René-Bernard Chapuy (known as ''Chapuis'') was a French soldier and general who served in the

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American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and

Wars of the French Revolution The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries ...

Career

Born in Nancy on 18 June 1746, he was enlisted as a soldier of the Régiment Recrus des Colonies on 4 October 1765, promoted sergeant in November 1766 and Fourrier in December 1770. He was embarked for the

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on 28 December 1772. On 4 February 1773 his unit was incorporated into the Régiment de la Guadeloupe, in which he became Sous-Lieutenant of grenadiers on 1 May 1775. Chapuis served in the

from 1778 to 1782, becoming lieutenant on 4 February 1779. He obtained a pension of 400 Livres on 1 July 1783 and was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the

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Repentigny, in which role he served until 1 February 1786 when he returned to France.

Wars of the French Revolution

Elected captain of a free company on 1 August 1792, Chapuis marched at its head to join the

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and was elevated to lieutenant colonel commanding the 3rd Battalion of Chasseurs Francs du Nord on 15 September. Seeing service in the Flanders Campaign during 1792-1793, he was made provisional Adjudant General Chef de Brigade (Colonel) by Dampierre on 18 April 1793. On 12 September he was elevated to General de Brigade (major general) and three days later named commandant of the Fortress of

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in place of Nicolas Declaye. Under the command of

Pichegru Jean-Charles Pichegru (; 16 February 1761 – 5 April 1804) was a French general of the Revolutionary Wars. Under his command, French troops overran Belgium and the Netherlands before fighting on the Rhine front. His royalist positions led to h ...

in the spring campaign of 1794 his command was greatly augmented with reinforcements to relieve the siege of Landrecies. Part of this force was driven back to Cambrai in confusion by 400 cavalry under Rudolf Ritter von Otto at

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24 April. Two days later on 26 April Chapuis led his entire command of 30,000 against the forces of the

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, but suffered a catastrophic defeat at the

Battle of Beaumont The Battle of Beaumont on 30 August 1870 was won by Prussia during the Franco-Prussian War. It was fought between the French V Corps under general Pierre Louis Charles de Failly, and IV Corps under general Constantin von Alvensleben, XII C ...

(or Troisvilles) when he was surprised by a massive outflanking cavalry attack and his entire command routed. Chapuis was wounded with two sabre cuts and captured at the beginning of the action, his orders from Pichegru also falling into the hands of York. Chapuis was exchanged on 23 September 1795 and re-entered France in time to take part in the defence of the Convention of 13 Vendémiaire Year III. He was reintegrated to his full rank on non-activity on 25 October. From January 1796 he was employed in the Armée des côtes de l'Océan at

Noirmoutier Noirmoutier (also French: Île de Noirmoutier, ; , ) is a tidal island off the Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée department (85). History Noirmoutier was the location of an early Viking raid in 799, when raiders attacked the monaster ...

, before retiring on 27 January 1801. He died at Étain (Meuse) on 15 April 1809.

Assessment

"A startling example of both the old-style double-line formation and its weakness was supplied by… Chapuis’s defeat at Troisvilles, 26th April 1794… Arnaudin, an émigré serving with the Austrians, wrote of this debacle: ‘He put the centre column in line, in two lines, the left resting on the village of Aridencourt. Chapuis believed his flanks secure; however, a large body of Austrian and English cavalry took his division in flank and rear and scattered it". At Troisvilles (Beaumont) he advanced without adequate reconnaissance and left his left flank wide open. He then tried to turn and face Otto’s flank attack. "As well might he have tried to turn back the oncoming sea. The avalanche of mounted men descended on him and his doomed army. It was swept through and through from left to right and the whole force as one man took to flight".Burne p.130

References

* *. *. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapuis, Rene 1746 births 1809 deaths French generals Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars