Tomb of General Caffarrelli in Acre, Israel

Louis-Marie-Joseph Maximilian Caffarelli du Falga (February 13, 1756 – 27 April 1799) was a French commander and scholar. His younger brothers

Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga (October 7, 1766, Haute-Garonne, France - January 23, 1849, Leschelles, near Guise, Aisne) was a French général de division of Italian descent. Two of his brothers were also generals. His name is ...

(1766–1849) and Louis-Marie Joseph Caffarelli (1760–1845) were also generals.

Life

The oldest of ten children, he refused to exercise the right of the first-born son to the majority of his parents' wealth. He served under

Jean Baptiste Kléber Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

in the army of

Sambre-et-Meuse Sambre-et-Meuse () was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium. It was named after the rivers Sambre and Meuse. It was created on 1 October 1795, when the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bish ...

, losing his left leg to a cannonball on December 17, 1795, but continuing in the army with a wooden leg, and joined Kléber on the

Egyptian campaign The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the pr ...

. Accompanying

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 ...

on the

French invasion of Egypt The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the ...

, he was present when Napoleon landed at

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

to occupy

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

on 12 June 1798. Like the other French generals, he was impressed by its defences, saying to Napoleon, "Upon my word, General, it is lucky there is someone in the town to open the gates for us

A saying arose about him among the expeditionary troops in France: "Caffa doesn't give a damn what happens; he's always sure to have one foot in France." He was elected a member of the

Institut d'Égypte The Institut d'Égypte or Egyptian Scientific Institute is a learned society in Cairo specializing in Egyptology. It was established in 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte to carry out research during his Egyptian campaign and is the oldest scientific inst ...

's political economy section on February 13, 1796, in the class of moral and political science, and formed part of the commission for drafting the Institute's regulations. He also accompanied Napoleon on the surveys to trace the route of what later become the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

. He then had to have his right arm amputated when his elbow was smashed by a bullet during a new assault on

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

on April 9, 1799. He was just starting to learn to write with his left hand when

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

struck, causing a fever that killed him. Napoleon wrote of him in the order of the day: "Our universal regrets accompany General Caffarelli to the grave; the army is losing one of its bravest leaders, Egypt one of its legislators, France one of its best citizens, and science, an illustrious scholar." He is the hero of

Youssef Chahine Youssef Chahine ( ar, يوسف شاهين, Yūsuf Shāhīn ; 25 January 1926 – 27 July 2008) was an Egyptians, Egyptian film director. He was active in the Cinema of Egypt, Egyptian film industry from 1950 until his death. He directed twel ...

's film '' Adieu Bonaparte''.

External links

Life of Napoleon, Chapter 13A New General Biographical Dictionary, p386A History of the Egyptian Revolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caffarelli, Louis-Marie-Joseph Maximilian 1756 births 1799 deaths People from Haute-Garonne French people of Italian descent French Republican military leaders killed in the French Revolutionary Wars French amputees Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe