François Jean Werlé (6 September 1763,

Soultz-Haut-Rhin Soultz-Haut-Rhin (; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin ''département'' in Grand Est in north-eastern France.First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

who saw action during the

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 ...

and died fighting against the British during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

Early career

Werlé received the rank of ''Chef de Brigade'' on 25 March 1799 and promoted to ''Général de Brigade'' on 29 August 1803. He commanded a brigade in

Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon (; 29 July 176525 January 1844) was a Marshal of France and a soldier in the Grande Armée during the Napoleonic Wars. He notably commanded the I Corps of the '' Army of the North'' at the Battle of Waterloo. ...

's division of Marshal

Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte Charles XIV John (; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and King of Norway, Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844 and the first monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty. In Norway, he is known as Charles III John () and before he be ...

's I Corps at the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

. Still serving as an I Corps brigadier, he played a role in the

Battle of Schleiz The Battle of Schleiz took place on 9 October 1806 in Schleiz, Germany between a Prussian-Saxon division under Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien and a part of Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte's I Corps under the command of Jean-Baptiste Droue ...

on 9 October 1806, clearing a forest of Prussian outposts. He participated in the pursuit of the Prussian Army after Emperor

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 ...

's army defeated it at the

Battle of Jena–Auerstedt The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt (; older spelling: ''Auerstädt'') were fought on 14 October 1806 on the plateau west of the river Saale in today's Germany, between the forces of Napoleon I of France and Frederick William III of Pruss ...

. He participated in the defeat of Duke Eugen of Württemberg's corps at the

Battle of Halle In the Battle of Halle on 17 October 1806 a French corps led by Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte fought the Prussian Reserve under Eugene Frederick Henry, Duke of Württemberg. The French defeated their opponents, forcing the Prussians to retreat ...

on 17 October. Later, he was in on the defeat and capture of

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earned his greatest ...

's column in the

Battle of Lübeck The Battle of Lübeck took place on 6 November 1806 in Lübeck, Germany between soldiers of the Kingdom of Prussia led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who were retreating from defeat at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt, and troops of the Fir ...

on 6 November.

Peninsular War

In November 1809, Werlé led a Polish division in IV Corps at the decisive French victory at the

Battle of Ocaña The Battle of Ocaña was fought on 19 November 1809 between French forces under Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult against the Spanish army under General Juan Carlos de Aréizaga, which suffered its greatest single defeat in the Peninsular War. ...

. His 5,600-man brigade (actually the size of a division) formed the French reserve at the

Battle of Albuera The Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) was a battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French armée du Midi (Army of the South) at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about sou ...

. He was killed in that battle when

Marshal Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman. He was a Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and served three times as President of the Council of ...

sent the reserve into the battle. After a bitter firefight with

Lowry Cole General Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole (1 May 1772 – 4 October 1842) was a British Army officer and politician. Early life Cole was the second son of an Irish peer, William Cole, 1st Earl of Enniskillen (1 March 1736 – 22 May 1803), an ...

's British division, Werlé's French soldiers were defeated. Aside from his military rank, Werlé became a Commander of the

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 ...

on 14 June 1804, and was made a

Baron of the Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles in a newly established ' (imperial nobility) to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both befo ...

on 27 November 1808.

References

* Smith, Digby. ''The Napoleonic Wars Data Book.'' London: Greenhill, 1993. * Zimmermann, Dick. "The Battle of Ocana," Wargamer's Digest magazine. v. 6, no. 1, Nov. 1979. *; 1763 births 1811 deaths People from Soultz-Haut-Rhin Military personnel from Haut-Rhin Barons of the First French Empire French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Commanders of the Legion of Honour Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe French military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars {{France-mil-bio-stub