Jean-Baptiste Kléber

Biography

Youth and engagements preceding the Revolution

Born to the 18, Ditch-of-tanners with Strasbourg, baptized in the church Saint-Pierre-the-Old man, Kléber is wire of Jean-Nicolas Kléber, who die 3 years after his birth, and of Bogart Queen. It is raised by his father-in-law, Jean-Martin Burger and fact of the studies to the Gymnase Jean Sturm of Strasbourg.

Kléber engages first once in the army at the 16 years age in 1769, in the 1 {{er}} regiment of hussards. Engagement of short duration, because he is very quickly recalled to Strasbourg by his mother, to resume his studies. Of 1770 with 1771, it is student with the art school for arts and trades, installed with the Poêle of the Tribe, very close to the housing of Goethe which lived there at the same time. Kléber integrates then the workshop of the Architecte Chalgrin into Paris, of 1772 with 1774.

In 1777, Kléber engages again, this time as junior with the Military academy by Munich (armed Bavarian) where there remain approximately 8 months, before joining the famous Régiment of infantry of Kaunitz (armed Autrichienne), on October 1st 1777 with the rank of Privat-junior. It is named Porte-enseigne the November 19th according to. April 1st 1779, it is named Sous-lieutenant: it is its last promotion in the Austrian army. It leaves the regiment of Kaunitz in 1783, not hoping for no promotion more there and renonçant for a time with the military career. Three reasons were advanced to explain this failure:

Kléber is not noble, at one time when this quality is essential to advance quickly in soldiering;
It has bad character and is carried easily;
Kléber played of bad luck during its time of service: it took part in no true conflict, except for the Guerre of the potatoes, continuation of small operations against Prussia. Its life was shared between the garrisons of Mons, Malines and Luxembourg.

Military glory during the Revolution

At the time of the declaration of war of 1792, Kléber engages in the Armée with the Rhine and is illustrated in the defense of the Forteresse Mainz besieged in 1793. Become Brigadier general, it is sent in the Vendée to the head of provisional the Armée with Mainz to crush the rising there. Beaten with Battle of Tiffauges, It gains the victory with the Bataille of Montaigu, the Bataille of Cholet, the Bataille of Mans and finally with the Bataille of Savenay (December 1793). It closes the Vendean “Great War thus”.

He declared: “ the rebels fought like tigers and our soldiers like lions ”

After Savenay, and the departure of Marceau, Kléber becomes general-in-chief by interim until his replacement, at the beginning of January, by Louis Marie Turreau. Kléber tries to be opposed to the infernal Colonnes by recommending a plan of strict military occupation of the Vendée which is rejected. However, Kléber remains in the Armée with the West and fights the Chouans Brittany until May 1794, date on which it leaves the West definitively and passes in the Armée with North.

Role during the Battles of Fleurus

Battle of the June 16th 1794: Kléber with the load of the left wing of future the Armed with Sambre-and-Meuse whose commander-in-chief is Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. This first battle of Fleurus is a defeat for the French vis-a-vis the operational marshal Frederic of Saxony-Cobourg. Despite everything, the provisions of Kléber for the left wing initially made it possible to push back and demolish the column of Wartensleben what would have enabled him to arrive in reinforcement at the center or on the line in difficulty; too much late however. It was charged to cover the retirement what made it possible the French Army to pass by again the Sambre in good order and to take again the offensive which led to the victory of Fleurus the June 26th according to.

Battle of the June 26th 1794: This time, Kléber has the command of the reserve. In spite of that it could influence the course of the battle. Seeing the general Montaigu forced with the retirement by the general Latour, Kléber sends a division in reinforcement immediately. But this one, arriving too late, is obliged to also beat a retreat. Kléber reacts then while making place batteries on heights to support Montaigu and sends division Bernadotte in diversion so as to save an important station: “Marchiennes”. In front of this reaction on behalf of the Republicans (and reprocesses it of another of the Austrian columns ordered by the Prince d' Orange) the Autrichiens hesitate, that of which benefits immediately Kléber while being put at the head from a column and by tackling the left of the Latour column. Lastly, it sends the brigade Duhesme to turn the Austrians. This operation succeeds. Latour learning the loss from Charleroi, this one gives the order to beat a retreat.

Fallen in disgrace from the Directory, he obscurely lived with Chaillot, when Napoleon, in November 1797, arrived of Radstadt, after having conquered the Italy, dictated peace under Vienna and to have taken possession of Mainz. Kléber stuck to its fate and followed it in Egypt.

The countryside of Egypt

At the time of the Countryside of Egypt, Napoleon Bonaparte, whereas it is on the point of regaining France, entrusts the August 22nd 1799 to Kléber the supreme command of the army of Egypt. Kléber then concludes with the British admiral Smith the Convention from El Arich (January 24th 1800) for a honourable evacuation from Egypt by the French Army.

But the admiral Keith does not respect these clauses and asks the French to put the weapons low and to constitute himself captive. Kléber declared with its soldiers: “One does not answer such an insolence that by victories; soldiers, prepare you to fight” (declaration registered with the bottom of its monument Place Kléber in Strasbourg). Kléber takes again the hostilities then and gains an ultimate victory with Héliopolis against the 30.000 Turks whom the British had laid out opposite the French troops the March 20th 1800. It reconquers the High-Egypt then and subdue with artillery a revolt with the Cairo. Kléber finally seems able to hold the country, in spite of the many exactions made with regard to the population, the massacre of the prisoners Turkish, the lack of respect towards the religion and the constant profanation of the mosques by the troops of forwarding, when he is assassinated by a Syrian student, named Soleyman el-Halaby, the June 14th 1800. This one is condemned to the torment of the stake. The command is then taken again by the general Menou, rival of Kléber. Convert with the Islam and married to an Egyptian woman, it is made call Abdallah-Jacques. He belongs to him to liquidate the forwarding of Egypt following the defeat vis-a-vis the British.

The remainders of Kléber, brought back to Marseilles, were forgotten in the Château of Yew, when Louis XVIII ordered, in 1818, that they were transferred in his birthplace, which accepted them with gratitude and veneration. They rest in a vault built in the middle of the place of weapons, and above which Strasbourg and whole France made raise a statue have bronzes, inaugurated the June 14th 1840.

Homages

Monuments

Its body rests since the December 15th 1838 in a vault located under its statue at the center of the Place Kléber, the old place of Weapons in the middle of Strasbourg. The statue, works of Philippe Grass of 1840, represents the general in feet, holding the letter of the admiral Keith who asked for the capitulation of the French troops. Kléber was addressed then to its troops: “Soldiers, one does not answer such an insolence that by victories. Prepare you to fight”. The Turkish army conveyed by the British was crushed by the troops of Kléber. The inauguration of this statue was made with a certain embarrassment by the authorities of the time. It was indeed the time of the Monarchie of July and the reconciliation and the lapse of memory of the last conflicts. The city thus organized a great festival for the inauguration of the statue of Gutenberg, consensual subject and rassemblor, whereas the inauguration of the statue of Kléber was done much more discreetly 10 days earlier in June 1840.
As a great military figure of the Revolution, its name is registered on the Triumphal arch of the Star of the place of Star with Paris.

Glance of the contemporaries

Napoleon Bonaparte, on the island Grey waxbill: “Courage, design, it had all (...). Its death was an irrevocable loss for France and me. It was Mars, the god of the war in person. ”
Victor Hugo itself maintained the worship klébérien, writing these worms that a long time the children of the schools will ânonneront (the Punishments, 1853): “iron running up against iron; The Marseillaise winged and flying in the balls; Drums, shells, bombs, cymbals; And your laughter, O Kléber.”
Antoine de Jomini (general): “the Kléber general can be put at the row of the best generals of the Révolution; and we do not balance to immediately place it after Bonaparte and Moreau. He was the most beautiful man of the army; a colossal size, a noble figure, a force equal to its courage, united with the genius of the war, gave him large ascending on his/her comrades. {…} One will constantly find it on the fields of glory, until his tragic death on banks of the the Nile. ”
Caffarelli, which could make on Kléber a satisfied assessment, said of him: “ you See this Hercules, his genius devours it! ”

Anecdote

The History knows certain astonishing coincidences. Thus, the June 14th 1800 sees death with its friend and fifteen minutes close to the Kléber general in Egypt the general Desaix, fallen with the Bataille Marengo, where it then offered the victory to Napoleon over the Austrian troops members of the Second coalition.

References

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