Jean Étienne Philibert de Prez de Crassier or Étienne Desprez-Crassier (18 January 1733 – 6 July 1803) was a French political and military leader in the early years of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

. Despite being from the minor nobility, he entered the

French Royal Army The French Royal Army () was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude from 1792 to 1814 and another du ...

as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

at the age of 12 because of his family's poverty. He fought in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

and the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, becoming a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

in 1785 and retiring two years later.

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

lent him the money needed to recover the Deprez family property. He was elected to the Estates General as a nobleman in 1789. After being promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

he led a division at

Valmy Valmy () is a rural Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department in the Grand Est Regions of France, region in Northeastern France. In 2020, it had a population of 282. Geography The town stands ...

in 1792. He became commander of the ''

Army of the Rhine An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

'' and '' Army of the Western Pyrenees''. Imprisoned during the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

, he was released and restored to his former rank but retired in 1796.

Career

Deprez-Crassier was promoted ''

maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général'') ...

'' ( brigadier general) on 1 March 1791. While leading 600 troops, he fought a skirmish with the Prussians at Fontoy on 19 August 1792. His detachment consisted of two companies of

grenadiers A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...

and five squadrons of

Chasseurs à Cheval ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army o ...

. His soldiers encountered a superior force of five squadrons of the ''Wolffradt''

Hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

Regiment and were defeated with a loss of 200 killed and wounded plus 24 men captured. Nevertheless, he was promoted to

on 5 September 1792. During the

Battle of Valmy The Battle of Valmy, also known as the Cannonade of Valmy, was the first major victory by the army of Kingdom of France (1791–92), France during the French Revolutionary Wars, Revolutionary Wars that followed the French Revolution. The battl ...

on 20 September 1792 Deprez-Crassier led a detachment in

François Christophe Kellermann François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; ...

's '' Army of the Centre''. Under his command were the 1st Battalion of the 1st Line Infantry Regiment, one grenadier battalion, three squadrons each of the 3rd Hussar and 1st Chasseurs à Cheval Regiments and two squadrons of the 4th

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

Regiment. The day before the battle Kellermann sent the Advance Guard under Deprez-Crassier forward from his camp at Dommartin-la-Planchette toward Somme-Bionne. At his position at the La Lune tavern, Deprez-Crassier was joined the next morning by the Reserve under

Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Valence Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Timbrune de Thiembronne, Comte de Valence (; 22 September 1757 – 4 February 1822) commanded French troops during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. A nobleman, he joined the French Royal Army as a ca ...

. As the Prussians advanced on his position Kellermann decided to move his main force to the mound of

under cover of a morning fog and the forces of Deprez-Crassier and Valence. During this time three squadrons of Prussian hussars blundered into the covering force and were repulsed. As the Prussians brought up their artillery to fire on the La Lune position, Kellermann established his defensive lines at Valmy. Coming under fire, Deprez-Crassier and Valence fell back to take post near the hamlet of Orbeval on the left of the main position at Valmy. At this time

Charles François Dumouriez Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez (; 26 January 1739 – 14 March 1823) was a French military officer, French minister of foreign affairs, minister of Foreign Affairs, French minister of Defense, minister of War in a Constitutional Cabin ...

sent forward nine battalions from the ''

Army of the North The Army of the North (), contemporaneously called Army of Peru (), was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was freeing the Argentine Northwest a ...

'' to reinforce Kellermann's left flank, 16 battalions to buttress his right and another 12 battalions and six squadrons to form a reserve. When the fog lifted the Prussian generals were surprised to see the French army arrayed in great strength before them. The famous artillery duel followed, after which the Prussian commander

Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Charles William Ferdinand (; 9 October 1735 – 10 November 1806) was the ruling prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, hereditary duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a military leader. His titles are usually shortened to Duke of Brunswick in English-l ...

declined to press home the attack.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deprez-Crassier, Etienne 1733 births 1803 deaths People from Divonne-les-Bains 18th-century French nobility Members of the National Constituent Assembly (France) French generals French military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession French military personnel of the Seven Years' War French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Knights of the Order of Saint Louis