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Jean-Charles Pichegru | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byCharles Howard Hodges, 1795 | |
| Born | 16 February 1761 (1761-02-16) |
| Died | 5 April 1804 (1804-04-06) (aged 43) Paris |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France Kingdom of the French French First Republic |
| Years of service | 1783–1797 |
| Rank | Divisional general |
| Battles / wars | |
Jean-Charles Pichegru (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃ʃaʁl(ə)piʃ(ə)ɡʁy]; 16 February 1761 – 5 April 1804) was aFrench general of theRevolutionary Wars. Under his command, French troops overranBelgium and theNetherlands before fighting on theRhine front. Hisroyalist positions led to his loss of power and imprisonment inCayenne, French Guiana, during theCoup of 18 Fructidor in 1797. After escaping into exile inLondon and joining the staff ofAlexander Korsakov, he returned to France and planned thePichegru Conspiracy to removeNapoleon from power, which led to his arrest and death. Despite his defection, his surname is one of thenames inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on Column 3.
Pichegru was born in a peasant family atArbois (or, according toCharles Nodier, atLes Planches-près-Arbois, nearLons-le-Saulnier), in the thenFranche-Comté (now in theJura department ofFrance). Thefriars of Arbois were entrusted with his education, and sent him to themilitary school ofBrienne-le-Château. There, he taught mathematics, and among his pupils was the youngNapoleon Bonaparte. In 1783, he entered the1st regiment of artillery, where he rapidly rose to the rank ofadjutant-second lieutenant, and briefly served in theAmerican Revolutionary War.
When theRevolution erupted in 1789, he became leader of theJacobin Club inBesançon, and, when a regiment of volunteers of thedepartment of theGard marched through the city, he was electedlieutenant colonel.
The fine condition of his regiment was noticed in theFrench Revolutionary Army section of theRhine, and his organizing ability got him appointed in the headquarters, and then promotedgénéral de brigade.
In 1793,Lazare Carnot andLouis de Saint-Just were sent to findroturier (non-aristocratic) generals who could prove successful (see:Campaigns of 1793 in the French Revolutionary Wars). Carnot discoveredJean-Baptiste Jourdan, and Saint-Just discoveredLouis Lazare Hoche and Pichegru. At first, Pichegru was appointedgénéral de division and commander of theDivision of the Upper Rhine.
Appointed commander-in-chief of theArmy of the Rhine, Pichegru attacked the Coalition army ofDagobert Sigmund von Wurmser in theBattle of Haguenau in 1793. Over a period of weeks theCoalition Forces were driven back step by step in bitter fighting. The intervention of theArmy of the Moselle under Hoche at theBattle of Froeschwiller in late December finally caused Wurmser to abandonAlsace. For theSecond Battle of Wissembourg, Pichegru was placed under the command of Hoche, who proved to be a difficult superior. Nevertheless, the French again won the battle, compelling Wurmser to retreat to the east bank of the Rhine and the Prussian army to withdraw towardMainz.
In December 1793, Hoche was arrested, probably owing to his colleague's denunciations, and Pichegru becamecommander-in-chief of theArmy of the Rhine and Moselle. He was summoned to succeed Jourdan in theArmy of the North in February 1794, subsequently fightingthree major campaigns within the year. The forces of theKingdom of Great Britain, theDutch Republic andHabsburg Austria held a strong position along theSambre to theNorth Sea.
After attempting to break the Austrian centre, Pichegru suddenly turned their left, and defeated theCount of Clerfayt atCassel,Menin andCourtrai, while his subordinate,Joseph Souham, defeatedPrince Josias of Coburg in thebattle of Tourcoing in May 1794. After a lull, during which Pichegru feigned asiege of Ypres, he again attacked Clerfayt, and defeated him atRoeselare andHooglede, while Jourdan, commanding the newly namedArmy of Sambre-et-Meuse, withstood Austrian attacks in thebattle of Fleurus (27 June 1794), which eventually led to Allied evacuation of theLow Countries.
Pichegru began his second campaign by crossing theMeuse on 18 October, and, after takingNijmegen, drove the Austrians beyond the Rhine. The Anglo-Hanoverian army withdrew behind theWaal. Then, while Pichegru's troops prepared to go into winter quarters, theConvention ordered the Army of the North to mount a winter campaign. On 27 December two brigades crossed the Meuse on the ice, and stormed theBommelerwaard. On 10 January Pichegru's army crossed the ice of the Waal betweenZaltbommel andNijmegen, then, on 13 January, enteredUtrecht, which surrendered on the 16th. The Anglo-Hanoverian army retreated behind theIJssel and then withdrew toHanover andBremen. Pichegru, who had successfully penetrated the frozenHollandic Water Line, arrived inAmsterdam on 20 January, after theBatavian Revolution had taken place. The French occupied the rest of theDutch Republic in the next month.
This major victory was marked by unique episodes, such as theCapture of the Dutch fleet at Den Helder by Frenchhussars, and exceptional discipline of the French battalions in Amsterdam, who, although faced with the opportunity of plundering the richest city in Europe, showed self-restraint.[1]
Although a former associate ofSaint-Just, Pichegru offered his services to theThermidorian Reaction, and, after having received the title ofSauveur de la Patrie ("Saviour of the Fatherland") from theNational Convention, subdued thesans-culottes ofParis when they rose ininsurrection against the Convention on 12 Germinal (1 April).[1]
Pichegru then took command of the armies of the North, the Sambre-and-Meuse, and the Rhine, and, crossing the Rhine in force, tookMannheim in May 1795.[1]
Although he was at the height of his fame as general, Pichegru allowed his colleague Jourdan to be defeated, betrayed all his plans to the enemy, and took part in organizing aconspiracy for the return and crowning ofLouis XVIII asKing of France. The plans were suspected, and, when he offered his resignation to theDirectory in October 1795, it was promptly accepted (much to his surprise). He retired in disgrace, but secured his election to theCouncil of Five Hundred in May 1797 as a leader of theRoyalists.[1]
Pichegru planned acoup d'état but was arrested during the anti-royalistCoup of 18 Fructidor and with fourteen others was deported toCayenne,French Guiana, in 1797.[1] He and seven others escaped and fled toParamaribo. The gouverneurDe Friderici allowed them to get on board a ship to theUnited States.[2] Shortly thereafter, he went toLondon, where he joined other Frenchémigrés. There, he served on GeneralAleksandr Rimsky-Korsakov's staff in thecampaign of 1799.
Pichegru went to Paris in August 1803 withGeorges Cadoudal to head aroyalist uprising against theFirst Consul,Napoleon Bonaparte. Betrayed by a friend, Pichegru was arrested on 28 February 1804, and was later found strangled in prison on the morning of April 6. The government reported that he had committed suicide, but Napoleon has often been blamed for orchestrating the murder.[3][4] However, there is little evidence that Napoleon was involved. His supporters often argue that Napoleon had nothing to gain from having Pichegru murdered, especially after the execution ofd'Enghien, which infuriated royalty across Europe.[5]
Pichegru was buried in thecimetière Sainte-Catherine, a Paris cemetery with its entrance in the formerrue de Fer, and which was closed in 1824.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Pichegru, Charles".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.. In turn, it cites as references:| International | |
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