Louis Auguste Victor de Ghaisne de Bourmont

Louis Auguste Victor de Ghaisne , Count of Bourmont and Marshal of France. (nickname Chouan: Renardin ). Born it (September 2nd 1773 and died October 27th 1846 in Freigné.

Origin

Wire of Louis Marie Eugene de Ghaisne de Bourmont and of Joséphine Sophie Marie de Coutances , it is resulting from an old angevine family (come from Flandres) which had given for several centuries of brilliances officers to France. He is schoolboy at the military royal school of Sorèze of 1787 with 1790.

The French revolution

At 15 years, the October 12th 1788, it enters to the regiment of the Gardes-Françaises with the rank of sign, attends with the events of the July 14th, 1789 and the mutiny of its regiment the same day. The August 31st 1789, to the dismissal of this body, it turns over to the Château of Bourmont from where it emigrates with his father at the end of 1790, to go to Turin. In 1791, it is useful on the Rhine like aide-de-camp of the prince de Condé.

The January 21st 1791, his/her father dies in Turin, it returns a few months in France near his/her mother, then joined the Charles X of France to Coblentz. The regiment of the French guards having been formed in this city under the name of men-at-arms to foot, Bourmont is named there second lieutenant, rank equivalent to that of Capitaine.

In 1792, Bourmont made the countryside which ended in the retirement of Brunswick. With the dismissal of the Armed with the emigrants, it joined his mother in Bar-le-Duc, it was 20 years old. Then it left France and engaged like private in the body of prince de Condé, took part in September 1793 in the removal of the lines of Wissembourg, then on December 2nd, with the combat of Bercheim.

Wars of the Vendée

In 1795, it obtained from prince de Condé the permission to pass in the West where it had a growing role and was used initially as liaison officer between the insurrection and the emigration. Its goods were sold like national goods and the priests, tracked like criminals, like the old priest of Freigné, Morin of Granval, that one even which had baptized it had been carried out by the revolutionary tribunal. Such a blood, for Chouans, and such a mode shouted vangeance. The Adjudant-general, Viscount of Scépeaux, gave him the command as a second of its troops and the title of Major-general.

Charged by Scépeaux with going to the army Cop to request the presence in the West of a prince of the family of Bourbon, it discharged his mission, recovered on the way to turn over to the Vendée and learned the battles of Quiberon before arriving there.

In January 1796, the Viscount of Scépeaux charged the count de Bourmont with going in England to make a statement on to Mister the situation of the royalist provinces. Bourmont found the count d' Artois with Edinburgh and accepted its hands the Croix of Saint-Louis, at the same time as the duke of Angouleme. It was then 22 years old.

From England, it prepares actively the elections of the March 21st 1797, dealing with organizing royalist propaganda in the departments of the the Eure, the Orne and the Côtes of North.

Bourmont turned over to the Vendée; but, peace having been concluded with the royalist chiefs, it asked for to the general Hoche the permission of turn over to England, permission which was given to him and not excluded from the measurements of leniency granted to risen and under the pretext which it is emigrated, it is condemned to the exile in Suisse and is put under escort to the border.

Chouannerie

The following year, Bourmont entered carried out news and came secretly to Paris, disguised, to prepare, helped of some others, a conspiracy whose Pichegru was the heart. The arrest of the military chiefs compressed the prepared movement, Bourmont flees for London, where it remained until in 1799, where the civil war started again.

Georges Cadoudal was with the number of the new Vendean chiefs. Unloaded in France in September 1799, Bourmont succeeds in grouping an army of fifteen Légion S for the Maine, the Perche and the Chartres-native country. It had itself the command of the provinces of Maine, the Pole, etc

One month later after its unloading, it returns to shift and, the October 14th, the royalist troops occupy Mans.

Then the capitulation comes from the January 21st 1800.

the royalist plot

After the peace, which was again signed the February 2nd 1800 with the First Consul, Bourmont went to Paris, married there Miss Juliette de Becdelièvre of Bunelaye, girl of the marquis de Becdelièvre, former first president with the room of the accounts of Brittany, but refusing to yield to the requests of the first consul who offered to him the rank of major general, he was declared suspect.

Compromised in the conspiracy of Cadoudal, it was stopped by Fouché the January 17th 1801 and was locked up with the Temple then transferred to the Citadelle from Besancon.

After 3 year 1/2 of captivity, he escapes from it the August 5th 1804 and leaves to live the Portugal. When the English invaded this country, it found Junot in 1807 and offers its services to him. This last gave him to exert the functions of chief of staff of the division ordered by the general Loison. After the convention of Curved, Bourmont followed the French Army and returned with its family to France, but a storm dispersed the sailing ships and while Junot arrived with the La Rochelle, Bourmont arrived at the end of October 1808 in bay of Quiberon, but Fouché not forgetting its preceding escape, it was stopped and led to the prison of Bouffay of Nantes. Thanks to the intervention of Junot, which had given him its word, it was released the December 12th but under the monitoring of Fouché.

It receipt a notification of command of the Minister for the War in May 1810 with the order to join the Armed with Italy to Naples.

the Empire

The count de Bourmont is useful in the Armée with Italy and led themselves with distinction in the Affaire of Bagnara, went to Milan, close to the viceroy, which appoints it chief of staff of the 2nd division of infantry (Boussier general) then with Innsbruck, and was consequently associated to it with all the operations of the 4th body until the Campagne of Russia. Napoleon gave then him the function of Adjudant-commander.

Employed during the campaigns of 1813 and 1814, it accepted Napoleon i some missions important and the cross of the Legion of honor, and was mentioned honourably in the official reports of the Bataille of Dresden. It had been named Brigadier general in October 1813 for its beautiful control with Lützen (it is reached there of two wounds to the passage of Wop and Lützen the May 1st and May 2nd 1813). In October, with the Battle of Leipzig, and in the retirement which follows, he is spent without counting and in circumstances where he links bravery with coolness, and it does not remain to him any more, when it arrives at Bingen the November 2nd, that 300 men of his brigade.

In February 1814, the Emperor having left it locked up in Nogent-sur-Seine with a thousand of men, it resisted during two days (February 11th and February 12th) 20 000 Austrians. This defense was worth to him the Major general rank of .

the Restoration

Royalist, Bourmont was one of the first to recognize the Bourbon (S), for which it had fought until in the Vendée. He was named with the command of the 6th military division, which he still had at the time of the unloading. The order was given to him to meet in the marshal Ney and was pilot defection of its troops.

In 1815, during the Hundred Days, when the Emperor returned to France, Bourmont went to Paris, it joins initially with him, fearing for the independence of France.

It obtained the command of the 6th division of the army corps ordered by the general Gerard. But, above all, it was French and royalist, it thus pushed back the additional Acte with the Constitutions of the Empire, written with door-close, published by the Moniteur of the April 23rd 1815, voted by more 1 500 000 votes and promulgated with the Champ de Mars on June 1st. With the armies, 320 votes only (against 220 000) pushed back it. This Act pronounced the forfeiture of the “Bourbons”. Bourmont was from these 320 and consequently, how couldn't think at the beginning?

He thought that his duty was to leave the imperial army, turned the eyes towards Ghent where Louis XVIII had constituted the royal government. He had considered the cause of Napoleon lost and the infallible return of Louis XVIII.

Consequently its control was traced, and its departure for Ghent was nothing any more but the business of time and the circumstances. There did not believe to have to remain faithful to Napoleon but to the Bourbon (S) and gave up its command the June 15th, the day before the Bataille of Ligny, three days before Waterloo.

It went near the king who, after the battle of Waterloo, gave him the command of the border of North.

The Second Restoration

With the re-entry of the allied armies in France, named “extraordinary” commander of the 16° military Division, it raised with the favor of the royal cause the populations of the Flanders, seized seventeen cities, Lille, Dunkirk, Arras, Bapaume, etc, closed their doors the abroads, thus preserved occupation two provinces and preserved at France 4000 guns, 40 000 franc rifles and 6 million.

It appeared then in the lawsuits of the marshal Ney and the general Bonnaire, and contributed by its depositions to the judgment of the first.

At the Second Restoration, Louis XVIII, not forgetting this old chouan, put it at the head of the second division of Infanterie of the royal guard with Besancon in 1816, with which it accompanied the duke by Angouleme in 1823, with the countryside of Spain and have the command as a chief of the army when the prince returned to France.

On its return, Bourmont was named even France (October 9th 1823) then gentleman of the room of the king.

Called like Minister for the war the August 9th 1829 in the government Polignac, it was named by the king, general-in-chief of the army which made the forwarding of Algiers whose it had conceived and prepared the project.

Algeria

The June 14th, it unloaded with its four sons. The army approached with Sidi-Ferredj, delivered the 19 and June 24th the two battles of Staouëli, and made capitulate Algiers the July 5th. It had with these events not to be not implied in the lawsuit of the ministers after the Révolution of July. Charles X sent to Bourmont the stick Marshal of France but it had lost its second wire, Amédée, in these battles.

Before the future of the Régence is not fixed, Bourmont goes from front, pushes until Blida, makes occupy Bône and Oran in the first fortnight of August. The August 11th, the new Minister for the war, the general Gerard communicates officially the news to him of the Révolution of July.

