Paul-Jean-Baptiste Poret de Morvan (14 April 1777 – 17 February 1834), baron of the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, was a French 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 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 ...

, who rose to the rank of

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

.Fierro, Palluel-Guillard, Tulard, p. 1026-1027.

Early career during the Revolutionary Wars

Joining the army as a

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

artillerist during the

War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition (french: Guerre de la Première Coalition) was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 initially against the constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French Republic that suc ...

, age sixteen, Poret de Morvan was subsequently commissioned to the French revolutionary "Army of Italy" (1799). Holding the rank of adjutant, he received a first combat wound at the battle of Sassello, on April 15, 1800. He was promoted to second lieutenant, before being sent to serve in the

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

expeditionary corps, where he fought against the Santo Domingo rebellion and was wounded in action.Tulard, p. 538. After the death of the expeditionary corps commander,

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 ...

Charles Leclerc Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver, currently racing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He won the GP3 Series championship in 2016 and the FIA Formula 2 Championship in . Leclerc ...

, Poret de Morvan was among the men who accompanied the general's body back to France. Promoted to the rank of

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 1803, he was integrated in the Foot Grenadier Guards regiment of the then Consular, later

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, i ...

Napoleonic Wars

Pursuing his career in the foot grenadier guards, Poret de Morvan took part to the 1805-1807 campaigns of the Grande Armée 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 ...

and

War of the Fourth Coalition The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, ...

, then fought in the 1809 campaign against

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during the

War of the Fifth Coalition The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis I and Napoleon's French Empir ...

. He was sent to

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in 1810, where he remained until the next year. He was created a knight of the

at the beginning of 1812 and was made a baron one year later. A

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 ...

from August 1813, he fought with distinction at

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and played a significant part at the battle of Leipzig, covering the retreat of the army. Back to France in 1814, Poret de Morvan was entrusted with the mission of creating a "Young Guard" division, then took part to the fighting in

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

, where he was wounded again. Later that year he took part to the defense of Paris against the forces of the

Sixth Coalition Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor six ...

. During the " Hundred Days", Poret de Morvan rallied to

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 ...

and was given command of the 3rd Foot Grenadier Guards regiment, two

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

s, with a complement of 1,164 officers and men. Poret de Morvan led his men in combat at the

battle of Ligny The Battle of Ligny, in which French troops of the Armée du Nord under the command of Napoleon I defeated part of a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher, was fought on 16 June 1815 near Ligny in what is now Belgium. The result was a t ...

. He directly led his 1st battalion during the final attack of the Guard at 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 ...

. Placed in the front line during this epic action, Poret de Morvan and his men were noted for their gallantry but were also exposed to the most murderous fire from enemy

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

and

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, resulting in losses of 58% for the entire regiment during this battle. After the 1815 Bourbon Restoration, he was imprisoned for joining Napoleon during the "Hundred Days", but was released under an amnesty in 1817. In 1829, he was given the position of general inspector for infantry.

Recognition

General Poret de Morvan died on February 17, 1834, aged 56 and is buried at the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

.Amis et Passionnés du Père Lachaise
/ref> The name Poret de Morvan is inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

References

Sources

* Fierro, Alfredo; Palluel-Guillard, André; Tulard, Jean - ''"Histoire et Dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire”'', Éditions Robert Laffont, * Sokolov, Oleg. ''L'armée de Napoléon'', Éditions Commios, * Tulard, Jean - ''"Dictionnaire Napoléon”''; volume 2, Librairie Artème Fayard, 1999, {{DEFAULTSORT:Poret De Morvan, Paul-Jean-Baptiste French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Barons of the First French Empire Commanders in the French Imperial Guard 1777 births 1834 deaths Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe