Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
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Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière, also Count de Lariboisière, was a general of
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 ...
of 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 ...
. He fought in 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 French First Republic, France against Ki ...
and 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 ...
and died of fatigue at
Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...
in
East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
on 21 December 1812, during the
Grand Army Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...
's
retreat from Moscow The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...
. A superb organizer and tactician, Baston de Lariboisière rose rapidly through the artillery ranks and reliably directed the artillery park for the initial engagements of 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 Kingdom of France (1791-92), constitutional Kingdom of France and then t ...
in 1793–1794. He also directed the investment and, if necessary, the sieges of
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 (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
,
Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...
, and Danzig, among others. In addition, he was a reliable commander of infantry, supporting Laurent Saint-Cyr's corps in northern Italy in the 1799 campaign. Lariboisière's direction of artillery fire at the
Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz in ...
resulted in the destruction of the ice covering the lake over which Russian army forces retreated. His placement of artillery at the
Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...
gave the French a tactical advantage in fire on the Russian lines. Lariboisière's artillery also provided the rear guard coverage of the French withdrawal from Beresina. One of his sons survived the wars and the family founded the
Lariboisière Hospital Lariboisière Hospital (french: Hôpital Lariboisière) is a hospital in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, France. The hospital was one of several built following the second cholera pandemic, which had reached Paris in 1832, and which led to a ...
in Paris.


Family and education

He was born on 18 August 1759, in
Fougères Fougères (; br, Felger; Gallo: ''Foujerr'') is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine department in the region of Brittany in northwestern France. As of 2017, Fougères had 20,418 inhabitants. The Fougères area comprises appr ...
. His father, Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière, was lieutenant general of civil and criminal justice and the
seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of Fougères. His mother was Jeanne Monnières. Baston de Lariboisière was designated early for a military career. Charles Mullié. "Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière." ''Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850.'' Paris, 1852 He was a brilliant student at the military academy and in 1781 received a commission as a lieutenant and entered the same regiment as Napoleon Bonaparte. Although Lariboisière was ten years older than Bonaparte, they developed a rapport that continued until Lariboisière's death in 1812.


Military career

Baston de Lariboisière was cited as a distinguished officer the outset of 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, for which he showed only moderate support. He was promoted to
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in 1791 and assigned to Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine's command. He took part in the invasion of Paville against the Prussians. After the surrender of the French army, he was held as a prisoner of war. In the following years, he participated in the campaigns of 1796, as adjutant colonel, colonel, and brigadier general, and directed the artillery parks of the Army of England, the
Army of Helvetia The Army of Helvetia, or (french: Armée d'Helvétie), was a command of the French Revolutionary Army. It was formed on 8 March 1798 from the remnants of the first unit to be known as the Army of the Rhine. It was officially merged into the comman ...
, the
Army of the Rhine An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
. When
Jean Baptiste Jourdan Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Count Jourdan (29 April 1762 – 23 November 1833), was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of the Empire by Emperor Napoleon I in ...
organized the Army of the Danube, Lariboisière received command of the artillery park. At the
First Battle of Zurich The First Battle of Zurich, from 4 to 7 June 1799, forced French General André Masséna to yield the city of Zurich to the Austrians, under Archduke Charles, and to retreat beyond the Limmat, where he managed to fortify his positions, whi ...
, Lariboisière's artillery defended the Zurich heights, which gave Andre Massena's army enough time to evacuate the city and take position on the opposite side of the
Limmat river The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, after 35 km reaching the river Aare. The confluen ...
. Afterward, Lariboisière was sent to northern Italy where he commanded the advance guard division;
Jean Victor Moreau Jean Victor Marie Moreau (, 14 February 1763 – 2 September 1813) was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, but later became a rival and was banished to the United States. Biography Rise to fame Moreau was born at Morl ...
's right wing, with Lariboisière's infantry and artillery, crossed the
Ticino river The river Ticino ( , ; lmo, Tesín; French and german: Tessin; la, Ticīnus) is the most important perennial left-bank tributary of the Po. It has given its name to the Swiss canton through which its upper portion flows. It is one of the four ...
at
Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...
, marched up the left bank of the
Po River The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...
and took position beneath
Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...
; there, he protected Moreau's flank from Russian skirmishers sufficiently for Moreau to establish a large train of artillery in
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
and to strengthen the French positions between the Po and the
Tanaro The Tanaro (; pms, Tane ; ; la, Tanarus), is a long river in northwestern Italy. The river begins in the Ligurian Alps, near the border with France, and is the most significant right-side tributary to the Po in terms of length, size of drai ...
river. At
Battle of Novi The Battle of Novi (15 August 1799) saw a combined army of the Habsburg monarchy and Russian Empire, Imperial Russians under Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov attack a First French Republic, Republican French army under General Barthélemy Cather ...
, his division was part of Laurent Saint-Cyr's right wing. At the battle itself, his troops were the only ones properly positioned; the rest of the French army was otherwise out of place and unready for battle. He and Saint-Cyr held the center of the French line, beating off two Russian assaults. After the French defeat at Novi, he went with Saint-Cyr to Savona, where he participated in operations around
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
. Eventually, he rejoined Moreau to campaign in southwestern Germany, culminating in the
Battle of Hohenlinden The Battle of Hohenlinden was fought on 3 December 1800 during the French Revolutionary Wars. A French army under Jean Victor Marie Moreau won a decisive victory over an Austrian and Bavarian force led by 18-year-old Archduke John of Austri ...
.''Revue critique d'histoire et de littérature''. Paris, E. Leroux. 18. p. 509.


Napoleonic Wars

Baston de Lariboisière commanded the artillery of the French IV Corps for the 1805 campaign of 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 ...
. He directed the investment of
Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...
prior to its capitulation, and contributed to the success of
Austerlitz Austerlitz may refer to: History * Battle of Austerlitz, an 1805 victory by the French Grand Army of Napoleon Bonaparte Places * Austerlitz, German name for Slavkov u Brna in the Czech Republic, which gave its name to the Battle of Austerlitz a ...
. There he commanded the artillery attached to
Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia, (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and often called Marshal Soult. Soult was one of only six officers in Frenc ...
corps. By firing on the ice of the lakes over which the Russian columns were retreating, Baston de Lariboisière's artillery fire converted a Russian retreat into a full-scale
rout A rout is a panicked, disorderly and undisciplined retreat of troops from a battlefield, following a collapse in a given unit's command authority, unit cohesion and combat morale (''esprit de corps''). History Historically, lightly-equi ...
: in the bombardment, French artillery pounded the soldiers and broke the ice. The men drowned in the cold ponds, dozens of Russian artillery pieces going down along with them. In the
Battle of Jena-Auerstadt A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, Baston de Lariboisière successfully repelled several infantry charges with artillery fire. Subsequently, Napoleon raised him to major general, and appointed him to command the artillery of the
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, in ...
at
Battle of Eylau The Battle of Eylau, or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, was a bloody and strategically inconclusive battle on 7 and 8 February 1807 between Napoléon's ''Grande Armée'' and the Imperial Russian Army under the command of Levin August von Bennigs ...
, in February 1807. Baston de Lariboisière remained throughout the day-long battle with a battery of 40 guns at the French center. After the campaigns of 1806, Baston de Lariboisière briefly served as governor of Hanover. He later replaced General
Nicolas-Marie Songis des Courbons Nicolas-Marie Songis des Courbons, Count of the Empire, (23 April 1761 – 27 December 1810), was a French artillery commander during the French Revolutionary Wars, who rose to the rank of General of Division in 1800 and served as commander of ...
prior to the engagements in northeastern Prussia in 1807. At the Battle of Danzig, although wounded by a sniper's bullet, he continued to direct the siege of the city. He directed the Imperial Guard artillery for the battles of Heilsberg and Friedland; after Friedland, Baston de Lariboisière organized the security of the raft on the
Niemen river The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ...
, where Napoleon and
Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Gra ...
conferred on the terms of the
Peace of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland. The first was signed on 7 July, between Napoleon and Russian Emperor Alexander, when t ...
. In February 1808, General Lariboisière took command of the artillery of the Army of Spain. Recalled to the Grand Army in 1809, Napoleon gave the command of the artillery 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 ...
. In 1811 Napoleon raised him to the post of first inspector general of ordnance—weaponry and ammunition.


Russian campaign, 1812

In planning the Russian campaign, 1812, Lariboisière immediately foresaw difficulties in transporting the requisite amount of artillery and ammunition the vast distance from the Nieman river into Russia. The army left Prussia with over 1100 artillery pieces of various kinds and sizes. Despite heavy rain, the French arrived in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
; despite the mud, the artillery was established prior to the battle and contributed with successful targeted fire. On the evening before the
Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...
, Baston de Lariboisière scouted the Russian positions to determine the means of bombarding the redoubts that the Russians had established on their left. During the night, he strategically placed the French artillery park; at daybreak, the artillery bombarded the Russian positions, firing over 70,000 rounds. One of Lariboisière's sons ( ''Ferdinand''), was fatally wounded in a charge on the Russian lines at Borodino. Grief-stricken and exhausted with fatigue, the general fell sick in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
and died in
Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...
on 21 December 1812.


Legacy

His body rests in the church of ''
les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...
'', and on his coffin is the following inscription:
''Ambroise Baston, Count of La Riboisière, major general, commanding the artillery of the
Grande Armée ''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empi ...
, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, born in Fougères, died at Königsberg, December 21, 1812.''
The General's heart is hosted in a private chapel near his castle of Monthorin at Louvigné-du-Désert, in Brittany. Honoré-Charles Baston de Lariboisière, another of his sons, also served in the artillery. He survived not only the Battle of Borodino in which his brother (Ferdinand) was killed, but also the retreat from Moscow and the subsequent campaigns in Prussia and Saxony. He served in the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
and was raised to the peerage of France. He founded the Hôpital Lariboisière. ''Discours'', p. 735.


Sources


Notes and citations


Bibliography

*Broughton, Tony. "The ''Garde Imperiale'' and Its Commanders during the Period 1804–1815: Artillery." ''Military Subjects: Organization, Tactics and Strategy.'
Napoleon Series
Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief, March 2003. Accessed 17 May 2010. *Chandler, David. ''The Campaigns of Napoleon.'' New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. . *Dawson, Paul. "French Artillery in 1807." ''Military Subjects: Organization, Strategy and Tactics.'
Napoleon Series
Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief. August 2004. Accessed 17 May 2010. * Faculté des lettres de Rennes. "Discours, pron. a l'inauguration de la Statue du General Lariboisière. (1892)" ''Annales de Bretagne'', Rennes: Plihon, -1973 Volume 8. * Jourdan, Jean-Baptiste. ''A Memoir of the Operations of the Army of the Danube under the Command of General Jourdan, Taken from the Manuscripts of that Officer.'' London: Debrett, 1799. * Mullié, Charles. "Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière." ''Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850.'' Paris, 1852. * Phipps, Ramsey Weston. ''Armies of the French Republic'', Westport CT: Greenwood Press, 9391989, volume 5. * Sarrut, Germaine. "Honore Baston Comte de Lariboisière." ''Biographie des hommes du jour, industriels,--conseillers-d'État.'' Paris, H. Krabe, 1835–41, p. 43–44.


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baston De Lariboisiere, Jean Ambroise French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Counts of the First French Empire 1759 births People from Fougères 1812 deaths Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe