Bernard-Georges-François Frère | |
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| Born | (1762-01-08)8 January 1762 |
| Died | 16 February 1826(1826-02-16) (aged 62) Paris, France |
| Allegiance | .svg) Kingdom of France (1791-1792), French First Republic,First French Empire,.svg) Bourbon Restoration |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Service years | 1791–1815 |
| Rank | General of Division |
| Conflicts | French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars |
| Awards | Count of the Empire |
| Other work | Commander of the military division ofRennes, commander of the military division ofLille. |
Bernard-Georges-François Frère,Count of the Empire, (French pronunciation:[bɛʁnaʁʒɔʁʒfʁɑ̃swafʁɛʁ]; 8 January 1762, inMontréal, Aude – 16 February 1826, inParis) was a French soldier of theFrench Revolutionary Wars, who later rose to the top military rank of General of Division, taking part in theNapoleonic Wars.
Apharmacist in the city ofCarcassonne at the outbreak of theFrench Revolution, Frère exercised this profession until 1791, when he decided to join the army. He was rapidly electedcaptain and took part toPyrenees military operations against Spain during theWar of the First Coalition. He distinguished himself in battle and gained the rank ofchef de battalion (battalion commander) in 1793. Following the signature of thetreaty of peace between the Kingdom of Spain and the youngFrench Republic, Frère was assigned to theArmy of Italy and took part to several battles, including the assault of the Serraredoubts, where was wounded, and at thebattle of Bassano. Sent to serve inArmy of England, he failed to take theSaint-Marcouf islands off the coasts ofNormandy (9 April 1798). Having spent some time in the Army ofBatavia, then in theArmy of the Rhine, he was promoted to the rank ofbrigadier general and given the prestigious command of the infantry of theConsular Guard, then the command of theGrenadiers of the Consular Guard.[1]
After the creation of theGrande Armée in 1805, Frère was given a command and was cited several times in the bulletins, during theWar of the Third Coalition. The next year, during theWar of the Fourth Coalition, he was equally successful, being one of the first commanders toenter Lübeck, after the French led a successful battle against thePrussian defenders underGebhard Leberecht von Blücher. On 5 June 1807, commanding a single infantry regiment, Frère forced no less than 10,000Russians to surrender. He was promoted toGeneral of Division in March 1808, before being sent toSpain, where he took the city ofSegovia on 7 June 1808 and then served as chief of staff in the Army Corps ofMarshalJean Lannes during the bloodysiege of Zaragoza. He was created aCount of the Empire that year and in 1809 was recalled to theArmée d'Allemagne in order to take part to theWar of the Fifth Coalition againstAustria, serving at the battles ofAspern-Essling andWagram, where he received a serious wound during the second day of battle. In 1810, Frère was sent to serve in the Army of Catalonia and subsequently recalled to France and appointed at the command of the military division ofRennes. During theHundred Days, Napoleon entrusted him with the command of the military division ofLille.[1]
The name Frère is one of thenames inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe inParis.[1]
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