Jean Victor Marie Moreau

Jean Victor Marie Moreau (born the February 4th 1763 with Morlaix and dead the September 2nd 1813 with Lahn in Bohemia) was a French general of the Revolution, also Feld-Marshall of Russia on a purely posthumous basis.

Origin

His/her father was a lawyer installed well, and instead of authorizing Jean to enter the army, it forced to him to study the right to the university of Rennes.

Beginnings of the French revolution

Jean used his time to become the provost students whom it organized in militia which took share with the scuffles between the noble young people and the people in 1788, little before the Révolution. It was its first notable act: the rising of the students of Rennes against the edicts of Brienne which upset the legal organization of the Brittany to the contempt of the clauses of the edict of Union.

In 1789, after the Storming of the Bastille , it formed a company of gunners of the national guard of Rennes and was proclaimed captain. In 1790, it chaired the Confédération of Breton youth and angevine.

Military career

In September 1791, it was elected Lieutenant-colonel 1st battalion of the volunteers of Ille-et-Vilaine. With them, it was used in 1792 for the Armée with North with Dumouriez. The February 9th 1793, it seizes the fort of Stephenswerth. In March, it is announced to Neerwinden. The end of the year 1793, the good behavior of its battalion, its martial nature and its republican principles ensured to him a promotion like Brigadier general.

Carnot, which was famous to have an eye as for qualities of a chief, promoted it Major general the April 12th 1794 and gave him the command of the right wing of the army under Pichegru in the Flandres. The March 3rd 1795, it was named commander-in-chief of the Armée with North, to replace Pichegru.

General-in-chief on the Rhine

The Bataille of Tourcoing establishes its military celebrity, and the following year it obtained the direction of the Armée with the Rhine-and-Moselle to replace Desaix the April 21st 1795, with which it crosses the the Rhine and advanced in Germany. At the beginning it was victorious (Prise of Mainz and Kehl, victory of Heydenheim), but it ran up against the Russian and the Autrichiens which forced it with the retirement. This one was regarded as a model like as much as it brought back more than five thousand prisoners. The December 25th 1795, it was indicated commander-in-chief of the joined together Armies of the Rhine-and-Moselle and Sambre-and-Meuse. It ordered as a chief, for the first time, in May 1796, with the Armée with the Rhine. It passed this river in July, whereas Napoleon Bonaparte was Master of all the Italy.

In the Year V (1797) after difficulties prolonged by the lack of money and material it crossed the Rhine again but its operations were stopped by the preliminaries of the peace of Leoben. It was at that time that it found the correspondence of treason between his former comrade and chief Pichegru and the emigrant prince de Condé. He had been the witness of Pichegru against denunciations of disloyalty but he discovered whereas its attitude made it itself suspect of complicity. In 1797, it seized Offenburg.

War in Italy

It was dislocated and it is only in the absence of Bonaparte and the victorious advance of Souvorov which made necessary the use of a general of experiment that it accepted the command of the Armée with Italy. The April 21st 1799, it was named commander-in-chief of the army of Italy in the place of Schérer. The June 22nd 1799, it gained the victory of San-Giuliano.

It remained with its successor Joubert until the Bataille of Novi where this last was killed. It then carried out the retirement and given the troops between the hands of Championnet.

In 1799, Moreau seemed any more to enjoy any credit, neither in the army, nor with the center the nation. Its control, in fructidor of the Year V, had discredited it in all the parties.

When Bonaparte returned from Egypt, it found as much Moreau with Paris very dissatisfied with the Directoire as soldier that like republican.

At the time of the Coup d'etat of the 18 brumaire, it lent strong hand to Bonaparte (by blocking two of the directors in Luxembourg) which entrusted to him the Armée with the Rhine.

Consulate and Empire

During the Armistice of Pahrsdorf, Moreau having gone on a journey to Paris went down to the Tuileries. It was not awaited there.

He married Miss Hullot, a creole of the circle of Joséphine de Beauharnais, whose family took an ascent supplements on him.

He gained celebrates it victory of Hohenlinden the 12 frimaire An IX (December 3rd 1800). He returned to France to enjoy the fortune obtained during his campaigns.

See also: Battle of Hohenlinden

His wife gathered the opponents with the rise of the capacity of Napoleon, which made stop the conspirators of which Moreau. Pichegru committed suicide opportunely in its prison. Moreau, initially declared innocent by its judges, was condemned to two years of prison after one second deliberation required by Bonaparte. That Ci commuted the sorrow to banishment. Moreau left for the the United States America while passing by the Spain. It lived quietly with, close to Trenton New Jersey until he learns the destruction from the Large army in Russia.

Then, probably at the instigation of his wife, it was joined the allies. Bernadotte which ordered an army against Napoleon then, introduces it near the Tsar Alexandre Ier. In the hope to return to France to establish a republican mode, it gave to Allied councils on the control of the war.

It was mortally wounded by a French ball with the Bataille of Dresden the August 27th 1813 and died the September 2nd. Its skin was buried with Saint-Pétersbourg. Its tomb is on large the which occurred Nevski, in the crypt of the holy church Catherine, one of the five Catholic churches of Saint-Pétersbourg. Following a fire, this church is currently in restoration, and the crypt is not accessible any more to the public. The tomb of Moreau is temporarily walled there, on standby of the restoration of the crypt.

Its widow accepted a pension of the tsar and obtained the row of marshal's wife by Louis XVIII

Partial source

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