Ipso facto

Jean Etienne Vachier, known as Championnet , general French, was born with Valence, the April 13rd 1762. He is deceased the January 9th 1800 with Antibes.

Origin

He was the natural son of Madeleine Collion, and his employer Etienne Grand (lawyer). His/her mother, not to compromise the father of the child, declares like patronym with the civil statue that of her own grandmother, Vachier. There exist two acts of marital statuses reporting this birth, strictly identical, except the dates; one is dated from the April 13rd, the other of the 14. His/her father calls it Championnet, drawn from “ Champ of Pionnet ”, name of one of his properties valentinoises where the child was certainly designed. With died of his father, Jean Etienne Vachier will not take the Large-Championnet name of , then starting from 1792, because the noble or composed names become extremely badly seen, it will not sign any more but under the name of Championnet.

Beginnings of the French revolution

He enters strong young person to the service of the fatherland and owes with his value a fast advance. Member of the national guard as of his creation in 1789, it takes a big part in the revolutionary movement .

He served some time in Spain. Some mocking remarks on the illegitimacy of its birth had forced it with expatrier. Returned in France in 1791, it continued the military career and was named chief of the 6th battalion of the Drome. It is named Adjudant-General in 1792. In May 1793, it is charged to suppress and neutralize the revolt of the Girondins the Jura, which it achieves without blood bath.

The countryside of the Rhine

Under the command of Pichegru, it takes share with the Campagne of the Rhine, then with Wissenbourg and in the Palatinat, and gains the regard of Lazare Hoche. It is named Colonel after the combat of Arlon, and Brigadier general in 1793.

With the battles of Fleurus, the June 26th 1794, attacked by quadruple forces, it pushed back the Prince Charles, collapsed the cavalry of Kaunitz. By its combat applied to the center of the battle field, it contributes largely to the victory of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, and, springing following overcome, cut them in parts with Marbas and removed to them, after a bloody combat, the heights of Clermont.

In the following campaigns, it orders the left wing of the French Armies of the Rhine between Neuwied and Düsseldorf, and its action is decisive in successes or the failures of forwardings towards the Lahn and the Main. Würzburg, Altenkirchen was pilot of its value and its skill. The preliminaries of Léoben stopped its successes on this side; but in charge of the command of an army corps in north, it beat, in 1798, with Blankenberge, the English come to bombard Ostend. It makes a success of several brilliant deeds, so much so that Hoche will say of him: “ the Championnet division requires where is the enemy, it never gets informed about the number! ”

The army of Rome

In 1798, Championnet is named commander-in-chief of “the Armée with Rome”, charged with protecting the young republic against the Court from Naples and the British fleet. Supposed being of 32 000 men, the army hopes of them only 8.000 in a position to fight, with hardly 15 cartridges per man.

The Armée with Rome had to be folded up in front of the 60.000 men that the Austrian general Karl Mack pushed in front of him, 7.000 English, unloaded with Leghorn are dispersed; soon it returns as a winner to Rome, makes invest Capoue and seizes Gaeta. Capoue having capitulated the January 10th 1799, the January 23rd 1799 of the same month it enters to Naples and drives out the royal British and troops of them. It organizes the République parthénopéenne which was to last if little.

Dismissal

These successes cause to him solids enmities which involve its dismissal and its replacement by Macdonald the February 13rd 1799 then its arrest the February 24th, by order of the Directoire, following a contention which it had with a government commissioner, and its judgment for abuse of power. The general-in-chief Championnet was translated in front of a Conseil of war, trailed brigade in brigade until Grenoble where he was imprisoned until the revolution of the 30 meadow year VII.

The return in Italy

After the coup d'etat of the June 18th 1799 which brings back the Jacobins to the capacity, Championnet is released and takes again activity with the command of the Armée with the Alps, which it had to reorganize very whole. But, the head of soldiers too very few, stripped and weakened by an epidemic of Typhus, it fails in its mission of defending the borders of the the Alps. Charged with replacing Joubert, after the Battle of Novi, it is established in the Rivière of Genoa and was driven back soon there in the most difficult position, without ammunition, without money, opposite an enemy many; he east demolishes with Genola, the November 4th 1799 by the Austro-Russians. Fortunately the return of Napoleon Bonaparte recorded his courage. It sent its resignation to the Directoire in a letter where it announced the young general like the only man who could save Italy.

After the 18 brumaire, Championnet, required and obtained its replacement of the Directoire. It falls ill of the Typhus and dies out with Antibes the January 9th 1800, at the 37 years age. It is buried at the height Carré.

Monument

Its heart, according to its desire, was deposited, with Valence, in the vault Saint-Ruf, used like Temple of the Reason and become Protestant Temple today. The funeral urn containing its heart, offered by Napoleon Bonaparte is there in a monument raised at the bottom of the apse.

Its statue by the resident of Grenoble Victor Sappey is high on the Champ de Mars in Valence in 1848. Its name is reproduced on the Triumphal arch in Paris.

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