Paul Grenier | |
|---|---|
 Paul Grenier | |
| Born | (1768-01-29)29 January 1768 |
| Died | 17 April 1827(1827-04-17) (aged 59) |
| Allegiance |  France |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Years of service | 1784–1815 |
| Rank | General of Division |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | 1808,Count of the Empire |
| Other work | 1818,Chamber of Deputies |
CountPaul Grenier (French pronunciation:[pɔlgʁənje]; 29 January 1768 – 17 April 1827) joined theFrench royal army and rapidly rose togeneral officerrank during theFrench Revolutionary Wars. He led a division in the 1796-1797 campaign in southern Germany. During the 1800 campaign in theElectorate of Bavaria he was a wing commander. Beginning in 1809, in theNapoleonic Wars, EmperorNapoleon entrusted him with corps commands in the Italian theater. A skilled tactician, he was one of the veteran generals who made the Napoleonic armies such a formidable foe to the other European powers. After theBourbon Restoration he retired from the army and later went into politics. Grenier is one of theNames inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe.
Born in 1768 to a father who was a minor government official inSaarlouis (then a French territory), Grenier joined the French royal army as a private soldier in theNassau Infantry Regiment on 21 December 1784. After theFrench Revolution broke out he continued in the army. He fought at theBattle of Valmy, becoming acaptain. After notable actions at theBattle of Jemappes, he received promotion to adjutant general. He was elevated to the rank ofgeneral of brigade on 29 April 1794.[1] Grenier later fought at theBattle of Fleurus inJean Étienne Championnet's division. His brigade included the 18th Line Infantry Regiment and the 1stDragoon Regiment.[2] For his distinguished actions, he was promoted togeneral of division on 11 October. He commanded the advance guard at the passage of theRhine River on 6 September 1795.[1] He led a division at theBattle of Würzburg on 3 September 1796. Under his leadership were three battalions each of the 20th Light, 16th Line, and 67th Line Infantry Demi-Brigades, one battalion of the 23rd Line Infantry Regiment, the 1st and 2nd Dragoon Regiments, the 6thChasseurs à Cheval Regiment, one foot artillery company, and one horse artillery company.[3] He won praise for his leadership in theBattle of Neuwied on 18 April 1797.[1]
During theWar of the Second Coalition, Grenier led a division at the battles ofVerona,Magnano, andCassano d'Adda in the spring of 1799. His command consisted of three battalions each of the 17th, 24th, and 106th Line Infantry Demi-Brigades, one battalion each of the 1st Polish Legion and 2nd Swiss Legion, 450 cavalry, and a foot artillery company.[4] Later he fought in theArmy of the Alps under Championnet.[1] While leading 8,000 men of his division, he defeatedFriedrich Heinrich von Gottesheim and 5,000 Austrians atFossano on 16 September 1799. For a loss of 200 killed and wounded, his troops inflicted 300 killed and wounded on their opponents and captured 700 more.[5] AtCentallo on 31 October, Grenier's 7,000 troops fought 15,000 Austrians underMichael von Melas. This time he was drubbed, losing 1,000 casualties and four guns, while the Austrians only lost 200 men.[6]
In 1800, he served underJean Moreau, fighting at theBattle of Höchstädt on 18 and 19 June 1800.[1] After the summer truce expired in November, Moreau placed him in charge of the three-division Left Wing. On 1 December, he supervised the divisions ofMichel Ney and Jean Hardÿ in a successful rearguard action in theBattle of Ampfing. One historian writes, "Grenier possessed an unmatched knowledge of complex tactical evolutions."[7] Two days later, he commanded the three divisions of Ney, Louis Bastoul (for the wounded Hardÿ), andClaude Legrand in Moreau's decisive victory at theBattle of Hohenlinden.[8]
Grenier became the governor ofMantua after the 1805 campaign.Emperor Napoleon I made him a count of the Empire.
At the start of the 1809 campaign, Grenier commanded an infantry division inEugène de Beauharnais' Army of Italy.[9] He fought at theBattle of Sacile on 16 April.[10] At theBattle of Piave River on 8 May, he led a 16,800-strong corps of two divisions.[11] At the Piave, his successful attack on the right flank caused the Austrian withdrawal.[12] He intercepted and crushedFranz Jellacic's Austrian division in theBattle of Sankt Michael on 25 May, where he demonstrated his superior generalship.[13] He also led his corps at theBattle of Raab on 14 June[14] and at theBattle of Wagram on 5–6 July. At the latter battle he commanded three divisions[15] and was rewarded with the Grand Cross of theLégion d'honneur.[1]
Historian Frederick C. Schneid rates Grenier aboveAuguste Marmont andJacques MacDonald, both of whom became marshals in 1809. He writes that Eugene's
"... corps commanders were some of the better generals of the empire. Of the three generals promoted toMarshal of France in 1809, two participated in the campaign in Italy. The best of the lot, however, was not one of the two, but General Paul Grenier."[16]
The spring of 1813 found Grenier serving under Eugène inSaxony as Napoleon assembled a new army to replace the one destroyed in Russia. In theBattle of Möckern on 5 April, Grenier was wounded.[17] After the summer armistice, Eugène and Grenier returned to Italy to prepare the Italian army for hostilities with Austria. One authority notes that Grenier was "perhaps the best commander in Italy" at this time and was assigned to lead the 1st Corps.[18] During August 1813, he led his troops with success against the Austrian army ofJohann von Hiller nearVillach. When Hiller established a bridgehead across theDrava River atFeistritz an der Drau, Grenierattacked and defeated the Austrians on 6 September.[19] The Franco-Italian strategic situation soon deteriorated and Eugène slowly withdrew to theAdige River in October and November. On 31 October, Grenier won a smart victory over Christoph Ludwig von Eckhardt's column atBassano del Grappa, sending the Austrians fleeing into the mountains.[20] He commanded his corps under Eugène at theBattle of the Mincio River on 8 February 1814. In independent command, he defeated an Austrian force atParma in northeast Italy on 2 March 1814.[21] Hostilities ended in mid-April when the news of Napoleon's abdication arrived.[22]
Grenier played a role in the provisional government after theHundred Days. He retired from military service at the second restoration of KingLouis XVIII. In 1818 he became a deputy in the Assembly. He died on 17 April 1827 inDammartin-Marpain. The name GRENIER is inscribed on Column 14 of theArc de Triomphe.[1]
French Provisional Government of 1815 (22 June 1815 to 7 July 1815) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Members | ||
| Foreign Affairs | ||
| Interior | ||
| Police | ||
| Justice | ||
| Finance | ||
| Treasury | ||
| Navy and Colonies | ||
| War | ||
Preceded byFrench government of the Hundred Days • Followed byMinistry of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord | ||
