Claude Dallemagne (8 November 1754, Peyrieu,

Ain Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where ...

– 12 June 1813) started his career in the French army under the

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spani ...

, fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, rose in rank to become a general 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 ...

, took part in the 1796 Italian campaign under

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 ...

, and held military posts during the

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 ...

Early career

Born on 8 November 1754 to parents Balthazar D'Allemagne (1710–1772) and Marie Lasalle (1731–1799), Claude D'Allemagne grew up in Peyrieu,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. A year after his father died, he enrolled in the Hainaut Regiment, taking Dallemagne as his new surname. In 1777, his battalion embarked for the West Indies with

Comte d'Estaing Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing (24 November 1729 – 28 April 1794) was a French general and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the ...

's fleet. He fought in actions at Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada, and

St. Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...

, being wounded in the latter combat. In 1779 he took part in the ill-fated

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. By 1786, he earned advancement to sergeant-major.

Revolution

Rapid promotion

Under the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, the pace of Dallemagne's promotions quickened. He became

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 ...

in September 1791,

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 ...

in June 1792, and captain that September. In late 1793, he fought at the

Siege of Toulon The siege of Toulon (29 August – 19 December 1793) was a military engagement that took place during the Federalist revolts of the French Revolutionary Wars. It was undertaken by Republican forces against Royalist rebels supported by Anglo-S ...

, winning promotion 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 ...

. After a brief stint in the Army of the western Pyrenees, he transferred to the Army of Italy in early 1794. That year he captured the

Col de Tende Col de Tende ( it, Colle di Tenda; elevation 1870 m) is a high mountain pass in the Alps, close to the border between France and Italy, although the highest section of the pass is wholly within France. It separates the Maritime Alps from the Lig ...

. He also served in the 1795 campaign.

Italy

In April 1796, Dallemagne commanded a brigade in Francois Macquard's division. His troops were ordered to the front after the Montenotte Campaign forced the

Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

to sue for peace. Bonaparte formed an advanced guard by combining 3,500 converged foot grenadiers and

carabiniers A carabinier (also sometimes spelled carabineer or carbineer) is in principle a soldier armed with a carbine. A carbiniere is a carabiniere musket or rifle and were commonplace by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The word is ...

with 1,500 cavalry. Assigning Dallemagne to command the advanced guard, Bonaparte sent it marching along the south bank of the Po River to turn Austrian General Johann Beaulieu's left flank. Supported by the division of Amédée Laharpe, Dallemagne crossed to the north bank and defeated the Austrians at the

Battle of Fombio The Battle of Fombio was fought between the French Army of Italy led by Napoleon Bonaparte and the Austrian army under ''Feldzeugmeister'' Johann Peter Beaulieu between 7 and 9 May 1796. It was the decisive strategic point of the campaign, as B ...

on 7–8 May 1796. Two days later, he led his troops at the successful

Battle of Lodi The Battle of Lodi was fought on 10 May 1796 between French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian rear guard led by Karl Philipp Sebottendorf at Lodi, Lombardy. The rear guard was defeated, but the main body of Johann Peter Beaulie ...

. Along with

André Masséna André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...

Jean Lannes Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, Prince of Siewierz (10 April 1769 – 31 May 1809), was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of Napoleon's ...

, Louis Berthier, and Jean-Baptiste Cervoni, he bravely rallied the troops to cross the bridge after cannon fire caused them to hesitate. In July, Bonaparte detached Dallemagne's brigade from Jean Serurier's division and sent it to reinforce Masséna. He led his soldiers with distinction at 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 31 July, his troops helped recover Lonato from Peter Ott's Austrians. On 3 August, Ott repulsed his attack on

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 ...

but this action allowed Masséna to mass against and destroy Joseph Ocskay's brigade. Two days later, Dallemagne fought at 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 ...

. He 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 ...

on 15 August. Dallemagne held important posts during the Siege of Mantua. After the

Battle of Bassano The Battle of Bassano was fought on 8 September 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars, in the territory of the Republic of Venice, between a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces led by Count Dagobert von Wurmser. The ...

and the combat of La Favorita, he led an attack to drive the Austrian garrison back within the fortress on 24 September. During the Battle of Arcole campaign, Dallemagne led a small division under the orders of Charles Kilmaine. In the

Battle of Rivoli The Battle of Rivoli (14–15 January 1797) was a key victory in the French campaign in Italy against Austria. Napoleon Bonaparte's 23,000 Frenchmen defeated an attack of 28,000 Austrians under General of the Artillery Jozsef Alvinczi, e ...

campaign, he commanded a division under Serurier in the siege. A division came under his orders in the invasion of Austrian during the spring of 1797.

Retirement

Beginning in 1797, Dallemagne held commands at Boulogne,

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

. He asked to be retired from the army in December 1799, which became official in 1802. Meanwhile, he began a political career and served as a deputy in 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''. ...

. Dallemagne married Jeanne Christine Gaudet (1785–1849) on 19 February 1800. They had two sons, Clément and Claudius.

Empire

In 1803, Dallemagne became a Legionnaire in the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and the following year a Commandant. Emperor Napoleon called him back to active duty in 1807. He commanded a corps of observation until 1809, being posted in

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. Appointed governor of

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...

from March 1809 to March 1810, he briefly participated in the

Walcheren Campaign The Walcheren Campaign ( ) was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Sir John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chath ...

.Chandler, p 113 He transferred to command the military division of Caen from 1810 to 1813. The emperor granted him the title of Baron in March 1813. Dallemagne died in

Nemours Nemours () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Geography Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c. south of Melun, on the Moret–Lyon railway. Nemours – Saint-Pierre ...

on 12 June 1813. DALLEMAGNE is inscribed on Column 26 of the Arc de Triomphe in

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 ...

References

Books

* Boycott-Brown, Martin. ''The Road to Rivoli.'' London: Cassell & Co., 2001. * Chandler, David. ''Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars.'' New York: Macmillan, 1979. * Smith, Digby. ''The Napoleonic Wars Data Book.'' London: Greenhill, 1998.

External links

* Claude Dallemagne in French Wikipedia
The Names of 660 persons inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dallemagne, Claude 1754 births 1813 deaths People from Ain French generals French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe