Nicolas Bernard Guiot de Lacour (25 January 1771 – 28 July 1809) led infantry and cavalry brigades during 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 Eu ...

under

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 ...

. He joined the French Royal Army in 1787 and was sent to quell the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt ...

in 1791. He fought in the Army of the North starting in 1793. He was promoted to chef de brigade (

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

) in 1797 and 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 to ...

in 1800. He led a cavalry brigade at

Caldiero Caldiero is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about east of Verona. Caldiero borders the following municipalities: Belfiore, Colognola ai Colli, Lavagno, San Mart ...

in 1805 and initially commanded the Siege of Gaeta in 1806. He fought at

Abensberg Abensberg () is a town in the Lower Bavarian district of Kelheim, in Bavaria, Germany, lying around southwest of Regensburg, east of Ingolstadt, northwest of Landshut and north of Munich. It is situated on the river Abens, a tributary of the ...

Landshut Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also t ...

, and Eckmühl in 1809 before being fatally wounded at 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 ...

on 6 July 1809. Promoted

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 corp ...

on the battlefield, he died of his wounds on the 28th. GUYOT DE LACOUR is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe on Column 11 and his bust is in the Hall of Battles at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

Early career

Lacour was born on 25 January 1771Broughton (2007), ''Guiot de Lacour (Nicolas Bernard)'' in

Carignan Carignan (also known as Mazuelo, Bovale Grande, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Mediterra ...

, France in what later became the department of Ardennes. In 1787, he joined the

Régiment d'Auvergne The Régiment d'Auvergne was a regiment of the French army during the ancien régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** A ...

as a

Gentleman Cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...

. He fought in the

in 1791 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 later as a

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 sub ...

.Lievyns et al (1844), p. 298 Lacour served in Switzerland as an adjutant-general in Édouard Mortier's division. On 1 October 1799 in an action near Muotathal, he was captured by the Russians and formally surrendered to the Cossack commander Adrian Karpovich Denisov. As a prisoner of the Russians, Lacour survived the brutal march across the

Panixer Pass Panix Pass or Panixer Pass ( Romansh: ''Pass dil Veptga'', German: ''Panixerpass'') (2404 m) is a Swiss Alpine pass between the cantons of Glarus and Graubünden. The pass was once an important trade route between the canton of Glarus and Italy. ...

. On 6 October, Denisov arrived on the other side of the pass in a terrible state of health and was met by Lacour who plied him with warm soup and blankets. Afterward, Denisov was convinced that Lacour saved his life.

Empire

During the

War of the Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition) * In French historiography, it is known as the Austrian campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Autriche de 1805) or the German campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Allemagne de 1805) was a European conflict spanni ...

the

French Army of Italy The Army of Italy (french: Armée d'Italie) was a field army of the French Army stationed on the Italian border and used for operations in Italy itself. Though it existed in some form in the 16th century through to the present, it is best kno ...

under Marshal André Masséna faced

Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...

's Austrian army. Lacour led a brigade in

Julien Augustin Joseph Mermet General Julien Augustin Joseph Mermet (born Le Quesnoy 9 May 1772 – died Paris 28 October 1837) fought in the Napoleonic Wars as a division commander in Italy and in the Peninsular War. Empire Mermet commanded a dragoon division in Marshal A ...

's cavalry division consisting of four squadrons each of the 24th and 30th Dragoon Regiments.Schneid (202), p. 163 At the Battle of Caldiero on 29–31 October 1805, Lacour's brigade was attached to Guillaume Philibert Duhesme's 4th Division. On the 30th, Duhesme's division deployed on the right with Lacour's dragoons guarding the army's extreme right flank. The plan allowed for Jean-Antoine Verdier's division to cross the Adige River and extend Duhesme's right. Masséna assigned Duhesme the task of capturing the town of

. In the event, Verdier's attack miscarried and Duhesme captured Caldiero without help. However, the day ended in stalemate after bitter fighting. Every unit was committed to the fray except Mermet's other brigade which was made up of cuirassiers. On the 31st, Verdier's relatively fresh division attacked but was stopped. Charles ordered his army to retreat the next day. On 11 November 1805, the Austrians fought a successful rear guard action at

Valvasone Valvasone Arzene () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pordenone in the Italy, Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about east of Pordenone. It was formed on 1 January 2015 after the merger o ...

on the Tagliamento River in which the 23rd and 30th Dragoons were present. Lacour led four regiments of dragoons in action at Flitscher-Klause ( Bovec) on 19 November. General-major Heinrich Bersina von Siegenthal commanded two artillery pieces and 1,200 Austrians in the ''De Ligne'' Infantry Regiment Nr. 30. Because the action was fought in a mountain pass, the Austrians were able to hold off Lacour's column. Since no French officers became casualties, losses were probably light. The 23rd, 24th, 29th, and 30th Dragoon Regiments were the only units of that type with Masséna's army. Lacour's independent force eventually linked up with Michel Ney's

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army dur ...

Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the po ...

. Lacour participated in the Invasion of Naples in 1806. In March 1806, Mermet's cavalry division was organized with the 23rd and 24th Dragoons in the 1st Brigade and the 29th and 30th Dragoons in the 2nd Brigade, though no brigadiers were named.Schneid (2002), p. 173

Notes

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guiot de Lacour, Nicolas Bernard French soldiers French generals French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars French military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars People from Ardennes (department) 1771 births 1809 deaths Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe