Pierre Garnier De Laboissière
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Pierre Garnier, comte de Laboissière (11 March 1755 – 14 April 1809) was a French army general who commanded an infantry division during the
War of the Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition () (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war targeting French Revolution, revolutionary French First Republic, France by many European monarchies, led by Kingdom of Great Britain, Britai ...
. After enrolling in a military academy in 1769, he joined a
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 in 1772 as a sous lieutenant. In 1779, he was promoted to captain. In late 1792 during the
War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition () was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797, initially against the Constitutional Cabinet of Louis XVI, constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French First Republic, Frenc ...
he was given command of a cavalry regiment with the grade of
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 ...
. While serving 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 ...
'' he was captured by the Prussians. After a prisoner exchange, he was promoted to ''général de brigade'' in October 1793. Laboissière was promoted to ''général de division'' in February 1799. He fought at
Stockach Stockach () is a town in the district of Konstanz, in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Location It is situated in the Hegau region, about 5 km northwest of Lake Constance, 13 km north of Radolfzell and 25 km northwest of K ...
and led a division at Novi. In the summer and fall of 1799 he fought in several actions near
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. Later he commanded troops in Switzerland.
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 ...
appointed him to the
Sénat conservateur The (, "Conservative Senate") was an advisory body established in France during the French Consulate, Consulate following the French Revolution. It was established in 1799 under the Constitution of the Year VIII following the Napoleon Bonapa ...
in 1802, awarded him the Commander's Cross 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 ...
in 1804 and made him a ''comte de l'empire'' in 1808. He died in Paris in April 1809. His surname is one of the
names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe The following is a list of the 660 names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris. Most of them represent generals who served during the French First Republic (1792–1804) and the First French Empire (1804–1815). Underlined names signify t ...
, on Column 15.


Career

During the
Battle of Trippstadt The Battle of Trippstadt was a relatively minor French military action in 1794 during the War of the First Coalition. The clash between the French Republican forces and the armies of Prussia and Habsburg Austria was fought over several da ...
on 12–13 July 1794, Laboissière commanded the divisional artillery of
Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr (; 13 April 1764 – 17 March 1830) was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was a made a Marshal of the Empire in 1812 by Empero ...
's division. One of his officers placed his battery is a badly exposed position, and a body of Prussian cavalry led by
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 ...
pounced on it, seizing two artillery pieces. In the melee Laboissière was also captured. At the Battle of Biberach Laboissière led a brigade in Saint-Cyr's division. Massing a battery of 24 artillery pieces, Saint-Cyr launched his main assault on the Austrian center, while leaving Laboissière's brigade to contain the enemy left flank under
Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince de Condé Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...
and
Karl Mercandin Ignaz Karl Mercandin (d. 13 April 1799) became an Austrian general during the French Revolutionary Wars. He was promoted Generalmajor in 1792 and commanded a cavalry brigade at Mainz in 1795. Promoted to Feldmarschall-Leutnant, he served in the Rh ...
. The attack in the center made good progress, but Laboissière sent Saint-Cyr a number of messages for help, claiming that his brigade was in the process of being overwhelmed. Finally, Saint-Cyr suspended the main attack and went to the rescue with some troops. By this time, Condé and Mercandin were starting to retreat after seeing that the Austrian center was being driven in. At the head of some cavalry, Saint-Cyr tried to cut off the enemy but Condé and Mercandin narrowly escaped across the
Riss Riss or RISS may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Riss (cartoonist), French cartoonist, author and publisher Laurent Sourisseau (born 1966), majority owner of the satirical newspaper ''Charlie Hebdo'' * Dan Riss (1910–1970), American actor * Erik R ...
River. Saint-Cyr then returned to the center to complete the rout of
Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour Count Maximilian Anton Karl Baillet de Latour () (14 December 173722 July 1806) was an Austrian general during the French Revolutionary Wars. Biography Born at Latour Castle near Virton in the Austrian Netherlands (present-day Belgium), he j ...
's Austrian army.Phipps (2011). pp. 371-373


Notes


References

* * * * * French generals French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Counts of the First French Empire People from Charente Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe Members of the Sénat conservateur 1755 births 1809 deaths {{mil-hist-stub