General Claude Théodore Decaen (30 September 1811 in

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

– 17 August 1870 in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

) was a French military commander. He was at military school in 1827, became a 2nd Lieutenant in 1829 and served the French campaign in Africa during 1830 and 1831. In 1838 he became a lieutenant and in 1849 a captain. He served as Adjutant Staff with the 7th battalion of the Chasseurs in 1840. Decaen received the

Knight of the Legion of Honour 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. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

on 22 April 1847. He was appointed battalion commander in the 62nd line 6 May 1850 and given command of the first battalion of the Chasseurs on 24 December 1851. He was in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

from 1852 until 1854. In 1853 he became lieutenant colonel to the 11th Light and the 86th line. He was sent to

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and became Colonel of the 7th line. He was appointed brigadier general rank on 22 September 1855 . He was given command of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division of the 1st Corps of the Army of the East and, on 7 February 1858 he took command of an infantry brigade of 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 ...

. Returning to France, he left for Italy at the head of the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Imperial Guard. The day after the

Battle of Magenta The Battle of Magenta was fought on 4 June 1859 near the town of Magenta in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, a crown land of the Austrian Empire, during the Second Italian War of Independence. It resulted in a French-Sardinian victory under ...

, he was raised to the rank of general of the division and took command of the 2nd Division of the 2nd Corps, replacing General Espinasse who was killed in combat. During the War of 1870, Decaen was mortally wounded during the

Battle of Borny–Colombey The Battle of Borny–Colombey or the Battle of Colombey-Nouilly took place on 14 August 1870 as part of the Franco-Prussian War. During the battle the escape route of the French army under François Bazaine was blocked when the French encount ...

and died three days later.

Legacy

* The Claude-Decaen street in the

12th arrondissement of Paris The 12th arrondissement of Paris (''XIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. Situated on the right bank of the River Seine, it is the easternmost arrondissement of Paris, as well as the largest by area ...

pays tribute to him since 1877. * A caserne in

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

was named after him (Barracks 43rd Artillery Regiment) but is now gone. The public garden Claude Decaen was laid in the early 2000s on part of the land released by the army. His name is also passed, informally, to the district built on the remains of the military site, called "General Claude Decaen neighborhood."

Sources

Cesar Lecat Bazancourt, The Italian Campaign of 1859, Paris, Amyot, 1860. {{DEFAULTSORT:Decaen, Claude 1811 births 1870 deaths French generals Commanders in the French Imperial Guard Military personnel from Utrecht (city) French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War