Élie Frédéric Forey (10 January 180420 June 1872) was a

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

Biography

Elie Frédéric Forey was born in Paris. He studied at the French military academy Saint-Cyr and was commissioned a lieutenant in the 2nd Light Infantry Regiment in 1824. He served in the expedition against

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

in 1830. Promoted to captain in 1835, he was given the command of a battalion of (Rifles/Jaeger) in 1839. By the time of the Revolution of 1848, Forey had become a colonel (1844) and commanded his own regiment. Forey soon commanded a brigade and in 1852, and was promoted to for having supported

Napoléon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

in his . During the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, Forey commanded a division with which he served in the siege of Sebastopol. During the Franco-Austrian War of 1859, Forey commanded the 1st Infantry Division with which he saw action at the battles of Montebello and Solferino, where he distinguished himself in breaking the last Austrian positions near the village of Cavriana. Having been made a senator after the end of the war, Forey was named commanding general of the French expeditionary corps to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in 1862. Forey—given the fullest civil and military powers—and his troops landed in September 1862 in Veracruz. In May 1863, his forces captured

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

after a protracted siege and then Mexico City as well. For this, Forey received as his reward the marshal's baton. After having established a triumvirate to govern Mexico for Emperor Maximilian, Forey handed over command of the expeditionary force to Bazaine and returned to France where he was given command of the 2nd Corps, which he commanded until 1867 when after being struck by a blood clot in the brain, he was put on the non active list. Forey died in Paris in 1872, having taken no part in the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

Decorations

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

**Knight (13 January 1837) **Officer (6 August 1843) **Commander (25 July 1849) **Grand Officer (21 October 1854) **Grand Cross (21 May 1859) * Médaille militaire (13 January 1864) *Médaille Commémorative d'Italie (1859) *

Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition The Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition () was a French commemorative campaign medal established by decree of Emperor of the French, French Emperor Napoleon III on 29 August 1863 to recognize military service during the 1862-1863 Se ...

(1862-1863) * Crimea Medal (UK) *Commander of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Sardinia)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forey, Elie Frederic 1804 births 1872 deaths Military personnel from Paris French military personnel of the Crimean War Marshals of France People of the Second French intervention in Mexico