Pierre François Sauret de la Borie (23 March 1742,
Gannat
Gannat (; Auvergnat: ''Gatnat'') is a commune in the Allier department in central France.
Gannat was a sub-prefecture until 1926, with a population of around 5,800 inhabitants. There is a castle (the Château de Gannat), two churches of whic ...
,
Allier – 24 June 1818) led a combat division under the command 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 wh ...
during the
Castiglione Campaign in 1796. He enlisted in the French army as a private in 1756. During 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 fought at
Hastenbeck and
Rossbach. He became a
first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...
in 1789 and a
lieutenant colonel in 1792. Assigned to the
Army of the Eastern Pyrenees, served with distinction during the
War of the Pyrenees
The War of the Pyrenees, also known as War of Roussillon or War of the Convention, was the Pyrenean front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. It pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portug ...
against
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. He was promoted to
general officer in 1793 and became one of three infantry division commanders in the field army. He led his division at Palau,
Boulou,
Collioure
Collioure (; ca, Cotlliure, ) is a commune in the southern French department of Pyrénées-Orientales.
Geography
The town of Collioure is on the Côte Vermeille (Vermilion Coast), in the canton of La Côte Vermeille and in the arrondissement ...
,
Black Mountain,
Roses, and
Bascara. He transferred to the
Army of Italy in 1795. Bonaparte called him a very good soldier, but unlucky. He retired from active military service in order to enter politics.
Early career
Born in
Gannat
Gannat (; Auvergnat: ''Gatnat'') is a commune in the Allier department in central France.
Gannat was a sub-prefecture until 1926, with a population of around 5,800 inhabitants. There is a castle (the Château de Gannat), two churches of whic ...
on 23 March 1742, Sauret joined the French royal army in 1756 as an enlisted man in the
Guyenne
Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux.
The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...
Regiment. He fought in a number of actions during the Seven Years' War, including the
Battle of Rossbach
The Battle of Rossbach took place on 5November 1757 during the Third Silesian War (1756–1763, part of the Seven Years' War) near the village of Rossbach (Roßbach), in the Electorate of Saxony. It is sometimes called the Battle of, or at, Re ...
at the age of 15, becoming a sergeant in 1763. He slowly advanced in rank until 1780, when he became an officer, and by 1792 he was a
captain.
French Revolutionary War
War of the Pyrenees
In 1792, Sauret served in the
Army of the Alps
The Army of the Alps (''Armée des Alpes'') was one of the French Revolutionary armies. It existed from 1792–1797 and from July to August 1799, and the name was also used on and off until 1939 for France's army on its border with Italy.
1792â ...
. During 1793–1795, he fought in the
Army of the eastern Pyrenees against
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and earned rapid advancement. In October 1793 he was elevated to the rank of
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 ...
. In December he was wounded in the left leg at the battle of
Villelongue-dels-Monts
Villelongue-dels-Monts (; ca, Vilallonga dels Monts) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.
The inhabitants are called ''Villelonguais''.
Geography
Villelongue-dels-Monts is located in the south of the depart ...
and received promotion to
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 co ...
.
When
Jacques François Dugommier
Jacques François Coquille named Dugommier (1 August 1738, Trois-Rivières, Guadeloupe – 18 November 1794, at the Battle of the Black Mountain) was a French general.
Biography
Early life
Jacques François Dugommier was born on 1 August 1 ...
took command in January 1794, he reorganized the army into three infantry divisions and a cavalry reserve. Sauret,
Dominique Pérignon, and
Pierre Augereau
Charles Pierre François Augereau, 1st Duke of Castiglione (21 October 1757 – 12 June 1816) was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. After serving in ...
became the infantry division commanders and André de La Barre the cavalry leader.
During Dugommier's offensive, Sauret led his troops in the French victory at the
Battle of Boulou on 30 April and 1 May 1794. His troops, including the brigades of
Jean-François Micas,
Louis Pelletier,
Jean-Jacques Causse,
Jean Simon Pierre Pinon, and
Claude Perrin Victor, participated in the
siege of Collioure, which began the day after Boulou. On 26 May, the 7,000-man Spanish garrison surrendered, while the French
Émigrés escaped in fishing boats. The Spanish surrender of the
Fort de Bellegarde in September allowed Dugommier to plan an invasion of Catalonia that fall.
Sauret commanded the left wing at the
Battle of the Black Mountain
The Battle of the Black Mountain (also Capmany or Sierra Negra or Del Roure or Montroig) was fought from 17 to 20 November 1794 between the army of the First French Republic and the allied armies of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portu ...
, where Dugommier ordered him to mount a feint attack on 17 November. Dugommier was killed by a Spanish artillery shell on the 18th, and his successor Pérignon reinforced Sauret. After four days of fighting, the French army broke through the fortifications, which were manned by Spanish, Portuguese, and French Émigré soldiers. The Spanish commander
Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union died defending the Notre-Dame-Del-Roure redoubt on 20 November and his army took to its heels.
Pérignon quickly captured
Figueres
Figueres (, ; , es, Figueras, ) is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà , in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador DalÃ, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador DalÃ, a large museu ...
and invested the port of
Rosas. From 28 November 1794 to 4 February 1795, Sauret commanded 13,000 troops at the successful
Siege of Rosas in northeast Spain
where he was wounded twice.
