François Joseph Lefebvre

Life of a soldier

Origins and engagement in the French Guards

His/her father was miller and died leaving his eight years old son, but an ecclesiastic, his uncle, was made his guard and directed his education while intending it for the Church; but leaning irresistible involved it towards the military career. Originating in Alsace, it engages at 18 years in the French Guards the September 10th 1773.

Marriage with “Mrs Sans-Gêne”

In 1783, it Marie with a washing machine, Catherine Hubscher, last with the posterity under the name of Mrs Sans-Gêne, with which he will have fourteen children of which thirteen will die in low age.

The Battalion of the Girl-Saint-Thomas

He became first sergeant of the French Guards the April 9th 1788. He mixed with the first riots, while protecting his officers against violences from the people the July 21st 1789, and by facilitating their escape. After the dismissal of the French Guards, it entered the Bataillon of the Girl-Saint-Thomas and, with the head of a detachment of this battalion, was wounded twice by defending the royal family and trying to protect it with the return to the Tuileries, after its departure for Saint-Cloud, and by supporting the escape towards Rome of the aunts of the king Louis XVI. In 1792, it saved the case of discount of plundering.

The officer of the revolutionary armies

Captain at the beginning of the war, in 1792, it is Brigadier general to the end of the year 1793, Major general in January 1794. Entered the September 3rd 1793 the regular army, it became Brigadier general before the end of the year. Major general after the combat of Lambach and Giesberg. It was distinguished everywhere and almost always with the avant-garde.

One finds Lefebvre in all the important battles in the North and on the Rhine of 1793 with 1799, in particular with the Geisberg (December 26th 1793), with the taken of Arlon (April 18th 1794) and with that of Dining (May 29th 1794), with Fleurus (June 26th), with Altenkirchen (June 4th 1795) and Wetzlar (June 15th), with Friedberg (July 10th), with the Passage of the Rhine to Neuwied (April 18th 1797).

The first of the generals of the Republic, it carried out the Passage of the Rhine, with the head of its pomegranates, in spite of a terrible fire, and is established on Right Bank in front of Elelkamp. In 1797, it removed Siegberg with the Bataille of Altenkirchen and gathered new palms at the days of Kaldeich, of Friedberg, Bamberg and Sulzbach. Lefebvre was named governor of the Forteresse of Mainz starting from March 13rd, 1798; its residence was with the Palais Bassenheim.

After the death of Notch, it takes temporarily the command as a chief of the Armée with Sambre-and-Meuse (September 1797). It orders the avant-garde of the Armée with the Danube under the orders of Jourdan in March 1799. With 8.000 men, it supported with the battles of Stockach the efforts of 36.000 Austrians. But in Pfullendorf (March 21st 1799), a wound engraves forced it to leave the army: he becomes military governor of Paris in 1799.

The Directory named it then ordering the 17th military division whose chief town was Paris. It is indicated by the Conseil of the Five hundred as candidate with the Directoire but is not elected.

The military governor of Paris

Rejoined with Bonaparte, its post of military governor of Paris enables him to play a big role during the Coup d'etat of the 18 brumaire. The 18 brumaire, with the head of 25 men, it penetrated in the room of the Conseil of the Five hundred, advanced to the platform, and, in spite of the cries, in spite of the threats, involved Lucien Bonaparte to his brother who awaited it the outside, at the time when both were going to be put out the law.

Lefebvre penetrates in the room of the Five hundred the sword with the hand and lance its pomegranates with the continuation of the deputies. With the voice of their general, the troops did not hesitate any more, and the Revolution which brought the consular government was consumed. Lefebvre, inflexible soldier, passively assisted the execution of a plot, of which perhaps he was unaware of the secrecies. Bonaparte preserved the command of the 17th division to him. It was then employed with the pacification of the departments of the West.

The senator and marshal of Empire

Napoleon will not forget it: for the time being, Lefebvre is made Senator on April 1st 1800: he exerts with the Senate the functions of Préteur. The May 19th 1804 during the first promotion, it is high with the dignity of Maréchal of Empire. Large Eagle of the Legion of honor, it is however not employed in the army before 1805. Its age and its perfect knowledge of the payments of infantry however make of it a ordering good of rear-guard, but its hard manners and the behavior of his wife ex-cantinière, famous the Mrs Sans-Gêne of Sardou, irritate the Emperor when the couple appears at the court.

In 1805 it was in charge of the command as a chief of the national guards of the Roer, the Rhine-and-Moselle and the Mount-Thunder. In 1806, it ordered the imperial Guard with foot. For the countryside of Germany, Napoleon entrusts to him a division of the Large army. From Iéna, the October 14th 1806, Lefebvre orders the infantry of the imperial Garde.

The duke of Dantzig

In 1807, with the head of the 10th body, it covered and protected the operations from the large army on the left of the the Vistula, and after the Bataille of Eylau, it went to gain the title of duke of Dantzig while seizing this city. It gathers Xe army corps to Thorn and besieges Dantzig (March 27th with the May 19th 1807). Lefebvre repeats with the artillerists: “I do not understand anything with your business, but drive to me a hole and I will pass there. ” what it does, in May 1807. This difficult seat is worth to him the title of duke of Dantzig.

“Chocolates of Dantzig”

At the conclusion of the capitulation of this city, Napoleon, receiving the Marshal with the Abbey of Oliva (Poland), asked to him whether he liked the chocolate. Answering by the affirmative, the Emperor offered a box, supposed to him to contain chocolate. In fact, the contents consisted of a bundle of three hundred tickets of thousand francs, in reward of its bravery.

In 1808, it ordered the 4th body in Spain. Lefebvre accompanies the Emperor in Spain where it gains in particular the victories over the Spaniards with the Bataille of Durango (October 31st) and of Espinosa (November 11th) and beats the Britanniques in Guenes (November 7th) and Valmaceda (November 8th). It takes Bilbao, Santander and Segovia (December 3rd).

Of return in Germany in 1809, it is named ordering Bavarian army. It is with Abensberg the April 20th, Schierling the 21, Eckmühl the 22, order the army of the the Tyrol from May to October but cannot come to end from the revolt from Andreas Hofer.

In 1812, it orders the Day before Keeps with the Moskowa and during the Retraite of Russia. During the countryside of France in 1814, it fights with Montmirail, Arcis-on-Paddle and Champaubert where it had a horse killed under him.

The April 4th, Lefebvre is one of the marshals who attend the interview of Napoleon with Macdonald, come to require his abdication of him. It left the Emperor only after his abdication.

Par of France

He votes the forfeiture of the Emperor to the Sénat, is made Pair France by Louis XVIII (June 4th 1814), but joins with Napoleon during the Hundred Days.

With the March 20th 1815, its age and its infirmities moving away it from the battle fields, it remained with the Upper House.

The Lefebvre Marshal was mayor of Pontault-Combault of 1813 with 1820.

He is excluded from the Chambre of the Pars at the time of the Second Restoration. He nevertheless is maintained with his row of marshal. Louis XVIII returns his peerage to him the March 5th 1819. It returned there in 1819 to vote with the constitutional members.

He died in Paris the September 14th 1820 of a Hydropisie of chest. Of fourteen children of which he was father, including twelve wire, he did not leave any of it to inherit his name and his titles. A few days before dying, it had marked itself its place with the Father-Lachaise with Paris, beside Masséna, not far from Pérignon and of Sérurier.

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

Glances of the contemporaries

The opinion of Napoleon with Grey waxbill:

“Lefebvre, with the head office of Dantzig, wrote initially only stupidities to me, but when the Russians unloaded, it was found in its element, and its reports/ratios became those of a man who sees well. ”

Partial source

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