Jean Baptiste François Carteaux | |
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| Born | (1751-01-31)31 January 1751 |
| Died | 12 April 1813(1813-04-12) (aged 62) |
| Allegiance | First French Republic |
| Branch | French Revolutionary Army |
| Years of service | c. 1793 |
| Rank | Général |
| Battles / wars | Siege of Toulon (1793) War in the Vendée |
Jean Baptiste François Carteaux (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃batistfʁɑ̃swakaʁto]; 31 January 1751 – 12 April 1813) was a Frenchpainter who became aGeneral in theFrench Revolutionary Army. He is notable chiefly for being the youngNapoleon Bonaparte's commander at thesiege of Toulon in 1793.[1]
Born in 1751, Carteaux followed the career of a painter, producing several works including a portrait of KingLouis XVI on horseback.
Following theFrench Revolution, he became a General and given a command of theArmy of the Alps, despite the fact he had received no military training. Soon after his arrival, Carteaux was given the task of defeating a force of royalistProvençal rebels. On 16 July 1793 he succeeded in defeating the small rebel force.
In early August 1793, Carteaux was ordered toMarseille which had risenin revolt against the extreme Jacobins. He first recapturedAvignon and then after a rebellion in the city, Marseille. He was then given command of the efforts to recapture the vitalport ofToulon. The citizens of Toulon had not only openly rebelled, but had granted theBritish andSpanish fleets access to the harbour. On 25 August Carteaux began thesiege of Toulon. Carteaux handled the siege ineptly, concentrating his efforts on the relatively unimportant town ofOllioules. During these battles, Carteaux's artillery commander,Elzéar Auguste Cousin de Dommartin, was severely wounded and the Army was left with no capable artillery commander. Despite this, Carteaux focused his efforts on the construction of a battery in a gully near Ollioules, which he imagined would be able to bring fire to bear on the Anglo-Neapolitan ships. Once the battery was completed, it became apparent that the harbour was beyond its range. On 8 September a 6,000 man detachment from theArmée d'Italie under the command ofJean François Cornu de La Poype arrived to the east of Toulon and began operations independently of Carteaux' force.
Seeing the lack of progress of Carteaux and the ineptitude of his artillery, the officials from theCommittee of Public Safety,Augustin Robespierre andAntoine Christophe Saliceti designated the young Artillery captainNapoleon Bonaparte as Carteaux new artillery commander.[2] With the backing of the all-powerful Robespierre and Saliceti, the dynamic Bonaparte quickly devised a plan for the capture of forts l'Eguillette and Balaguier. Bonaparte correctly surmised that the capture of these would allow accurate fire to be brought to bear on the Anglo-Neapolitan fleet and force it to abandon Toulon. Carteaux was not convinced and ordered a half-hearted attack under the command ofHenri François Delaborde. This attack not only failed, it also brought the importance of the position to the attention of the Anglo-Neapolitans, who immediately began strengthening their positions.
Following this dismal failure, Carteaux allowed Bonaparte to begin construction of several batteries with which to bombard the newly reinforced Anglo-Neapolitan fortresses. Bonaparte virtually took control of the operation, despite Carteaux's protests that the army was his command. Late in October, Napoleon sent a letter to theConvention, complaining about the quality of his superiors, calling them abunch of fools. As a result, Carteaux was relieved of his command on 11 November 1793 and for a while was imprisoned. He was replaced in rapid succession by La Poype andFrançois Amédée Doppet who were then replaced byJacques François Dugommier.
Despite his imprisonment, Carteaux survived theReign of Terror and was later sent to fight in theWar in the Vendée. When Bonaparte was electedFirst Consul, he appointed Carteaux as Administrator of theLoterie Royale de France. Carteaux died in 1813.
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| Preceded by | Commander-in-chief of the Army before Toulon 5 September–6 November 1793 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-chief of theArmy of the Alps 18 November–22 December 1793 | Succeeded by |
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