![Jean Rapp 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Jean_Rapp_2.jpg)
General Count Jean Rapp (27 April 1771 – 8 November 1821) was a
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
officer during 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 French First Republic, France against Ki ...
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 ...
and twice governor of the
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig (german: Freie Stadt Danzig; pl, Wolne Miasto Gdańsk; csb, Wòlny Gard Gduńsk) was a city-state under the protection of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gda ...
. He served as
Aide-de-camp to French Generals
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 later
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 who ...
, whose life he saved on multiple occasions.
Life
Rapp was born the son of the janitor of the town hall of
Colmar
Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is ...
, then located in the
Old Customs House. He began theological studies to become a clergyman, but with his build and heated character, he was better suited to the military, which he joined in March 1788. From the rank of a regular of the ''chasseurs de Cévennes'', he worked his way up through his courage and character to the rank of a division general and
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
of
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 who ...
. As a lieutenant, his reputation grew through his impetuousness as well as the wounds he received in battle. He was made
aide-de-camp of
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 ...
, who named him captain and took him to
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
, where Rapp distinguished himself at
Sediman, capturing an enemy battery. For that, he was given a squadron and later a brigade by Napoleon.
After the Egyptian campaign, Rapp remained under the command of Desaix until the latter's death at
Marengo on 14 June 1800. He then became aide-de-camp of Napoleon, then the
First Consul
The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Con ...
, a post he held until 1814. Under this title, he was charged with many confidential missions by Napoleon in the
Vendée
Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442. ,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. In 1803 he was promoted to brigadier general and in December 1805, he led a memorable attack at
Austerlitz Austerlitz may refer to:
History
* Battle of Austerlitz, an 1805 victory by the French Grand Army of Napoleon Bonaparte
Places
* Austerlitz, German name for Slavkov u Brna in the Czech Republic, which gave its name to the Battle of Austerlitz a ...
, when he charged at the head of two squadrons each of the
Mounted Chasseurs and the
Mounted Grenadiers of the Guard and the
Guard Mameluks and decimated the
Chevalier Guard
The Chevalier Guard Regiment (russian: Кавалергардский полк, Kavalergardskiy polk) was a Russian heavy cavalry guard regiment, created in 1800 by the reformation of the Chevalier Guard corps, itself created in 1764 by Catheri ...
s of the Russian Imperial Guard. Promoted to division general, he later fought at
Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
on 14 October 1806 and was wounded at
Golymin.
Rapp stayed in the line of fire: at
Essling
Essling
Essling entry in the Viennese government's history wiki (German) () is part of Donau ...
, he led the front of his fusiliers of the ''Garde impériale'' and carried the day; during the signing of the
Treaty of Schönbrunn
The Treaty of Schönbrunn (french: Traité de Schönbrunn; german: Friede von Schönbrunn), sometimes known as the Peace of Schönbrunn or Treaty of Vienna, was signed between France and Austria at Schönbrunn Palace near Vienna on 14 October 1 ...
, he averted a planned attempt on Napoleon by the young
Friedrich Staps; in Russia, he was wounded by four bullets at the
battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...
on 5–7 September 1812. He saved Napoleon's life a second time by repelling an attack of
Don Cossacks
Don Cossacks (russian: Донские казаки, Donskie kazaki) or Donians (russian: донцы, dontsy) are Cossacks who settled along the middle and lower Don. Historically, they lived within the former Don Cossack Host (russian: До ...
near
Maloyaroslavets
Maloyaroslavets (russian: Малояросла́вец) is a town and the administrative center of Maloyaroslavetsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Luzha River (Oka's basin), northeast of Kaluga, the adminis ...
and was again wounded at the passage of the
Berezina
The Berezina or Biarezina ( be, Бярэ́зіна; ) is a river in Belarus and a right tributary of the Dnieper. The river starts in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The length of the Berezina is 613 km. The width of the river is 15-20 m, the ...
, fighting alongside
Ney
The ''ney'' ( fa, Ney/نی, ar, Al-Nāy/الناي), is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian music and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played continually ...
in the rear guard. As governor of
Danzig, Rapp held the town for a year after the ''
Grande Armée
''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empi ...
'' left Russia.
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 ...
, Rapp rallied to Napoleon and was given command of
V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to:
France
* 5th Army Corps (France)
* V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...
, consisting of about 20,000 men. It was used to observe the border near
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
,
Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. So ...
, Waterloo Campaign and to defend the
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
. Ten days after the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
(in which his corps took no part), he met some Coalition forces near Strasbourg and defeated them at the
Battle of La Suffel
The Battle of La Suffel was a French victory over Austrian forces of the Seventh Coalition and the last French pitched battle victory in the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought on 28 June 1815 at Souffelweyersheim and Hoenheim, near Strasbourg.
Du ...
.
[ After the Waterloo Campaign, he offered his resignation several times, but was reinstated. Later, Rapp became a deputy of the ]department of Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is the ...
and was appointed as treasurer of Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...
in 1819.
He died in Rheinweiler in Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
. His hometown of Colmar built a statue in his honor on the Champ de Mars with the inscription ''Ma parole est sacrée'' (my word of honour is sacred). Rapp's heart is kept in a shrine in the Église Saint-Matthieu, Colmar.
Gallery
The wounded General Jean Rapp in the battle of Borodino.jpg, The wounded General Jean Rapp in the battle of Borodino
File:Charon (d'après le portrait d'Aubry) - Rapp (1772-1821).jpg, Jean Rapp Lithograph
File:Colmar-Maison natale de Jean Rapp (1).jpg, Commemorative plaque on the Old Customs House
File:Statue du général Rapp à Colmar.jpg, Rapp Statue at Colmar
References
* Moore, Richard.
Jean Rapp
'
Napoleonic Guide Napoleonic Guide
See also
*Fort Rapp
Fort Rapp (once called Fort Moltke) is part of the 14 fortifications erected in Alsace by the Prussian general Von Moltke after the fall of Strasbourg in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War and following the siege of Strasbourg.
Built between ...
Memoirs of Count General Rapp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rapp, Jean
1771 births
1821 deaths
French generals
French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
People from Colmar
Deaths from stomach cancer
Deaths from cancer in Germany
Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe