François Gaston de Lévis | |
|---|---|
| 1st Duke of Lévis | |
.jpg) Portrait of Lévis | |
| Born | (1719-08-20)20 August 1719 Ajac,Languedoc,Kingdom of France |
| Died | 26 November 1787(1787-11-26) (aged 68) Arras, France |
| Spouse | Gabrielle Augustine Michel |
| Issue | Augustine Gabrielle Françoise de Lévis Pierre-Marc-Gaston de Lévis, Duke of Lévis Marie Gabrielle de Lévis Henriette Françoise de Lévis |
| Father | Jean de Lévis,Seigneur of Ajac |
| Mother | Joan of Maguelonne |
| Signature |  |
| Occupation | Soldier |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | France |
| Branch | French Royal Army |
| Years of service | 1735–1787 |
| Rank | Marshal of France |
| Unit | Marine Regiment |
| Commands | Commander-in-chief,New France |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit Knight of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis Knight of the Royal, Military, and Hospitaller Orders of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem |
François-Gaston de Lévis, 1st Duke of Lévis (20 August 1719 – 20 November 1787), styled as theChevalier de Lévis until 1785, was aFrench Royal Army officer. He served with distinction in theWar of the Polish Succession and theWar of the Austrian Succession. During theSeven Years' War, he was second-in-command toLouis-Joseph de Montcalm in the defense ofNew France and then, after thesurrender of New France in 1760, he served in Europe. After the war, he was appointed Governor ofArtois, and in 1783 he was made a Marshal of France.
In 1756, theMarquis de Vaudreuil was informed that KingLouis XV was sending the MarquisLouis-Joseph de Montcalm to take over French forces in North America, with Lévis as second in command. Vaudreuil wrote back that there was no need to send another general, as Vaudreuil disliked the tactics of most "municipal" French generals. When Montcalm arrived despite Vaudreuil's protest, the two men developed a dislike for each other.
Lévis led the vanguard of the French expedition toFort William Henry in 1757, and laidsiege to it until Montcalm's arrival.
During French planning for the 1758 campaign in theFrench and Indian War the disputes between Vaudreuil and Montcalm continued. Vaudreuil prevailed, and Montcalm was sent toFort Carillon to defend it against an expected British attack. Lévis was initially slated to lead an expedition to the western forts, leading about 500 French metropolitan troops and a large seasoned French-Canadian militia. Vaudreuil, however, had second thoughts, and dispatched Lévis and his metropolitan troops to support Montcalm at Carillon. Lévis arrived at Carillon on the evening of July 7, as a British army led byJames Abercrombie was arriving before the fort. In the ensuingBattle of Carillon, Abercrombie's troops were defeated, with Lévis leading the defense on the French right flank.
When the forces ofJames Murray arrived to begin theSiege of Quebec, Lévis participated in the early defenses, including theBattle of Beauport. He was then sent to organize the defense ofMontreal, and so was not present when Quebec fell. Following Montcalm's death in theBattle of the Plains of Abraham, Lévis was appointed commander of French forces in North America. Wintering at Montreal, Lévis managed to rally his troops and train them for a spring offensive to recapture Quebec in 1760. Marching downstream with the first breaking of the ice, Lévis met the forces ofJames Murray at theBattle of Sainte-Foy, where Lévis' army won a victory in one of the bloodiest battles ever fought on Canadian soil.[1] This forced Murray to retreat behind Quebec's wallsand a siege began. The lack of artillery and siege equipment precluded any assault on the fortifications of Quebec and Lévis held back, awaiting reinforcements from Europe. With the arrival of a British squadron which thendestroyed his support ships on the Saint Lawrence, Lévis was obliged to retreat to Montreal, where Vaudreuil eventually surrendered New France toAmherst's army, which hadadvanced down theSaint Lawrence River that summer, in early September.
His various letters for this period were later collected and published by Beauchemin in 1889;[2] letters to him for this period were published by theAbbe Casgrain, a professor atUniversite Laval, in 1895;[3] Casgrain had already published in 1891Les français au Canada : Montcalm et Lévis.[4]
Lévis returned to France on parole, and was released for service in Europe byWilliam Pitt. He served in the German campaigns of 1762, and retired from active military service when the war ended in 1763 with thePeace of Paris. He was appointed governor ofArtois in 1765. He was promoted to Marshal of France in 1783, and was raised to the inheritable title Duc de Lévis in 1784.
He died in 1787 inArras, France, and was succeeded as duke of Lévis by his sonPierre-Marc-Gaston, who escaped to England during theFrench Revolution. In 1794 his widow and two of his three daughters were sent to theguillotine during the French Revolution.
He left his name toLévis, Quebec, across the river fromQuebec City.
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