Vincent Martel Deconchy (21 January 1768 – 26 August 1823) commanded a French brigade in Spain and Italy 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 ...

. He joined the army in 1792 during 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 ...

and fought in several battles in the north. After being part of the force occupying the Batavian Republic, he gained promotion for heroism at the

Battle of Castricum The Battle of Castricum (October 6, 1799) saw a Franco-Dutch force defeat an Anglo-Russian force near Castricum, Netherlands. The battle was fought during the War of the Second Coalition against Revolutionary France between French and Dutch forc ...

in 1799. He served as an aide-de-camp during the battles of Marengo and the Mincio in 1800. Deconchy fought in several actions 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 ...

. Transferred to Spain, he was acting commander of a light infantry regiment in the

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...

for a time before being elevated to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in September 1810. He participated in the 1810 French invasion of Portugal and led his regiment at Redinha during the retreat. He was promoted

general officer 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 O ...

in February 1813 and fought against the Spanish guerillas. In August 1813 he transferred to Italy where he led a brigade in the army of

Eugène de Beauharnais Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (; 3 September 1781 – 21 February 1824) was a French nobleman, statesman, and military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marr ...

until the end of the fighting in 1814. He stayed in favor with the Bourbons and was elevated to the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in 1821. He led a division in the 1823 French intervention in Spain and died during the blockade of

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

Portugal

In September 1810, Deconchy commanded 36 officers and 1,678 rank and file of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 25th Light Infantry. The unit was part of Martial Bardet de Maison-Rouge's brigade in

Julien Augustin Joseph Mermet General Julien Augustin Joseph Mermet (born Le Quesnoy 9 May 1772 – died Paris 28 October 1837) fought in the Napoleonic Wars as a division commander in Italy and in the Peninsular War. Empire Mermet commanded a dragoon division in Marshal A ...

's division of Marshal

Michel Ney Michel Ney, 1st Duke of Elchingen, 1st Prince of the Moskva (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one o ...

Spain

In the summer of 1813, Deconchy led a brigade of the Army of the North consisting of two battalions of the 64th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion of the 22nd Line, four companies of the 34th Line and two companies of the 1st Line. With his 2,000-man brigade, Deconchy joined the 16,000 troops under

Maximilien Sébastien Foy Maximilien Sébastien Foy (3 February 1775 – 28 November 1825) was a French military leader, statesman and writer.The memoirs of François René, vicomte de Chateaubriand - 1902 Page 128 "General Maximilien Sébastien Foy (1775-1825), after ...

who were evacuating the northern coast of Spain due to the British victory at the

Battle of Vitoria At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813) a British, Portuguese and Spanish army under the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, eventually leadin ...

. After he received news of Vitoria, Foy waited at Bergara for his forces to join him before marching off at top speed for the French frontier. A column led by Sir Thomas Graham attempted to cut Foy off, but was foiled at the Battle of Tolosa on 26 June. During that action, Deconchy's brigade held the walls of the town and easily repelled two attacks by the 1st King's German Legion Light Battalion under

Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von Ompteda Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Ompteda (26 November 1765, in Ahlden an der Aller – 18 June 1815, in La Haye Sainte) was a Hanoverian officer of the Napoleonic Wars. Life In 1771, aged six, he was sent to be educated by his uncle ...

. At sunset, Foy issued orders to withdraw and Deconchy's men got away just as the Allies smashed down the town gates with cannon fire. As he fell back toward France, Foy sent Deconchy's brigade and every artillerist he could spare to defend

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

which was commanded by

Louis Emmanuel Rey Louis Emmanuel Rey (born 22 September 1768, Grenoble – died 18 June 1846, Paris) was a French soldier. He joined the French royal army and won rapid promotion to general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He continued to serve ...

. The new troops replaced the previous unreliable garrison of gendarmes and recruits which were sent off as an escort for a large column of refugees.

Notes

References

* * * * * * French generals French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars People from Oise 1768 births 1823 deaths {{mil-hist-stub