Paul-Jean-Baptiste Poret de Morvan | |
|---|---|
 General Baron Poret de Morvan. | |
| Born | (1777-04-14)14 April 1777 |
| Died | 17 February 1834(1834-02-17) (aged 56) Chartres, France |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  French First Republic,First French Empire,.svg) Bourbon Restoration |
| Branch | Artillery, thenInfantry |
| Years of service | 1793–1829 |
| Rank | General of Brigade |
| Battles / wars | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
| Awards | Knight, later Baron of the Empire |
| Other work | General Inspector for Infantry |
Paul-Jean-Baptiste Poret de Morvan (French pronunciation:[pɔlʒɑ̃batistpɔʁɛdəmɔʁvɑ̃]; 14 April 1777 – 17 February 1834), baron of theEmpire, was a French officer during theFrench Revolutionary Wars andNapoleonic Wars, who rose to the rank ofgeneral.[1]
Joining the army as avolunteerartillerist during theWar of the First Coalition, age sixteen, Poret de Morvan was subsequently commissioned to the French revolutionary "Army of Italy" (1799). Holding the rank ofadjutant, he received a first combat wound at thebattle of Sassello, on April 15, 1800. He was promoted tosecond lieutenant, before being sent to serve in theSanto Domingo expeditionary corps,[1] where he fought against theSanto Domingo rebellion and was wounded in action.[2] After the death of the expeditionary corps commander,general of divisionCharles Leclerc, Poret de Morvan was among the men who accompanied the general's body back to France. Promoted to the rank offirst lieutenant in 1803, he was integrated in theFoot Grenadier Guards regiment of the then Consular, laterImperial Guard.[1]
Pursuing his career in the foot grenadier guards, Poret de Morvan took part to the 1805-1807 campaigns of theGrande Armée during theWar of the Third Coalition andWar of the Fourth Coalition, then fought in the 1809 campaign againstAustria during theWar of the Fifth Coalition. He was sent toSpain in 1810, where he remained until the next year. He was created a knight of theEmpire at the beginning of 1812 and was made a baron one year later. Ageneral of brigade from August 1813,[1] he fought with distinction atBautzen[2] and played a significant part at thebattle of Leipzig, covering the retreat of the army. Back in France in 1814, Poret de Morvan was entrusted with the mission of creating a "Young Guard" division,[1] then took part to the fighting inChampagne, where he was wounded again.[2] Later that year he took part to thedefense of Paris against the forces of theSixth Coalition.[1]
During the "Hundred Days", Poret de Morvan rallied toNapoleon[1] and was given command of the3rd Foot Grenadier Guards regiment, twobattalions, with a complement of 1,164 officers and men.[3] Poret de Morvan led his men in combat at thebattle of Ligny.[1] He directly led his 1st battalion during the final attack of the Guard at theBattle of Waterloo. Placed in the front line during this epic action, Poret de Morvan and his men were noted for their gallantry but were also exposed to the most murderous fire from enemyartillery andmusketry,[4] resulting in losses of 58% for the entire regiment during this battle.[5]
After the 1815Bourbon Restoration, he was imprisoned for joining Napoleon during the "Hundred Days", but was released under an amnesty in 1817. In 1829, he was given the position of general inspector for infantry.[1]
General Poret de Morvan died on February 17, 1834, aged 56[1] and is buried at thePère Lachaise Cemetery inParis.[6]
The name Poret de Morvan is inscribed under theArc de Triomphe in Paris.[1]