Joseph Hélie Désiré Perruquet de Montrichard (24 January 1760,
Thoirette – 5 April 1828) was a French general 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
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 ...
. His name is inscribed on the north side of the
Arc de Triomphe. Montrichard commanded the right wing at the
Battle of Trebbia in June 1799. In his final action, he
surrendered Dubrovnik to an Anglo Austrian force under
William Hoste
Captain Sir William Hoste, 1st Baronet KCB RN (26 August 17806 December 1828) was a Royal Navy captain. Best known as one of Lord Nelson's protégés, Hoste was one of the great frigate captains of the Napoleonic wars, taking part in six majo ...
in January 1814. He comes from th
house of Montrichard a very old family of French nobility.
Early career
After entering the in August 1781 and in 1782, Joseph Hélie Désiré Perruquet de Montrichard transferred to the artillery school at
Besançon
Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzer ...
. In 1783, he was commissioned as a
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 ...
and joined the artillery regiment at
Strasbourg. In 1786, Montrichard was promoted to lieutenant and then in 1791, he was promoted to captain. He served at Metz and then Besançon and then in 1793, he joined 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 ...
and was promoted to
chef de bataillon
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
. In 1795, Montrichard was promoted to
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 divi ...
and in June of 1796 he was ordered to prepare for
the crossing of the Rhine at Strasbourg. Later that month, he played an important part in the crossing and then two months later he was promoted to
général de 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 to ...
. Next Montrichard served at the crossing of the
Lech
Lech may refer to:
People
* Lech (name), a name of Polish origin
* Lech, the legendary founder of Poland
* Lech (Bohemian prince)
Products and organizations
* Lech (beer), Polish beer produced by Kompania Piwowarska, in Poznań
* Lech Poznań, ...
and then in September he was ordered to protect the retreat of General
Jean Victor Marie Moreau at
Ulm
Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...
. In October, he served at the
Battle of Schliengen and then in November he served at the
siege of Kehl. In April of 1797, Montrichard began serving in the division of and then at the end of the year he became chief of staff of the
Army of Mainz.
Montrichard was next designated for the Army of England and then the
Army of Italy, and in October of 1798, he replaced
Louis-Gabriel Suchet as chief of staff of the Army of Italy under
Barthélemy Catherine Joubert
Barthélemy Catherine Joubert (, 14 April 1769 – 15 August 1799) was a French general who served during the French Revolutionary Wars. Napoleon Bonaparte recognized his talents and gave him increased responsibilities. Joubert was killed while ...
's command. He occupied Alexandria in December and then in February of 1799, he was promoted to
général de 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 corps ...
. Taking command of the right wing of the Army of Italy, Montrichard served at
Pastrengo
Pastrengo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northwest of Verona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,486 and an area of .All demographics an ...
in March and then
Magnano
Magnano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Biella in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about south of Biella.
Magnano borders the following municipalities: Bollengo, Cerrione, Palazzo Canavese, ...
in April. He next served as commander at
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
before rejoining
Étienne Macdonald's army. In June, Montrichard lifted the blockade of Bologna and the fort of Urbin and then he served at the
Battle of Trebbia.
Austrian campaign and Italy
In April 1800, Montrichard took command of the 2nd Division of
Claude Lecourbe
Claude Jacques Lecourbe (22 February 1759 – 22 October 1815), born in Besançon, was a French general during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.
Biography
After having studied at a college in Poligny and in Lons-le-Saunier, Lecourbe e ...
's corps in the Army of the Rhine. That May, he served at
Stockach
Stockach is a town in the district of Konstanz, in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Location
It is situated in the Hegau region, about 5 km northwest of Lake Constance, 13 km north of Radolfzell and 25 km northwest of Konstan ...
,
Messkirch, and Memmingen and then in June he served at
Höchstädt. Later in June, Montrichard took command of the 2nd Division and he served at the
battle of Neuburg. Once hostilities resumed in the winter, he crossed the
Inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
at
Neubeuern in December and then battled the Austrians at Götzing,
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
, and
Kremsmunster. After
peace had been obtained in late 1801, Montrichard began serving in Switzerland. In 1802, he was sent to command the French troops in the
Batavian Republic and then in 1803, he was sent to
Breda, the camp of
Nimègue, and
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
. Montrichard's next major career movements were to pass to Italy as commander of the French and Italian troops in the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
and then command a division of the
army employed in Naples. In December 1805, he was suspended from his functions and put on non-activity for having levied a contribution of 100,000
piastres on the
March of Ancona.
Dalmatian Campaign and later service
In January 1808, Montrichard returned to duty by joining the
Army of Dalmatia under General
Auguste de Marmont
Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont (20 July 1774 – 22 March 1852) was a French general and nobleman who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire and was awarded the title (french: duc de Raguse). In the Peninsular War Marmont succeede ...
. He took command of the 1st Division and in May 1809, he served
at Göspich. After the army reunited with Napoleon's forces in Austria, Montrichard was given command of the isle of Lobau after 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 ...
. That November, he took command of the 2nd Division of the
Army of Illyria at
Zara where he remained until December 1810, when he was recalled to France. Montrichard was once again put on non-activity until April 1812, when he was ordered to organize a division in the
Frioul
Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia ...
. In 1813, he was sent back to Illyria to take command of the 2nd Division and in April he was named commander of Ragusa. Montrichard held Ragusa until the end of January 1814, when he was forced to
surrender the city. By the terms of the surrender he was taken prisoner and transported to Ancona. After the
Bourbon Restoration, Montrichard was placed on non-activity but also named a
Knight of Saint Louis. He did not take part in the
Hundred Days in 1815 and he retired later that year.
Notes
References
*
French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars
French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
1760 births
1828 deaths
Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur
Knights of the Order of Saint Louis
People from Jura (department)
{{France-mil-bio-stub