His command included the brigades of Victor, Causse,
Joseph Magdelaine Martin,
Robert Motte,
Théodore Chabert, and
François Gilles Guillot, plus a small division under
Jean Baptiste Beaufort de Thorigny.
Pérignon and Sauret vigorously pressed the siege operations despite severe winter weather. Heavy guns were mounted on Mont Puy-Bois in order to take the ''Castillo de la Trinidad'', a key
outwork, under fire. The Spaniards abandoned the badly damaged ''Castillo'' on 1 January. On the night of 3 February, the fleet of
Federico Gravina
Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli, born Federico Carlo Gravina Cruyllas (12 August 1756 – 9 May 1806) was a Sicilian admiral in the service of the Spanish Empire, during the American Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. He died of wounds sustained d ...
evacuated the garrison before a threatened French assault could take place.
Italian campaign
In the spring of 1796, Sauret was transferred to the
Army of Italy, then commanded by Bonaparte. He became involved in fighting during the first Austrian attempt to raise the
Siege of Mantua. At the end of July, his 4,500-man division defended the west side of
Lake Garda
Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label= Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy.
It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...
with the brigades of
Jean Guieu and Jean Rusca. Bonaparte felt this force was adequate to defend the area because he believed the mountain roads were too poor to sustain major operations. When
Peter Quasdanovich
Peter Vitus Freiherr von Quosdanovich ( Croatian: Petar Vid Gvozdanović; 12 June 1738 – 13 August 1802) was a nobleman and general of the Habsburg monarchy of Croatian descent. He achieved the rank of Feldmarschall-Lieutenant and was awarded t ...
's 18,000-strong Austrian Right Column descended from the north, Sauret's troops were not only badly outnumbered, but also unready.
On 29 July, the brigades of
Peter Ott and
Joseph Ocskay seized the towns of
Gavardo
Gavardo (Brescian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. As of 2011 Gavardo had a population of 11,786.
Cyclist Marco Frapporti and Italy women's national football team, Italian Women's association football, football ...
and
Salò
Salò (; la, Salodium) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Brescia in the region of Lombardy (northern Italy) on the banks of Lake Garda, on which it has the longest promenade. The city was the seat of government of the Italian Socia ...
, forcing Sauret to pull back to
Desenzano del Garda
Desenzano del Garda ( lmo, label= Brescian, Dezensà ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy, on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda. It borders the communes of Castiglione delle Stiviere, Lonato, Padenghe sul ...
with the loss of 500 men and two cannons. However, Guieu and 400 soldiers barricaded themselves in Salò's Palazzo Martinengo and refused to give up. The following day,
Johann von Klenau
Johann Josef Cajetan Graf von Klenau, Freiherr von Janowitz ( cs, Jan hrabě z Klenové, svobodný pán z Janovic; 13 April 1758 – 6 October 1819) was a field marshal in the Habsburg army. Klenau, the son of a Bohemian noble, joined the Ha ...
surprised
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...
, cutting Bonaparte's supply line to
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. Reacting to the loss of his base of operations, the French army commander began shifting his main strength to face Quasdanovich, while Augereau observed the main Austrian army under
Dagobert von Wurmser. On 31 July, Sauret marched to Salò, defeated Ocskay's troops in a fight lasting several hours, and rescued Guieu and his men. Though, he quickly pulled back to
Lonato del Garda
Lonato del Garda (before 1 July 2007 simply Lonato; lmo, label=Eastern Lombard, Lonad, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy. Lonato is located about halfway between Milan and Venice, on the southwes ...
, the defeat prompted Quasdanovich to regroup his troops at Gavardo. Sometime during 1 August, Sauret was injured and Guieu took command of the division. After an intricate series of actions, the
Battle of Lonato
The Battle of Lonato was fought on 3 and 4 August 1796 between the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte and a corps-sized Austrian column led by Lieutenant General Peter Quasdanovich. A week of hard-fought actions that began ...
on 3 August resulted in the defeat and withdrawal of Quasdanovich. Sauret's division, still under Guieu, observed the retreat of the Austrian Right Column and missed the
Battle of Castiglione
The Battle of Castiglione saw the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte attack an army of the Habsburg monarchy led by ''Feldmarschall'' Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser on 5 August 1796. The outnumbered Austrians were defeated ...
on 5 August.
Later career
Bonaparte replaced him in command soon after. He wrote of Sauret on 14 August, "Good, very good soldier; not sufficient intellect for a general officer; not lucky." Afterward Sauret was entrusted with the command of the fortresses of
Tortona
Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.
History ...
,
Alessandria, and
Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
. He was elected to the
Corps législatif
The was a part of the French legislature during the French Revolution and beyond. It is also the generic French term used to refer to any legislative body.
History
The Constitution of the Year I foresaw the need for a ''corps législatif''. ...
in 1799, and became its secretary in 1803. He retired from active military service in 1801 to pursue a full-time political career. In 1813, Napoleon elevated him to a
Baron of the Empire.
He died on 24 June 1818 at Gannat, his birthplace. SAURET is inscribed on column 35 of the
Arc de Triomphe.
Footnotes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sauret, Pierre Francois
1742 births
1818 deaths
People from Allier
French generals
Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars
French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars
French military personnel of the Seven Years' War
Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe