Claude-Étienne, comte Guyot (; 1768–1837) was a French general 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 ...

and

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, noted for commanding cavalry.Fierro, Palluel-Guillard, Tulard, p. 824.

Early career during the Revolutionary Wars

Joining the army in November 1790 as a mere trooper of the ''chasseurs-à-cheval'' of

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

, he subsequently served in 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 of the

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, then in the

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and in Germany, during the

. In 1802 he became a captain of the first Regiment of ''chasseurs-à-cheval'' of the Consular Guard.

Napoleonic Wars

Guyot took part to the Wars of the Third and Fourth Coalition with the

Grande Armée The (; ) was the primary field army of the French Imperial Army (1804–1815), French Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Commanded by Napoleon, from 1804 to 1808 it won a series of military victories that allowed the First French Empi ...

, holding the rank of squadron commander in the

Guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

''chasseurs-à-cheval'' regiment and being noted for bravery at the Austerlitz and Eylau. He fought at the minor Battle of Waren-Nossentin on 1 November 1806. A colonel in the Imperial Guard in 1807, he was created a baron of the Empire the next year and given a position in Lefebvre-Desnouettes's Guard light cavalry, commanding the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

's escort during the latter's brief campaign in

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. In 1809, after the bloody battle of Aspern-Essling, Guyot was given the function of colonel commander of the Guard ''chasseurs-à-cheval''Tulard, p. 931. and six weeks later he led a famous charge at the

battle of Wagram The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor of the French, Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian Empire, Austrian arm ...

. This action would bring him the rank of brigadier general. A Chamberlain of Emperor

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

from March 1810, he was subsequently sent to Spain, where he won a promotion to

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 corps ...

in 1811. During the Russian campaign and subsequent

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...

, Guyot would serve as commander of the Guard ''chasseurs-à-cheval''. In the 1813 campaign in

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, he was wounded at the battle of Lützen and led a brilliant charge at the battle of Bautzen, before being made prisoner at the battle of Kulm, in August. Released after an exchange of prisoners, Guyot took part to the epic

battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

, before being created a count of the Empire in November of that year. The 1814 campaign in France saw general Guyot at the heart of the action, commanding cavalry at La Rothière, Champaubert and Craonne.

1814 incident and beyond

In February 1814, General Guyot suffered a career-threatening incident, while he was commanding the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...

heavy cavalry Heavy cavalry was a class of cavalry intended to deliver a battlefield charge and also to act as a Military reserve, tactical reserve; they are also often termed ''shock cavalry''. Although their equipment differed greatly depending on the re ...

. After the battle of Vauchamps, Guyot left the Guard horse artillery company that was attached to his division in an exposed position, with orders to join him in a precise location at nightfall. Guyot did not leave behind a cavalry escort and a guide, which resulted in the artillery company being ambushed that night, with the loss of some cannon and an entire platoon, killed or prisoner. These facts were immediately reported to the colonel commander of the Guard horse artillery, but nobody dared to inform

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. Eventually,

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

François Joseph Lefebvre François Joseph Lefebvre, Duke of Danzig ( , ; 25 October 1755 – 14 September 1820) was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, and one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by N ...

was also informed and he went to the Emperor with the bad news. The Emperor immediately demanded a complete briefing and, upon hearing that the artillery company in question was under Guyot's command, he sent for him at once. Seeing Guyot, Napoleon aggressively criticized him for the incident and, after Guyot attempted to put the blame on the artillery company captain, Napoleon began a furious rant, blaming Guyot for the defeat at Brienne and for his failure to protect the artillery during this battle. He went on to criticize him for the fact that the Guard cavalry was always absent when needed, that it was not present to defend its Emperor on several occasions, including at Champaubert. Napoleon then axed Guyot on the spot and turned to his commander, General Etienne de Nansouty, telling him to notify General

Rémi Joseph Isidore Exelmans The Remi were an ancient Belgic tribe. Remi or Rémi may also refer to: People * Georges Prosper Remi (1907–1983), male Belgian comic book writer and artist, better known as "Hergé" * José Vega Santana (born 1958), clown in Puerto Rico kn ...

that he had been appointed at the head of the Guard heavy cavalry, in replacement of Guyot.Thoumas, p. 49-51. After Napoleon's

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the Order of succession, succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of ...

, Guyot was named commander of the 'Royal Corps of Cuirassiers', formerly ''

Grenadiers à Cheval de la Garde Impériale The Mounted Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard () was a heavy cavalry regiment in the Consular, then Imperial Guard during the French Consulate and First French Empire respectively. They were the senior Old Guard cavalry regiment of the Imperial G ...

''. Nevertheless, during the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...

, Guyot rallied to Napoleon's cause and he was again given the command of the Guard

division, at the head of which he charged at Waterloo, where he was wounded twice. After the fall of the Empire, he was placed on the retired list at his own request, returning to active service briefly between 1830 and 1833 to command the 10th military division.

Recognition

The name Guyot is inscribed under the

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References

Sources

* Fierro, Alfredo; Palluel-Guillard, André; Tulard, Jean - ''"Histoire et Dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire”'', Éditions Robert Laffont, * Smith, Digby. ''The Napoleonic Wars Data Book.'' London: Greenhill Books, 1998. * Thoumas, Charles A. -''"Les grands cavaliers du Premier Empire"'', Série II, Ellibron Classic

* Tulard, Jean - ''"Dictionnaire Napoléon”''; volume 1, Librairie Artème Fayard, 1999, {{DEFAULTSORT:Guyot, Claude-Etienne 1768 births 1837 deaths People from Jura (department) French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Commanders in the French Imperial Guard Counts of the First French Empire Cavalry commanders Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe