Jean-Girard Lacuée

Jean-Girard Lacuée , count of Cessac, born with the Castle of Lamassas close to Hautefage-the-Turn in the district of Agen (Lot-et-Garonne) the November 4th 1752 and died in Paris the June 18th 1841, is a military man and French politician, Minister for the war under Napoleon and Pair of France.

Biography

After having made excellent humanities, it delivered to the study mathematics, and entered the Régiment of Dauphine-Infantry, in the capacity as second lieutenant.

He had arrived at the rank of captain when the Maréchal of Broglie entrusted to him, in 1784, the monitoring of work and the inspection of the control of the junior-gentlemen of the garrison of Metz. After having been captain of regiment, it is withdrawn to be devoted to sciences and the letters and contributes of the articles on the art of warfare to large the Encyclopédie .

The Lacuée young person devoted to serious studies at the solemn time of the French revolution of 1789. The Révolution gives a new turn to its career.

He devoted himself to the new order of things, without enthusiasm, without passion, but with a will closes which reconciled to him the regard of the inhabitants of its department. They gave him a double testimony of their sympathy by naming initially it (1790) prosecutor-general, syndic of this department, then appointed with the legislative Assemblée (1791), where it defended, with as much talent than of energy, the Constitution of 1791.

All its speeches in this Parliament had mainly p' our object the organization of the army. At the time of the defection of Dumouriez, Lacuée protested with force against this general, and confused his Apologiste S

The April 28th 1792, Lacuée was high with the presidency; but it had shown too much moderation to the legislative platform, too much attachment to the established order, not to be far away from the businesses.

Such were the reasons which prevented it, in September, to be re-elected with national Convention. It entered soon the offices of the war. There was already a so advantageous opinion of extended from his knowledge in the various parts of the art of warfare, that when the general Servan left, at October, the ministry, Lacuée were put at the number of the candidates proposed to replace it. Its votes with the legislative Parliament had failed to make it stripe list; but Vergniaud made there maintain by the heat with which he embraced his defense.

Become and chief brigadier general of staff of the twelve armies of the Pyrenees the February 3rd 1793, it was not long in being marked by Baudot to have taken share with the rebellion of the authorities of Toulon. This charge did not have however any annoying consequence for him.

It was withdrawn in an isolated country house, where it dealt especially with agricultural and literary work, when in the month of pluviôse year III, it accepted the order to go again to the Armée with the Pyrenees.

Next 15 Thermidor, Letourneur of the English Channel, member of the Committee of public hello, pointed out it and charged it with directing the operations of the ministry for the war. It was under its administration that the French Army carried out the First passage of the Rhine.

The 1st vendémiaire year IV, Lacuée was elected appointed with the Conseil of Old the. One wanted to give him little time after the command of the troops which fought the sections in the day of the 13 vendémiaire, it did not believe to have to accept, and Napoleon Bonaparte was selected in its place. He also refused, about the same time, the ministry for the war, which was given to Dubayet.

The 1st brumaire, the Parliament called it with the presidency. One saw it deciding in favor of the project concerning to the boards of directors of the troops, to fight the resolution on the abandoned children, to make approve that concerning the gendarmerie post and to vote against the establishment of the new right-of-way which the government had solved to create.

During the division which burst between the Directory and the councils, division which brought the day of the 18 fructidor, Lacuée belonged to the commission of the inspectors of the room devoted to the legislative meetings. It had to fear whereas friendship who linked it with Carnot, member of the Directoire, did not make it wrap in the proscription of the directorial party. Not only its freedom was not threatened, but it continued to sit at the council of Old, where it defended this same Carnot courageously, his/her friend, which the victorious party tackled with an extreme violence. It had to answer soon itself the inculpations of the emigrant Mallet-Dupan, who showed it intrigues and of royalism. He victoriously refuted these inculpations in a letter which he addressed to his colleagues of the two councils.

Lacuée left the council Old in 1798. Its fellow-citizens gave him a new testimony of regard by naming it appointed with the council of the Five hundreds.

He presented various reports/ratios to it on the loan compulsory, on the personnel of the army, the lifting of the conscripts; then it spoke in praise of the bravery and the satisfying of the general Chérin, died with Strasbourg of the continuations of the glorious wounds which it had received in Souabe.

The 18 brumaire finds in the Lacuée general a man determined to support the new order of things. Become henchman of Napoleon, he is member of the Council of State, and was charged by the First Consul with presenting to the legislative Body several projects of military organization.

The 16 floréal, the first Consul entrusted to him the wallet of the war by interim, in the absence of Berthier, which it had sent in Spain. Thermidor 3 year XI, it was called with the presidency of the section of the war to the Council of State, little time after to the government of the Polytechnic school. He became then member of the Institute, member of the Academy of Science morals and political, famous body to which the first Consul, very covered of its young person and brilliant glory, honoured himself to belong. Lastly, the 9 vendémiaire year XII, it accepted the decoration of member of the Légion of honor, and the 25 meadow following the title of large officer of the Order.

The 10 nivôse year XIII, Lacuée went to the legislative Body with Champagny, Minister of Interior Department, and Regnaud of Saint-Jean-in Angely, to make there the talk of the situation of the Empire. It joined the French Academy in 1803

Napoleon, who appreciated with dignity the talents and the noble character of Lacuée, raised it with the dignity of advising State with life the 3 germinal year XIII, with the Major general rank of the 17 vendémiaire year XIV; then, in 1806, it gave him the head office of the Conscription and of the reviews, appointed it minister of state with life the November 5th 1807, created it count de Cessac the April 26th 1808 and large eagle of the Legion of honor did it the February 2nd 1809.

The Lacuée general, filled benefits of the Emperor, born was not long in giving him marks of devotion, if one judges some by the speech that he pronounced in 1809, with the platform of the Senate, to propose a lifting of 360.000 men there

February 8th, 1809, he marries in Paris Louise-Augustine of the White of Brantes, girl of the marquis de Brantes. The January 3rd 1810, the Emperor appointed it directing Minister for the administration of the war. It deployed in these new functions a severe probity, which made him enemies of all those which would have liked to see him tolerating the scandalous dilapidations to which place the supplies and the material expenditure of the army gave. All its moments were devoted to the reform of these abuses. It prevails with rigor against the men who had made themselves guilty from there. Also, one saw all these men, devoured by the ambition of the richnesses, to represent the count de Cessac like an administrator whose narrow measurements of economy, the tyrannical requirements would harm the great operations of Napoleon, by alienating the love of its soldiers to him if the Emperor did not let himself shake by the interested clamors die these vampires; he preserved the wallet at the count de Cessac and gave him new evidence of its regard.

When Napoleon consulted his council on the project of marriage which it had formed, Lacuée decided for a Russian princess.

He was opposed, on several occasions, with the council, the war against the Russia.

However, in 1813, when integrates it and rigid minister had acquired the certainty which one could not continue the war to which he had been opposed without weakening the severity of the rules that he had established in the administration, he believed of its duty to request its resignation, which was granted to him. The count Daru replaced it.

The count de Cessac continued, however to be useful with same devotion. One saw it, at the time where the French territory was invaded by the foreign armies, only protesting with sharpest energy against the Plénipotentiaire S of the various powers joined together with Châlons, which proposed to dismember the Empire. It followed then, like chair section of the war, the empress Marie-Louise with Blois, and left it only after the Abdication of Napoleon.

He accepted Louis XVIII an inspection of infantry, and was with Bourges at the time of the Débarquement of Napoleon. During the Hundred Days, it did not take any share with the public affairs. Louis XVIII, with the return of Ghent, removed to him the most invaluable reward of its long services, the government of the Polytechnic school.

It is withdrawn from the policy to the fall of the Emperor. Maintained in the French Academy at the time of the reorganization of 1816, he will die about it senior.

In 1819, the count de Cessac went to its Château of Brantes, located close to Sorgues, in the Vaucluse, splendid property of the family of his wife; it fixed its stay at it, and shared there its time between the agriculture and the education of his children.

It returned to Paris in 1831. The new government, remembering then the services of the count de Cessac, believed duty to reward some by calling it with the Chambre for the Pars (November 19th 1831), where it was always pointed out by a lit patriotism, the frankness from his character and the independence of his opinions.

This statesman had made a thorough study of the art of the war. He was the intelligent, inflexible and honest executor, of the great intentions of Napoleon, for the benefits of which he preserved a deep recognition. It was seen, during the translation of ashes of the great man, to forget his age, his infirmities, the excessive rigor of the cold, and, prostrate sure the paving stone of the temple, to groan and pour tears in front of the coffin of Sainte-Hélène.

The count de Cessac died in Paris, the June 14th 1841, at 89 years.

In addition to very many reports/ratios and decree projects on the military businesses, Lacuée is the author of a Guide of the particular officers in shift, or Connoissances soldiers necessary during the war to the particular officers , published in two volumes in 1785.

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