Nicolas-Marie Songis des Courbons,

Count of the Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that t ...

, (23 April 1761 – 27 December 1810), was a French artillery commander 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 ...

, who rose to the rank of

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 ...

in 1800 and served as commander of the Grande Armée artillery between 1805 and 1809, 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 ...

.Tulard, p. 778.

Early career during the Revolutionary Wars

Born in Troyes on 23 April 1761, Songis des Courbons entered the Royal Artillery corps as a student on 1 August 1779 and became a Second Lieutenant in the 4th artillery regiment on 18 July 1780, and a Captain on 3 June 1787. He took part to the Wars of the French Revolution with the "Army of the North". When General Dumouriez was appointed commander of the army, Songis des Courbons was second-in-command of the army's 80 high-calibre guns artillery reserve.Mullié. Named interim chief of battalion in 1794, his promotion was made permanent in the 8th foot artillery regiment. Songis was transferred to the "Army of Italy" the same year,Fierro, Palluel-Guillard, Tulard, p. 1101. displaying exceptional talent and knowledge of his arm, which drew the attention of the army's commander-in-chief, General

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 ...

. Songis des Courbons rendered invaluable services during the

Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars The Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802) were a series of conflicts fought principally in Northern Italy between the French Revolutionary Army and a Coalition of Austria, Russia, Piedmont-Sardinia, and a number o ...

, at the battles of Salo, Lonato, Castiglione. Impressed by Songis's battlefield performances, Bonaparte obtained for him the rank of ''chef de brigade'' (colonel) from the French Directory. A commander of artillery in the French "Army of the Orient" artillery, Songis des Courbons campaigned in Egypt and Syria taking part to the numerous battles that the French had to give during this expedition. Named commander of the 1st horse artillery regiment in 1798, he displayed an extraordinary activity during the siege of Saint Jean d'Acre, in 1799. The bravery and intelligence he showed on this occasion deservedly earned him the rank of

brigadier general 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 ...

. During this campaign, Songis des Courbons spent every minute he could spare studying his arm, earning the rank of

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 ...

in January 1800. He took part to the battle of Heliopolis in 1800 and to the defense of Alexandria in 1801. Returned to France with the army, Songis des Courbons took command of the artillery of the Guard of the Consuls. He became First Inspector General of Artillery and ''Grand Officier'' of the ''Légion d'honneur'' in 1804, then a ''Grand Aigle'' (Grand Eagle) of the ''Légion d'honneur'' the next year.

Napoleonic Wars

Between 1805 and 1807, General Songis des Courbons served as commander-in-chief of artillery in the Grande Armée, taking part to the army's great victories 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, ...

. In 1808, he resumed his duties as Inspector General of Artillery and was created a

, thus becoming a dignitary 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 ...

. At the outbreak of 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 ...

in 1809, Songis retained his position as commander-in-chief of the artillery in the Army of Germany. In this capacity, on 11 May, just 10 days before the battle of Aspern-Essling, he was sent on a crucial mission to reconnoiter the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

river line between

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and Pressburg, in search of a suitable crossing location. He then commanded the army's artillery during the bloody struggle at Aspern and Essling. After the battle, Songis was active in coordinating the set-up of numerous French artillery batteries, as

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 ...

was preparing another crossing of the Danube and wanted to deploy his batteries in such a way as to deceive the

Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...

into thinking that he would cross in the same location as at Aspern-Essling. However, the health of Songis severely declined before he could finish his assignment and Napoleon allowed him to return to France, leaving his command to General Lariboisière. General of Division count Nicolas-Marie Songis des Courbons died in Paris on 27 December 1810, following a long illness.

Recognition

During his lifetime, General Songis was rewarded for his military activity. He was created a

, a title for which the letters patent were issued on 1 April 1809, thus making him a dignitary of the

. He was also made a Knight of the Iron Crown, a military order in the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...

. On 30 June 1807, Songis had also received the Polish domain of Zelgniewo, in the Bromberg department, as well as an endowment of 30,000 Francs paid by the

Kingdom of Westphalia The Kingdom of Westphalia was a kingdom in Germany, with a population of 2.6 million, that existed from 1807 to 1813. It included territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the ...

and another of 5,882 Francs on the

's ''Grand Livre''. Additionally, he received an endowment of 100,000 Francs for the purchase of a

Hôtel particulier An ''hôtel particulier'' () is a grand townhouse, comparable to the British townhouse or mansion. Whereas an ordinary ''maison'' (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a s ...

As a recognition to his military merits, General Songis is buried at the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, from the Classical Greek word , , ' empleto all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was b ...

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 ...

, alongside other fellow soldiers of the

.Cimetières de France et d'ailleurs
/ref> The name SONGIS is inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, Eastern Pillar.

References

Sources

* Fierro, Alfredo; Palluel-Guillard, André; Tulard, Jean - ''"Histoire et Dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire”'', Éditions Robert Laffont, * Gotteri, Nicole - ''"Grands dignitaires du Premier Empire"'', NEL, 1990, * Hourtoulle, François-Guy - ''„Wagram, L'apogée de l'Empire”'', Histoire & Collections, * Mullié, Charles - ''"Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850"'' * * Tulard, Jean - ''"Dictionnaire Napoléon”''; volume 1, Librairie Artème Fayard, 1999, {{DEFAULTSORT:Songis Des Courbons, Nicolas-Marie French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars People from Troyes 1761 births 1810 deaths Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe