Jean Baptiste Camille de Canclaux (2 August 1740, in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...
– 27 December 1817, in Paris) was a French army commander during 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 coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
and a
Peer of France. He joined a cavalry regiment the
French Royal Army in 1756 and fought at
Minden in 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 (175 ...
. He attained the rank of maréchal de camp (
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 ...
) in 1788 and
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 ...
in 1792. He commanded the
Army of the Coasts of Brest
The Army of the Coasts of Brest (french: Armée des côtes de Brest) was a French Revolutionary Army formed on 30 April 1793 by splitting the '' Army of the Coasts'' into this army and the '' Army of the Coasts of Cherbourg''. The formation was f ...
from May until October 1793 fighting several actions during the
War in the Vendée
The war in the Vendée (french: link=no, Guerre de Vendée) was a counter-revolution from 1793 to 1796 in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately south of the river Loir ...
. Replaced for political reasons, he led the
Army of the West in 1794–1795. He held interior posts during the rest 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 France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...
and under the
First French Empire
The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...
of
Napoleon
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 ...
.
Life
Military career
Ancien Régime
He entered the École de cavalerie de Besançon then served as a volunteer in the régiment de Fumel-cavalerie (1756), and was promoted to
cornette
A cornette is a piece of female headwear. It is essentially a type of wimple consisting of a large, starched piece of white cloth that is folded upwards in such a way as to create the resemblance of horns (french: cornes) on the wearer's head ...
(1757). In the course of 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 (175 ...
, he was involved in the
Hanover campaign, rising to captain in 1760 and was
demobilised
Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milita ...
at the peace.
Immediately re-entering the régiment de Conti-dragons, he taught the theory of major cavalry manoeuvres at the École de Besançon and published a book on tactics : ''Instruction à l'usage du régiment de dragons Conti''. He rose to major (1768),
mestre de camp
Mestre de camp or Maître de camp (; "camp-master") was a military rank in the Ancien Régime of France, equivalent to colonel. A mestre de camp commanded a regiment and was under the authority of a Colonel General, who commanded all the regimen ...
(1773) with the rank of colonel, brigadier (1 January 1784) and was promoted to
maréchal de camp on 10 March 1788, all the while remaining the commander of his regiment. He was made a
knight of Saint Louis in 1773.
French Revolution
In 1790, he was one of the generals charged with verifying the regimental accounts and gathering their grievances. He was sent into
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
in 1791 and 1792 to appease insurrection movements that had just broken out there, and to repress those that had not yet broken out. He brought himself to note by moderation and conciliatory spirit, winning a brilliant success near
Quimper
Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Administration
Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department.
Geography
Th ...
on 8 July.
On 7 September 1792 he was made lieutenant général and commander of the 13e division militaire, and was put in charge of embarking at
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
the troops intended for
Saint-Domingue.
Made
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 ...
on 7 September 1792, the
French National Convention
The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...
put him in command of the
Army of the Coasts of Brest
The Army of the Coasts of Brest (french: Armée des côtes de Brest) was a French Revolutionary Army formed on 30 April 1793 by splitting the '' Army of the Coasts'' into this army and the '' Army of the Coasts of Cherbourg''. The formation was f ...
. With scarcely 12,000 men, he successfully defended
Nantes on 29 June 1793, after several fierce and deadly clashes repulsing an attack by a
Vendéen army of 50,000 Vendéens under
Jacques Cathelineau
Generalissimo Jacques Cathelineau (5 January 1759 – 14 July 1793) was a French Vendéan insurrectionist leader during the Revolution. He was known among his followers as the Saint of Anjou.
He was a well known peddler in Anjou. When the King ...
. Victorious again at the
battle of Montaigu (against
François de Charette
François Athanase de Charette de la Contrie (2 May 1763 – 29 March 1796) was a Franco-Breton Royalist soldier and politician. He served in the French Navy during the American Revolutionary War and was one of the leaders of the Revolt in the V ...
, who he would defeat again at
Mortagne-sur-Sèvre), he was defeated at the
battle of Tiffauges and suspended from his command. Despite a subsequent success at
Saint-Symphorien, he was then replaced on 29 September. He then retired to one of his estates, at the
Château du Saussay (Essonne), but was recalled after the revolution of
9 thermidor year II (1794) and again made supreme commander of the
Army of the West. He seconded
Lazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche (; 24 June 1768 – 19 September 1797) was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars. He won a victory over Royalist forces in Brittany. His surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on ...
to this army around the time of the counter-revolutionary
invasion of France
France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans.
* the 1746 War of the Austrian Succession, Austria-Italian forces supported by the British navy attemp ...
in 1795, sending him for some of the reinforcements he needed. Hoche replaced him in command later in 1795, and Canclaux retired from the army.
Administrative career
Sent to the
Le Midi
Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', A ...
in 1796 to organise the army intended for Italy (what would become the
Army of Italy), at the end of that year he was made
ministre plénipotentiaire to the court of
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, a role he held until 1797.
In 1799, he was recalled to state service as a member of the military committee established after the
Directory
Directory may refer to:
* Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files
* Directory (OpenVMS command)
* Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network's u ...
. After the
Coup of 18 Brumaire
The Coup d'état of 18 Brumaire brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of France. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and led to the Coronation of Napoleon as Emperor. This bloodless '' coup d'état'' ...
, he adhered to
Napoleon
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 ...
's party, and as during the
Consulate
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth c ...
Napoleon put him in command of the 14e division militaire, at
Caen, where he and general
Gabriel Marie Joseph, comte d'Hédouville were charged with pacifying
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
.
In 1800 he briefly became commander of the Army of Reserve of the Second Line, which formed the nucleus of the
Army of the Grisons. He became inspector-general of the army's cavalry, and on 22 October 1804, he was appointed to the
Sénat conservateur
The (from French: "Conservative Senate") was an advisory body established in France during the Consulate following the French Revolution. It was established in 1799 under the Constitution of the Year VIII following the Napoleon Bonaparte-le ...
.
In 1806 and 1807, he was commander of the
gardes nationaux of
Seine-Inférieure
Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Infé ...
and the
Somme. In 1808 he was made a
comte d'Empire.
In December 1813, he was extraordinary-commissioner in
Ille-et-Vilaine
Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019. .
In 1814, he voted in the Senate in favour of deposing Napoleon.
Restoration and the Hundred Days
Made a
pair de 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 ...
on the
Restoration, Napoleon kept him as such during the
Hundred Days but Canclaux refused to support him, though this did not prevent him being struck from the list of peers by the royal ordinance of 24 July 1815.
On 10 August 1815, he again became a
pair de 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 ...
and voted in favour of the death of
Ney.
His name is inscribed on the
Arc de Triomphe (west side)
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canclaux, Jean Baptiste Camille
1740 births
1817 deaths
Military personnel from Paris
French generals
Republican military leaders of the War in the Vendée
French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration
Commanders of the Order of Saint Louis
Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe