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Louis-Marie-Joseph Maximilian Caffarelli du Falga (February 13, 1756 – 27 April 1799) was a French commander and scholar. His younger brothers
A saying arose about him among the expeditionary troops in France: "Caffa doesn't give a damn what happens; he's always sure to have one foot in France." He was elected a member of the Institut d'Égypte's political economy section on February 13, 1796, in the class of moral and political science, and formed part of the commission for drafting the Institute's regulations. He also accompanied Napoleon on the surveys to trace the route of what later become the
Life of Napoleon, Chapter 13A New General Biographical Dictionary, p386A History of the Egyptian Revolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caffarelli, Louis-Marie-Joseph Maximilian 1756 births 1799 deaths People from Haute-Garonne French people of Italian descent French Republican military leaders killed in the French Revolutionary Wars French amputees Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
Louis-Marie-Joseph Maximilian Caffarelli du Falga (February 13, 1756 – 27 April 1799) was a French commander and scholar. His younger brothers Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga
Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga (October 7, 1766, Haute-Garonne, France - January 23, 1849, Leschelles, near Guise, Aisne) was a French général de division of Italian descent. Two of his brothers were also generals. His name is i ...
(1766–1849) and Louis-Marie Joseph Caffarelli (1760–1845) were also generals.
Life
The oldest of ten children, he refused to exercise the right of the first-born son to the majority of his parents' wealth. He served under Jean Baptiste Kléber in the army of Sambre-et-Meuse, losing his left leg to a cannonball on December 17, 1795, but continuing in the army with a wooden leg, and joined Kléber on theEgyptian campaign
The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the pr ...
.
Accompanying 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 wh ...
on the French invasion of Egypt, he was present when Napoleon landed at Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...
to occupy Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
on 12 June 1798. Like the other French generals, he was impressed by its defences, saying to Napoleon, "Upon my word, General, it is lucky there is someone in the town to open the gates for usA saying arose about him among the expeditionary troops in France: "Caffa doesn't give a damn what happens; he's always sure to have one foot in France." He was elected a member of the Institut d'Égypte's political economy section on February 13, 1796, in the class of moral and political science, and formed part of the commission for drafting the Institute's regulations. He also accompanied Napoleon on the surveys to trace the route of what later become the
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...
.
He then had to have his right arm amputated when his elbow was smashed by a bullet during a new assault on Acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...
on April 9, 1799. He was just starting to learn to write with his left hand when gangrene
Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the gan ...
struck, causing a fever that killed him. Napoleon wrote of him in the order of the day: "Our universal regrets accompany General Caffarelli to the grave; the army is losing one of its bravest leaders, Egypt one of its legislators, France one of its best citizens, and science, an illustrious scholar." He is the hero of Youssef Chahine's film ''Adieu Bonaparte
''Adieu Bonaparte'' or ''Bonaparte in Egypt'' ( arz, وداعا بونابرت, translit. Weda'an Bonapart) is a 1985 Egyptian-French historical drama film directed by Youssef Chahine and starring Michel Piccoli, Salah Zulfikar, Patrice C ...
''.
External links
Life of Napoleon, Chapter 13
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caffarelli, Louis-Marie-Joseph Maximilian 1756 births 1799 deaths People from Haute-Garonne French people of Italian descent French Republican military leaders killed in the French Revolutionary Wars French amputees Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe