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Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron | |
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 Portrait byGeorge Dawe, before 1825 | |
| Born | 24 January 1763 Paris, France |
| Died | 16 July 1831(1831-07-16) (aged 68) Odessa, Russian Empire |
| Allegiance |  France Russia |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Service years | 1778–1831 |
| Rank | General |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Order of the Holy Spirit Order of the Golden Fleece Order of St. Andrew Order of St. Anna Order of St. George Order of the White Eagle Order of St. Vladimir Order of Saint Louis Order of the Black Eagle Society of the Cincinnati |
| Other work | Governor ofNew Russia |
CountLouis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron (Russian:Алекса́ндр Фёдорович Ланжеро́н,romanized: Aleksandr Fyodorovich Lanzheron; 24 January 1763 – 16 July 1831) was a French military figure in the service of, first, theKingdom of France, and later theRussian Empire.
Langeron, a member of a noble French family fromNivernais, held the titles of comte de Langeron, marquis de la Coste, baron de Cougny, de la Ferté et de Sassy, and lord du Mont, de Bazolle de l'Isle de Mars et d'Alligny. Born inParis, he entered the French army at age 15 in 1779 as an Enseigne surnuméraire in theGardes Françaises Regiment under Colonel M. le Maréchal Duc de Biron, and was appointed, in 1780,Sous-Lieutenant supernumerary in the regiment of Limousin infantry, under his uncle, Mestre de Camp Commandant, M. le Comte de Damas de Cruz, in the Corps d'armée under his cousin, Lieutenant General M. le Marquis de Langeron, destined for a descent on England. When this project was abandoned, he was, in 1781, on his own application, transferred as Sous-Lieutenant to the regiment of Bourbonnois and was dispatched toCaracas and then toSaint-Domingue from 1782 to 1783. Promoted to captain in theCondé-Dragons Regiment, he took part in theAmerican Revolutionary War. Langeron was an original member of theSociety of the Cincinnati and can be seen wearing his insignia for this order in the last position of his medal bar in his portrait byGeorge Dawe. In 1786, Langeron was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the Médoc Regiment, and in 1788 he became colonel of the Armagnac Regiment.
ARoyalist, Langeron left France at the beginning of theFrench Revolution and entered Russian service in 1790 as a colonel in the Siberian Grenadier Regiment. He distinguished himself inbattle against Sweden and then in theRusso-Turkish War (1787–1792). Accompanied by theduc de Fronsac and Prince Charles de Ligne, the son of the famous Austrian diplomatCharles-Joseph, Prince de Ligne, he was present atAlexander Suvorov'scapture of Izmail, where he was wounded. He was given leave of absence in order to serve in anémigré army against revolutionary France, and after his return to Russia was sent to the Austrian army in theNetherlands as an observer.
Langeron served on the staff ofPrince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. At theBattle of Caesar's Camp on 7–8 August 1793, the Duke of York's 25,000-man column was sent on a long sweep in order to envelop the French army. The French commander,Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine spotted the danger and shifted his army out of the way. Leading his cavalry in pursuit on the second day, York arrived atMarquion which the French had set on fire. Accompanied only by his orderly and Langeron, York galloped through the burning village and saw a line of horsemen drawn up on the other side. Thinking they were his own cavalry, York trotted forward, remarking, "Here are my Hanoverians." Recognizing that they were French, Langeron caught the bridle of York's horse and led him back to safety.[1]
He was promoted to brigade command in 1796 and became a major general in 1797 and lieutenant general in 1798.
