Dominique-Joseph Rene Vandamme

The revolution

Wire of a Surgery N of Cassel, raises Military academy of Paris, and maintained by the marshal Biron, it entered, the July 8th 1788, like soldier in the 4th auxiliary battalion of the regiment of the colonies, embarked the February 2nd 1789, at Lorient, on the flute Uranie , arrived, the March 31st with Martinique, and was immediately built-in the regiment of this colony.

From return with the rank of sergeant in France, the April 29th 1790, it passed, the June 22nd 1791, with the Régiment of Brie, since 24e of infantry, and accepted her final leave the August 26th 1792.

In 1792, filled with enthusiasm by the ideas of the French revolution, Vandamme formed, in its native land, a frank company. It led it to the Armée with North, and this company having been amalgamated with the battalion of the hunters of the Mount-Cassel, it became chief of this body, the September 5th 1793.

The armies of Hanover occupy Hondschoote. The British camp in front of Dunkirk, which they threaten to invade. It orders the battalion of Cassel which it carries out at the time of the Bataille of Hondschoote (of the 6 to the September 8th) (under the orders of Houchard).

The September 27th 1793, at 23 years, it is promoted Brigadier general and takes part in the catch of Furnes the 30 vendémiaire of the An II. It contributed, the 1 {{er}} Thermidor, with the catch of Ypres.

In July 1794, at the time of the catch of Nieuport under the orders of Moreau, most of the emigrants which had taken refuge there are massacred. It is constrained to be withdrawn in front of higher forces, it lost part of its artillery. In this same countryside, Vandamme was distinguished in front of Vanloo and took Menin.

During that of the Year III, ordering by interim the division of Moreau, it carried the Fort of Schenck, the 16 brumaire, and the 19, it drove out the enemy of Budwich.

Nevertheless, at the time of the reorganization of the staff of the army, the 25 Meadow, it was put in reform. This disgrace came from what he had been denounced like terrorist and like having delivered Furnes to plundering. However, the Committee of public hello, by decree of the 7 vendémiaire Year IV, gave it in line of business.

Sent in the West the September 29th 1795, it quickly finds its rank in the Armée with Sambre-and-Meuse ordered by Jourdan, then in the Armée with the Rhine-and-Moselle.

Vandamme removed, the 27 Thermidor same year, the door which defended the small town of Alpersbasch, passed the Lech, under the most fatal fire, and with the attack heights of Friedberg, precipitating on the Autrichien S with the head of three regiments of light cavalry, it took 16 parts of gun to them, and the saber with the kidneys until in the valley of the the Saar continued them. A few days after, it was still pointed out by an impetuous attack of the cuttings off of Kehl and Huningue.

The following year, in the passing of the the Rhine, Diersheim, where it had a horse killed under him, it carried out the first unloading, penetrated beyond Gegenbach, and beat the enemy between Zimmern and Benchen, and drove out it on the Kniebis.

The made attack with Rastatt having relit the war, Vandamme, which had been named Major general the 17 Pluviôse An VII, had the command of the left wing of the army of the the Danube.

One day that slightly accompanied, it was going to the adventure to recognize the enemy outposts, it fell into a ambush from dragons from the Régiment from Latour. Almost at once abandoned as of his, he only fought against 8 adversaries, killed 2, put the others in escape and regained the French camp out of them.

New charges having been directed against him, the Directory, by a decree of the 8 Floréal, translated it in front of a council of war, but another decree on 2 Fructidor cancelled the first. Then the minister sent Vandamme on the coasts of the North-West, in order to provide for their defense.

This finished operation, the September 19th 1799, Vandamme, placed this time in the Armed with Holland under the orders of Brown, went to the Netherlands, then invaded by the combined forces of the England and the Russia. Placed at the left wing of the army gallo-Batavian, it took a very whole Russian division with the battles of Bergen, and contributed strongly to the French victory with the Bataille of Castricum. It continues the duke of York until his re-embarkation.

After few days spent with Cassel to recover from its tirednesses, the January 20th 1800, it finds his/her friend Moreau in a campaign of the Armée with Germany which is crowned success: it was in the passing of the Rhine by the army of this name, made capitulate the Fort of Hohentweil, that 80 parts of gun defended, and then fought with Hohenwiel the 2, Stockach the 3, Engen the 4, Moeskirch the 5, Menningen the 10.

The August 17th 1800, it is marked this time of abuse and of administrative irregularities, it is again relieved, but for very little time since it is affected with the Armée with the Grisons under the orders of Macdonald. Put in treatment of reform, the 29 Thermidor Year VIII, and recalled, the 19 Fructidor, with the active service, it ordered the avant-garde of the army known as of reserve , with which it crosses the Splügen. The February 9th 1801, the Paix of Lunéville ends at a difficult campaign, where Vandamme was very often illustrated.

Accommodated on its return in the most flattering way by the First Consul, it accepted from it a pair of guns of the Manufacture of Versailles. Named member of the Legion of honor, the 19 Frimaire Year XII, and large officer of the Order 25 Meadow according to, whereas it had under his orders the 2nd division of the camp of Saint-Omer.

Empire

The October 6th 1805, it is the first countryside of Germany of Napoleon i. Vandamme, which orders the 2nd division in IVe army corps of the marshal Soult, had the 13 Vendémiaire, the honor to carry the first blows to the Austrian army, while collapsing, with the bridge of Donawert, the regiment of Colloredo, which deplored the loss of 60 men and 150 prisoners.

The December 2nd 1805, at the time of the Battle of Austerlitz, Vandamme fights with rage for the conquest of the plate of Pratzen and pushes back the Russian infantry with the bayonet before carrying the village of Augezd and then that of Telnitz. Its division occupied the left of the marshal Soult. The victory is spectacular: 45.000 Russians and Austrians killed, wounded or captive (including 15 Russian generals), 40 flags and 120 guns taken.

These actions were worth in Vandamme, the 3 nivôse, the dignity of Large-Eagle of the Legion of honor, as well as a dwelling in the Polder S of the island of Cadsand.

The December 2nd 1806, Napoleon sends it to with dimensions of his/her brother Jerome. With the head of a division Wurtemberg eoise, it seizes Glogau the December 5th, makes fall Breslau which capitulates the January 4th 1807, Brieg-on-Oder the January 17th, Schweidnitz the February 8th, Neisse the June 16th. Going then on Glatz, it forced, the June 23rd, the fortified camp established in front of this city. The October 22nd 1806, it is made Grand Cross of the royal Order of Holland and Frederic of Wurtemberg the fact Grand Cross of the military Order.

The Emperor had given him the command of the 16th military division the September 11th 1807, and had invested it that of the Camp of Boulogne the August 16th 1808; it sent it, the March 11th 1809, with Heidenheim, to put itself at the head of 10.000 Wurtembergeois forming the 8th large army corps, with which, the April 29th, jointly with the marshal Lefebvre, it beat with Abensberg the Austrian division of the general Thierry, took the April 22nd 1809 with the Bataille of Eckmühl the castle and the village of this name, and, the May 17th, pushed back vigorously the enemy with Urfar. In July 1809, it is wounded with Wagram.

Reinstated, its return of the army, in the command of the Camp of Boulogne, occupied during its absence by the general Holy-Suzanne, it was allowed to move violently into the house of the mayor and to make throw outside the pieces of furniture which it did not find with his suitability. Napoleon sent Vandamme in the 14th military division, after having named it, on January 1st 1811, president of the electoral college of Hazebrouck. He had it some time before created count d' Unebourg.

Though intended to order the troops Westphalia not belonging to the army expeditionary of Russia, it did not make this countryside, having been put of availability the August 6th 1812, in consequence of its contentions with the king Jerome.

Recalled to the large army the March 18th 1813, it ordered the 1st body there. Master of Haarbourg the April 27th, the 29 it occupied the island of Wilhemsburg, which enabled him to begin the bombardment of Haarbourg, that the enemy evacuated in the night of the 30 to the 31, and it prepared to go against the Russians, when an armistice suspended the hostilities temporarily.

Those being taken again, it seized, the August 25th, of Perne and of Hodendorf, demolished the 28, the Duc of Wittemberg, with which it made 2.000 prisoners, passed the throat of the large chain of the mountains of the Bohemia and went on Kulm, where 10.000 Russians, ordered by the general Ostermann, forced it to retrogress after an obstinate combat. It is the defeat of Kulm. It is captured by Cossacks whereas it tried to save its army and was made prisoner. Enmenné with Moscow, then transferred to Kasan, twenty miles of the Siberia.

In 1814, with the signature of peace. It is of return in France on September 1st, it is assigned with residence with Cassel by order of the government. The event of the March 20th 1815 brought back it on the scene of the world. It went at once to Paris. During the Hundred Days, Vandamme is joined the Emperor who does it Pair France. The April 9th 1815, Napoleon places it at the head of the 3rd army corps, with which, after the Bataille of Ligny, it obtained a significant advantage with Wavre.

It continued the enemy when it learned the disorder from the Bataille of Waterloo.

However, constantly badgered by the Prussian S, it operated its retirement in good order, passed the Sambre to Namur, without them daring to worry it, and continued its retrograde movement on Paris, where it brought back its almost intact army corps as well as a considerable material.

Vandamme occupied then Montrouge, Meudon, Vanves and Issy. Several generals, to the head of which one noticed Philibert Fressinet, came to find there to offer to him the command as a chief of the army: he refused. - Paris being occupied by the allies, Vandamme was withdrawn behind the the Loire, and sent its tender to the king, which did not prevent it from being included/understood in the ordinance of the July 24th.

Restoration

It was withdrawn initially in a castle close to Limoges, but the prefect of the High-Vienna having prescribed to him to leave this department in the twenty-four hours, it took the road of Orleans and went to Vierzon.

Lastly, included/understood in the ordinance of the July 14th 1815, it was necessary for him to leave the kingdom, and not finding asylum in Belgium, it embarked for the the United States.

The ordinance of February 1st 1819, on the outlaws, put an end to his exile; it was even restored, on April 1st 1820, on the framework of the general staff like available. Then it took its final retirement on January 1st 1825.

Since this time, Vandamme lived in the retirement. It spent the beautiful season to Cassel, the winter with Ghent, occupying its leisures with charitable organizations and to write Mémoires . He died in Cassel, the July 15th 1830.

Its name is registered on the Northern side of the Triumphal arch of the Star.

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