Charles-Philippe Ronsin (French pronunciation:[ʃaʁlfilipʁɔ̃sɛ̃]; 1 December 1751 – 24 March 1794) was a Frenchgeneral of theRevolutionary Army of theFirst French Republic, commanding the large Parisian division ofl'Armée Révolutionnaire. He was an extreme radical leader of theFrench Revolution, and one of the many followers ofJacques-René Hébert, known as theHébertists.[1]
Born in 1751 inSoissons,Aisne, a city northeast ofParis, Ronsin was son of a master cooper or barrel maker. At the age of seventeen, Charles-Philippe Ronsin joined the Parisian army. By 1772 he left the army with the position of corporal and soon became a playwright and a tutor. In these years he met the artistJacques-Louis David and they became good friends.
Welcoming the Revolution, Ronsin became theBourgeois Guard Captain in the district of Saint-Roch in 1789. He presented several patriotic pieces in some of the theatres in the capital between the years 1790 and 1792. It was in this period that Ronsin became a club orator and joined the club of theCordeliers.
In August and September 1792, the Executive Council entrusted him three missions. In November, the minister of war, Pache, named him commissioner-organizer in Belgium to the army ofDumouriez. In this post, Ronsin denounced the acts of violence of the suppliers to the armed forces, who were protected by the general.
Ronsin was named assistant of the minister of war of Bouchotte on 23 April 1793, without ever commanding a squadron. It is possible that Ronsin received that position thanks to his friendship withChaumette andHébert. In May, he left toVendée, to help the provisioning armies. There was an incident in which Ronsin was upset that his plan for defeating theVendeans was rejected, therefore, he decided to make sure thatGeneral Canclaux was defeated by the Vendeans, ensuring his own victory. He led his troops toVihiers andBeaulieu and was eventually trapped atCoron. Because of Ronsin's decision theVendeans took over Beaulieu and managed to convince the Committee to get rid of Canclaux.
Ronsin's support among theCordeliers and the ministry allowed him to cross the rank of captain to that of brigadier general in the army of the coasts of Rochelle. In September, 1793, he becomes chief general of the revolutionary army of Paris. Ronsin had a violent character and was very outspoken. He, however, proved to be a good leader. Ronsin was witty and clever when dealing with his different functions. However, thanks to his quick ascent and his character Ronsin acquired numerous enemies, particularlyPierre Philippeaux andFabre d'Eglantine.
Ronsin created a bill that was posted in Paris after his return from Lyon that stated that there were one hundred and forty thousand people living in Lyon, fifteen hundred of which had nothing to do with the rebellions. Ronsin stated that before the end of September, all of the people who were guilty would die. On 17 DecemberFabre d'Eglantine denounced Ronsin for being an ultra-revolutionist. Ronsin was arrested along withFrançois-Nicolas Vincent, who was another member of theCordeliers Club.
While in prison theCordeliers wrote a petition in favor of bothVincent and Ronsin, stating that they were great patriots and that Ronsin should not be punished for attackingDumouriez,Custine, andBrissot. Among those who were defending Ronsin wasCollot d'Herbois, who was also part of the Committee. Collot d'Herbois defended Ronsin, saying that while fighting in the South along with all of the other patriots of the Revolution, Ronsin showed great determination in enforcing respect for the republic.
With the help ofFouquier-Tinville, Ronsin was believed to be working on a military conspiracy to replace the revolutionary government with a military dictatorship.Fouquier-Tinville called him one of the "new Cromwell".
Ronsin was finally arrested along withHébert,Momoro, andVincent. While in prison Ronsin is quoted with saying these words to his co-accused: "...you will be condemned. When you should have acted, you talked. Know how to die. For my part, I swear that you shall not see me flinch. Strive to do the same."Some of his final words before his death were, "Liberty undone!...because a few paltry fellows are about to perish! Liberty is immortal. Our enemies will fall in their turn, and liberty will survive them all!" On 24 March 1794, five carts full of condemnedHébertists were taken to the guillotine, Charles-Philippe Ronsin among them.[2] Their death of was a sort of carnival, a pleasant spectacle according toMichelet's witnesses. Ronsin stayed true to his words in prison: as Thomas Carlyle relates the event, he alone among the Hébertists went to the scaffold with an "air of defiance", still maintaining a steely "eye of command".[3] Within a week of his death, Ronsin's army (l'Armée Révolutionnaire de Paris) was disbanded.[4]
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