Louis Desaix | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 17 August 1768 (1768-08-17) |
| Died | 14 June 1800 (1800-06-15) (aged 31) |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France Kingdom of the French French First Republic |
| Branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1783–1800 |
| Rank | General of Division |
| Battles / wars | |
Louis Charles Antoine Desaix (French:[lwiʃaʁlɑ̃twandəzɛ]) (17 August 1768 – 14 June 1800) was a French general and military leader during theFrench Revolutionary Wars. According to the usage of the time, he took the nameLouis Charles Antoine Desaix de Veygoux. He was considered one of the greatest generals of the Revolutionary Wars.
Desaix was born to a noble family in the Château d'Ayat inAyat-sur-Sioule, in the province ofAuvergne,[1] to Gilbert des Aix, Lord ofVeygoux, the family manor inCharbonnières-les-Varennes, and Amable de Beaufranchet, his wife and first cousin.[2] Desaix received his military education at the school founded by Marshal d'Effiat, and entered the French royal army. During his first six years of service, he devoted himself to duty and to military studies. When theFrench Revolution broke out, he threw himself into the insurrectionist cause. Refusing to "emigrate", he joined the staff ofCharles Louis Victor de Broglie, the Jacobin son of theduc de Broglie. This nearly cost Desaix his life, but he escaped theguillotine, and by his conspicuous service soon came into favor with the Republican government. Like many other members of the old ruling classes who had accepted the new order, the instinct of command joined to native ability, brought Desaix career success, and thus he had attained the command of a division in 1794.[3]
During the campaign of 1795 he commandedJourdan's right-wing, and duringMoreau's invasion ofBavaria, the following year, he held an equally important command. Following the retreat which ensued when thearchduke Charles won the battles ofAmberg andWürzburg, Desaix commanded Moreau's rearguard, and later the fortress ofKehl, with the highest distinction, and his name became a household word, like those ofBonaparte,Jourdan,Hoche,Marceau andKléber. Next year his initial successes were interrupted by the Preliminaries ofLeoben, and he procured for himself a mission intoItaly in order to meet General Bonaparte, who spared no pains to captivate the brilliant young general from the almost rival camps ofGermany. Provisionally appointed commander of theArmy of England, Desaix was soon transferred by Bonaparte to theexpeditionary force intended to invadeEgypt. It was his division which bore the brunt of theMamluk attack at theBattle of the Pyramids, and he crowned his reputation by his victories overMurad Bey inUpper Egypt. Amongst thefellaheen he acquired the significant appellation of the "JustSultan".[3]
When command passed to Kléber, Desaix was one of a small party of French officers selected to accompany Bonaparte back to France. However, it was months before he could join the newFirst Consul. After being recalled from Upper Egypt, Desaix embarked on a ship which set sail for Europe on 3 March 1800. However, after the ship arrived inLivorno, British AdmiralLord Keith, in defiance of theConvention of El Arish, declared Desaix to be aprisoner of war and detained him, refusing to recognise his status as ageneral officer. Desaix allegedly responded to Keith's decision by stating "I ask you nothing except to deliver me from your presence. If you wish, give straw to the wounded who are with me. I dealt with the Mamelukes, the Turks, the Arabs of the great Desert, the Ethiopians, the blacks of Darfur; all respected their word when they gave it, and they did not insult men in misfortune." Desaix was eventually let go as a result of superior orders from theBritish Admiralty.
The campaign of 1800 was close to its climax when Desaix arrived inItaly. He was immediately assigned to the command of a corps of two infantry divisions serving in the Army of Italy. Three days later (14 June), detached, withBoudet's division, atRivalta, he heard the cannon ofMarengo on his right. Taking the initiative he marched at once towards the sound, meetingBonaparte's staff officer, who had come to recall him, halfway on the route. He arrived withBoudet's division at the moment when theAustrians were victorious all along the line. Exclaiming, "There is yet time to win another battle!" he led his three regiments straight against the enemy's center. At the moment of victory, Desaix was killed by amusket ball.[3] On the same day, Jean-Baptiste Kleber, Desaix's good friend and comrade, and the governor-general of Egypt, was assassinated inCairo.[4] Upon hearing the news of Desaix's death, a grief-strickenNapoleon Bonaparte exclaimed, "Why am I not allowed to weep?"[5]
Napoleon paid tribute to Desaix by erecting monuments to him, one on thePlace Dauphine and the other in thePlace des Victoires inParis.[3] The memorial in the Place des Victoires was later destroyed. A monumental tomb with sculptures byJean-Guillaume Moitte serves as his final resting place at theGreat St Bernard Hospice (his body originally lay inMilan and was moved to the Hospice in 1805).[6] Moreover, his name is written on a face of theArc de Triomphe, with many other military figures of theFrench Revolution. There is also a fort, inFort-de-France,Martinique, that is namedFort Desaix in his honor.[citation needed] A street, Rue Desaix, and a parallel cul-de-sac, Square Desaix, in thefifteenth arrondissement of Paris, between two metro stations,Bir-Hakeim andDupleix, also bear his name. Desaix Boulevard is a major street in the Bayou St. John / Fairgrounds district of New Orleans.[citation needed] Several ships of theFrench Navy have borne the nameDesaix in his honor.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Desaix de Veygoux, Louis Charles Antoine".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 78. Cites as a source:
