Jean-Baptiste Jourdan

Military career

Wire of a surgeon of Limoges, it engages in 1778 with the Régiment of Resident of Auxerre and made there the countryside of America like private. Returned to France in 1782, it leaves the army in 1784 and is established draper with Limoges.

Captain of the National guard in 1789, it is voluntary in 1791, elected lieutenant-colonel of the 2nd battalion of the High-Vienna which it leads to the Armée with North.

He makes the countryside of Belgium under Dumouriez. With the Armed with North, it takes part in the battles of Jemmapes (November 6th 1792) and of Neerwinden (March 18th 1793).

It is distinguished in particular around Namur, at the time of the retirement of the army. The May 27th 1793, it is high with the rank of Brigadier general, and with that of Major general the July 30th according to. It orders with the Bataille of Hondschoote, where it is wounded by removing the enemy cuttings off with the head of its troops. The September 26th, it replaces Houchard with the command of the army. It is soon ordering Armée with the Ardennes, then of the Armée with North and beats Frederic-Josias of Saxony-Cobourg to Wattignies (15 - October 16th 1793), disputed with eagerness in a 48 hour old combat, and forced the prince of Cobourg to raising the blockade of Maubeuge. New research of the regional historian Henri Fremaux of Aix Noulette made it possible to clarify the decisive role of the principal general under the orders of Jourdan, the young general Florent Duquesnoy , who will disobey the orders received to be able to approach the hill of Wattignies contrary to the two other generals who sacrificed their troops in awkward operations. It was Duquesnoy which launched its men the morning of October 16th, pushing the new guns of Gribeauval on a slope considered to be inaccessible by the Austrians. By doing this, it took the fortified camp from Wattignies and was able to turn all the guns towards the Austrian lines which were taken out of clipper. Clairfayt had of another solution only to flee towards north and to pass by again Sambre. Duquesnoy, considered at the time as the true winner of Wattignies, for this reason was named commander-in-chief of the armies of north to the place and place of Jourdan. However, the new mission being of supporting Turreau in the Vendée, Duquesnoy was the republican general to only dare to be opposed to the genocide in January - February 1794.

Wanting to take the offensive, the Comité of public hello calls Jourdan in Paris. This one made the point that the army is made up only of new recruits, the majority without weapons nor clothes, and that it is better to pass the winter on the defensive, to be in a position to attack in spring. Its plans are adopted, but its reserve is not forgotten, and as soon as the troops are in a position to act, it is replaced by Jean-Charles Pichegru.

The Comité of public hello takes even a decree by which it orders the dismissal and the arrest of the Jourdan general, but of the representatives of the people close to the army, take its defense, the Comité limits itself to propose with Barrère to put it at the retirement. Relieved in January 1794, it takes again its trade with Limoges.

Soon, however, it is employed again and obtains the command of the Armée with the Moselle. It opens the countryside of 1794 by the combat of Arlon, where the Austrians, forts of 16.000 men, are completely beaten. It receives then the order to cross the the Ardennes and to bring together 40.000 men in front of Charleroi and the right wing of the Armée with North, which it carries out with skill. Its troops receive the name of Armée with Sambre-and-Meuse.

This army passes the Sambre, gains the decisive victory of the battles of Fleurus (June 26th 1794), that of the Ourthe and Aywaille the September 18th, and that of Roèr the October 2nd according to. It beats the enemy in several engagements, takes again the places of Landrecies, Quesnoy, Valencian and Condé, makes the conquest of those of Charleroi, Namur, Juliers and Maestricht, and plants its flags on the the Rhine since Clèves until Coblentz.

In October 1798, it resigns and is named ordering Armée with the Danube. In 1798, it takes possession of the fortress of Luxembourg which capitulates. In September, it passes the the Rhine of sharp force, in the presence of a body of 20.000 Austrians and seizes Dusseldorf. The army of Clerfayt joined together on the Lahn does not dare to run the risk of a battle and is folded up beyond the Main. Jourdan continues it, gives an opinion between Mainz and Höchst, or passes the line of neutrality agreed upon with the Prussia.

Pichegru, which crossed the the Rhine to Mannheim, and should have advanced with the major part of its forces on the Hand to cut the retirement in Clerfayt and to operate its junction with the Armée with Sambre-and-Meuse, is restricted to carry on Heidelberg a body of 10.000 men, which is completely beaten in a few days. Clairfayt, reassured by the inaction of Pichegru, draws from the reinforcements of the Austrian army of the Haut-Rhin, crosses the line of neutrality above Frankfurt, and operates to wrap the Armée with Sambre-and-Meuse between the Lahn, the Hand and the Rhine.

These circumstances force Jourdan with the retirement. A little later having forced the Lines of Mainz, Jourdan goes to the help of the Armée with the Rhine-and-Moselle. After short but brilliant countryside in the Hunsrück, it was appropriate of an armistice, and the war begins again only next spring. It then passes again the Rhine, forces the general Wartenslenben to beat a retreat, seizes Frankfurt and of Würzburg and goes on Ratisbon.

But attacked by the Archduke Charles Louis of Austria which moves back in front of Moreau and assists from Wartenslenben with 40.000 men, it is folded up on the the Rhine. Its retirement is especially caused by the bad instructions given to the armies by the government, and by the party took Moreau which prefers an easy victory over the Lech instead of continuing the archduke Charles. This one beats Jourdan with Würzbourg the September 3rd 1796.

Political career

Jourdan having left the command of the army is named in March 1797, by the department of the High-Vienna, with the Conseil of the Five hundred. The September 23rd, it is elected president, and the January 21st 1798 secretary. Re-elected president the September 24th, it gives its resignation in October, announcing that the Directoire intends it for the command armies.

In the performance of its legislative duties, it makes adopt the law on the Conscription of the September 5th 1798, which returns the Military service obligatory.

By its exaggerated claims with Rastadt, and its companies in Swiss Italy and , the Directoire, which arms all Europe against him, neglects nevertheless to raise armies able to hold head with the storm, and opens the hostilities before to have joined together all the means it has. When the Armed with the Danube, ordered by Jourdan, crosses the the Rhine on March 1st 1799 and enters in Souabe, it counts only 38.000 men and is not long in being in the presence of the archduke Charles which joins together, him, more than 65.000 men under its orders. It is beaten with Stockach the March 25th 1799.

The gained advantage is not been as considerable as Jourdan hoped for it, it continues its retirement and goes towards the outlets of the Black Forest. The general Moreau must then carry out a famous retirement, and Jourdan is disgraced. The April 10th it is replaced by André Masséna.

The July 14th ( 26 Messidor year VII ), for the birthday of the Storming of the Bastille , the Jourdan general carries a toast “ to the resurrection of the spades ”.

Re-elected with the the Council of the Five hundred in May 1799, it in vain tries to be opposed to the Coup d'etat of the 18 brumaire An VIII (November 9th 1799). Because it does not go under the banner of the general Bonaparte, it is excluded from the legislative Body, and temporarily condemned to be held in the Charente-Lower .

Napoleon Bonaparte names it nevertheless the July 24th 1800 inspector of the infantry and the cavalry, then ambassador in République cisalpine, general administrator of the Piedmont, adviser of State.

In January 1803, elected candidate with the preserving Senate by the electoral college of the High-Vienna, it is called with the command as a chief of the Armée with Italy. The May 19th 1804, it is created Maréchal of Empire and large cord of the Légion of honor. In June 1805, it receives the Ordre of Saint-Hubert of Bavaria, and orders the operations of the Camp of Castiglione, during the crowning of Napoleon, like King d' Italie.

Replaced with the army by Masséna at the time when the war bursts, he complains bitterly with the Emperor, and in 1806 is sent to Naples in the capacity as governor of this city, where he sticks to the king Joseph. In 1808, it passes in Spain in the capacity as general major under king Joseph whom it constantly follows as council. Disgusted he requests his recall which he obtained on the end of 1809. Jourdan lives within its family, when the Emperor, determined to make the war with the Russia, orders to him to turn over to Spain with his first quality. It is for this second period that takes place the Retraite of Madrid and that is given the Bataille of Vittoria, the June 20th 1813, after which it is put at the retirement.

One a long time charged to the Jourdan marshal the bad success of this day, but it orders there neither of right nor in fact, and its councils test many contradictions. After the battle of Vittoria, it returns to France and remains without activity until the following year, where it nevertheless is named with the head of the 19th military division, command which is confirmed with the Restauration.

The April 3rd 1814, it sends Rocou its adhesion to all the acts of the provisional government, is created Chevalier of Saint-Louis the June 2nd, and withdraws in the countryside after the March 26th 1815. Napoleon calls it with the Chambre of the Pars in June and sends it to Besancon in the capacity as governor of this place and military division.

Second Restoration

Under the second Restoration, it adopts monarchy again. It chairs the council of war which must judge the marshal Ney, and who declares himself inefficient. He refuses the presidency of the court which must judge and condemn the marshal.

In 1817, it is named governor of the 7th military division, and the following year the king calls it in Chambré Pars.

At the time of the revolution of 1830, he is police chief at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He is then named governor of the Invalides. He dies in Paris the November 23rd 1833.

Funerals of the marshal took place to the church of the Invalids and its remainders were deposited in caveaux Hotel.

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