Legitimist

But the marshal, having refused to lend oath to the new king Louis-Philippe and to recognize it, was regarded as resigner and was replaced the September 3rd by the general Clauzel. There too, its fidelity with Charles X and the “Bourbons” obliges it with the exile. It always shows, so long 60 years, its attachment with a cause which it believes just.

The September 3rd, ordering it Duperré having refused a French building to him, the marshal of Bourmont chartered with his expenses the brig autrchien the Amatissimo and embarked there with its sons and " its only trésor" : the heart of his/her Amédée son died in the field of honor, it put at the veil and went to England at Charles X, who accommodated it with overflowing.

Since then it tried to revive the war of the Vendée, where it accompanied the duchess by Berry. He will seek, from abroad, to establish on the throne of France Henri V, duke of Bordeaux, wire of the duchess of Berry and grandson of Charles X.

See also: royalist Insurrection in the West of France in 1832

It was withdrawn in Italy and conspired, in 1832, with the duchess of Berry, then passed in Portugal and Spain where it supported successively the causes of Don Miguel of which it orders the army, and of gift Carlos; he is condemned to death in absentia in 1833. The government applies to him the provisions of the Code concerning the French who are useful in foreign countries without authorization and Bourmont loses its French nationality, it fixes his residence in Germany.

Amnestied, in 1840, this faithful royalist did everything to serve the representatives of the dynasty legitimist and… their remained faithful in the adversity, it returns to France. He dies the October 27th 1846 in his Château of Bourmont, where he had been born.

States of service

supernumerary Sign (at 15 years) with the regiment of the French guards (October 12th 1788)
Laid off with treatment of activity (August 31st 1789)
emigrated in 1791
entered at that time, second lieutenant in the men-at-arms to feet until end 1792
entered the noble company of the army of Cop in September 1793
passed with the army of the Vendée (February 16th 1795)
general major of Scépaux, charged with various commands and one with the police chiefs with the royal army who signed peace ( February 4th 1800)
stopped and imprisoned with the Temple (January 18th 1801)
transferred to the citadel from Besancon (July 11th 1801)
escaped (August 3rd 1804) aide-de-camp from the duke from Abrantès in 1804
arrété again and held in Nantes (October 3rd 1808)
widened (February 3rd 1809)
adjudant-commander, employee with the army of Naples (April 24th 1810)
employed with the body of observation of Italy (January 17th 1812)
with the large army corps (April 6th 1812)
with the 11th army corps (April 3rd 1813)
brigadier general (September 28th 1813) to the 11th army corps
employed in the 1st military division of reserve of Paris (January 16th 1814)
major general (February 13rd 1814)
ordering the 6th military division (May 20th 1814)
ordering 1st subdivision of the 6th military division (January 7th 1815)
put at provision of Monseigneur the duke of Berry (March 7th 1815)
replaced in the 6th division military and available (March 22nd 1815)
ordering the 3rd division of the 4th body of observation (April 1st 1815)
joined the royal army in Belgium (June 15th 1815)
extraordinary commander of the 16th military division (June 21st 1815)
ordering the 2nd division of infantry of the royal guard (September 8th 1815)
member of the committee of infantry (transfer 1821) the November 7th 1821
ordering the division of infantry of the royal guard of the army of the Pyrenees (February 16th 1823)
ordering the 2nd mobile column detached in Andalusia (June 2nd 1823)
ordering the division of occupation of Cadiz (October 7th 1823)
commander-in-chief the occupying army of Spain (November 6th 1823)
authorized to take again the command of the 2nd division of infantry of the royal guard (April 17th 1824)
president of the commission of the helps to be granted to Vendean (January 18th 1825)
member of the superior council of the war (February 17th 1828)
minister Secretary of State to the war (August 8th 1829)
commander-in-chief the army of forwarding of Africa (April 11th 1830)
Marshal of France (July 15th 1830)

Campaigns

with the regiment of the soldiers of the gardes-fran1caises
in the Armed with the emigrants
in the army of cop
with the royal armies of the interior (1795 - 1799)
in Portugal
in Naples
in the large army
in France (1814)
in Belgium (1815)
in Spain
with Algiers

Distinctions

Knight of Saint-Louis (May 13rd 1796)
Knight of the Legion of honor (May 4th 1813)
Commander of the Legion of honor (August 23rd 1814)
Commander of the royal and military Order of Saint-Louis (August 24th 1817)
Large Officer of the Legion of honor (August 24th 1820)
Even of France (October 9th 1923)
Grand' cross of the Legion of honor (May 23rd 1825 )
Gentleman of the room of the king (February 17th 1828)
Member of the superior council of the war (February 17th 1828)
minister Secretary of State of the war (August 8th 1829)
Commander-in-chief the army of forwarding of Africa (April 11th 1830)
Marshal of France (July 14th 1830)

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