantry Demi-Brigades, the 25th, 51st, old 51st, and 55th Line Infantry Demi-Brigades. He led these troops during the Montenotte Campaign. On 22 April 1796, Bonaparte broke up his division and attached Meynier to headquarters. On 14 August 1796, Bonaparte wrote a brutally frank assessment of his generals. He considered Meynier, Pierre Dominique Garnier, and Raphael Casabianca as, "incapable; not fit to command a battalion in a war as active as this one." Meynier was appointed commander of the 18th Military District in 1800. He was named governor of the fortress of

in 1803. He received the Commander's Cross of the

Légion d'Honneur 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 ...

in 1804. He died at Mainz on 3 December 1813. Meynier's death occurred during the Allied blockade of Mainz, which lasted from 21 November 1813 and ended on 4 May 1814 after Emperor Napoleon's abdication. Charles Antoine Morand was the general in command of the 17,000 defenders.Smith (1998), 526

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meynier, Jean Baptiste French generals French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars 1749 births 1813 deaths French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War