At theBattle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805, Langeron commanded the 2nd Column which counted 11,700 soldiers and 30 light guns. The column was divided into two brigades underGeneralmajorsZakhar Dmitrievich Olsufiev andSergei Kamensky. Olsufiev led theViborg,Perm, andKursk Infantry Regiments, each about 2,000 strong, and the 8th Jager Regiment, 1,000 men. Kamensky led theRyazan Infantry andFanagoria Grenadier Regiments, each 2,000 strong, 200 troopers of theSt. Petersburg Dragoon Regiment, 100 Cossacks, and 150 pioneers.[2] On the night before the battle, the Allied generals gathered to hear the AustrianFranz von Weyrother explain the tactical plan. As Langeron recalled, "Weyrother ... read the dispositions to us in a loud tone and with a self-satisfied air which indicated a thorough persuation of his own merit and of our incapacity." Weyrother planned to hurl the 59,300 men of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Columns of the Allied army against the French right flank, then envelop the French as they fled towardBrno (Brünn).[3]
Langeron objected that the plan left the Allied center too weak, but his concerns were brushed aside. In fact, EmperorNapoleon prepared a trap, and the Allies walked right into it.[4] At 9:00 am, Napoleon ordered the attack on the Allied center which immediately gained a foothold.[5] One of Langeron's brigades attempted to counter the French but was eventually defeated.[6] By 2:00 pm, the Allied center collapsed and the victorious French advanced to strike the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Columns from the flank and rear. The 3rd Column surrendered, the 2nd Column was badly mauled, and the survivors were fleeing.[7]Perm was nearly destroyed, suffering 1,729 casualties. The other units also sustained heavy casualties:Kursk lost 1,276,Ryazan lost 612,Viborg lost 600,Fanagoria lost 580, and the Cossacks lost 47. The 8th Jagers escaped lightly, only losing 155.[2]
Disgraced after the lost battle, he was sent toOdessa. In 1815 he became governor ofNew Russia. From 1806 to 1811, Langeron participated in theRusso-Turkish War (1806–1812) and served in the Army of Moldavia against the Ottomans. He fought atGiurgiu,Silistra,Frasin,Derekoy, andRuse, for which he was promoted toGeneral of the Infantry. He was highly critical of GeneralMikhail Kutuzov; his later memoirs are filled with "frank criticism",[8] although this may have been influenced by the fact that he "was not appointed Russian Army Commander-in-Chief, and Kutuzov refused his suggestion to cross theDanube and attack Rushuk in 1811 during the war with Turkey."[8]
In 1812, Langeron was given command of a corps in the Army of the Danube with which he fought atBrest-Litovsk and on theBerezina. In 1813, Langeron was put in charge of the blockade ofThorn, and later that year he commanded a corps atKoenigswarte,Bautzen,Siebeneichen,Lowenberg,Katzbach, andLeipzig. The next year he participated in the French campaign, during which he fought at the battles ofSoissons,Craonne,Laon,Rheims,La Fère-Champenoise, andParis, capturing theMontmartre heights. In late 1814, Langeron was given command of the 4th and 6th Corps inVolhynia. During theHundred Days, he and his troops were marching to France, but they had only reached middle Germany by the timeNapoléon was defeated atWaterloo.
After a brief return in France, during theBourbon Restoration, Langeron returned to Odessa as he was appointed the Military Governor ofKherson and Odessa, the commander-in-chief of the Bug and Black SeaCossacks, and the Governor ofYekaterinoslav, Kherson, and Crimea. Exports continued to grow under his rule, to 40 million rubles in 1817. In Odessa, Langeron opened theRichelieu Lyceum for the elite: only the children of merchants and Greek immigrants could enroll. During Langeron's tenure, the construction of theOdessa Botanical Gardens andPrimorsky Boulevard began. The most far-reaching legislation in Langeron's term was that the port of Odessa was pronounced a free port in 1819, which allowed the selling and storing of imported goods with no customs duties. TodayOdessa has a street and abeach named after Langeron.
In 1823, Langeron was relieved of these duties because of poor health, and he then traveled to France, where he stayed until 1825. After theDecembrist revolt, Langeron was appointed a member of the sentencing panel. Called up with the start of theRusso-Turkish War (1828–1829) he fought against the Turks in a number of battles until he was replaced byHans Karl von Diebitsch. Langeroin was a prolific writer, although "he requested that hisMémoires not be published until 50 years after his death."[8] He died during acholera epidemic in 1831.
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by Aleksandr Rudzevich as General-Governor of New Russia | Military Governor of Kherson 1815–1822 | Succeeded byas Governor-General of New Russia and Viceroy of Bessarabia |
| Preceded byas acting mayor | Mayor of Odessa 1816–1820 | Succeeded by |
"Ланжерон, Александр Федорович" .Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian). 1906.