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Adolphe Niel | |
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| Born | 4 October 1802 (1802-10-04) Muret, France |
| Died | 13 August 1869 (1869-08-14) (aged 66) Paris, France |
| Allegiance | France |
| Service | French Army |
| Years of service | 1827–1869 |
| Rank | Marshal of France |
| Commands | IV Corps, Army of Italy |
| Battles / wars | Crimean War Franco-Austrian War |
| Awards | Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor Médaille militaire |
| Other work | Minister of War |
Adolphe Niel (4 October 1802 – 13 August 1869) was aFrench Army general andstatesman.
He was born atMuret, Haute-Garonne and entered theÉcole Polytechnique in 1821. Niel entered the engineer school atMetz, became lieutenant in the Engineers Corps in 1827, and captain in 1833. He fought in theFrench conquest of Algeria, participating in thestorming of Constantine. There Niel led the engineer detachment with one of the storming parties, and his conduct gained for him the rank ofchef de bataillon in 1837. Niel was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1840 and to colonel in 1846. His next war service was as chief of staff to GeneralVaillant during the 1849 siege of Rome, after which he was made general of brigade and director of engineer services at headquarters.[1]
In 1851, Niel became a member of the Committee of Fortifications. He became a member of the council of state in 1852 and in 1853 was promoted togeneral of division. In the first part of theCrimean War, Niel was employed in the expedition to theBaltic Sea and directed engineering operations againstBomarsund. Early in 1855 Niel was sent to theCrimea, where he succeeded General Michel Bizot as chief of engineers. For some years Niel had been the most trusted military adviser ofNapoleon III, and he was now empowered to advise the generals on the spot in accordance with the wishes of the sovereign and the home government.[1]
Niel managed to carry out this delicate and difficult task with as much success as could be expected, and he directed siege operations at theBattle of Malakoff. His reward was the grand cross of theLégion d'honneur. From 1855 to 1859 Niel was employed at headquarters and also served in theFrench Senate. In the war against theAustrians, Niel commanded theIV Corps and took part in theBattle of Magenta and theBattle of Solferino. Niel was made a marshal of France on the field at Solferino.[1]
After he served for some years in a home command, Niel becameminister of war and held the position from 1867 to 1869. In this capacity he drafted and began to carry out a far-reaching scheme of army reform, based on universal service and the automatic creation of large reserves which needed only time to mature.[1] Under his system, those men who had purchased exemption fromconscription into the army would nonetheless be called up into a new service, theGarde Mobile. He also was able to rearm the whole of the army with thechassepot rifle, but not the Garde Mobile. He did not live to complete the development of his system.[1]
Niel died in Paris during an operation for a bladder stone, and a year later theFranco-Prussian War destroyed the old imperial army upon which the new formations were to have been grafted.[1]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Niel, Adolphe".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 670.| Preceded by | Minister of War 20 January 1867 – 13 August 1869 | Succeeded by |
Third cabinet of Napoleon III (2 December 1852 - 17 July 1869) | ||
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Preceded bySecond cabinet of Louis Napoleon • Followed byFourth cabinet of Napoleon III | ||
Fourth cabinet of Napoleon III (17 July 1869 - 27 December 1869) | ||
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