Charles Denis Sauter Bourbaki (April 22, 1816 – September 27, 1897) was a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
general.
He was born at Pau, the son of Greek colonel
Constantin Denis BourbakiColonel Constantin Denis Bourbaki , was a Greek officer raised in France, and serving in the French military. He fought in the last phases of the Napoleonic Wars, and after 1825, joined the Greek War of Independence. He was killed in 1827 following his defeat at the Battle of Kamatero...
, who died in the
War of IndependenceThe Greek War of Independence was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between 1821 and 1829, with later assistance from several European powers, against the Ottoman Empire, who were assisted by their vassals, the Egyptian Khedivate and partly the Vilayet of...
in 1827. He was educated at the
Prytanée National MilitaireThe Prytanée National Militaire, originally Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand, is a French school managed by the military, offering regular secondary education as well as special preparatory school classes, equivalent in level to the first years of university, for students who wish to enter French...
, entered
St CyrThe École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr. Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish." or "Training for victory". French cadet officers are named "saint-cyriens", or "cyrards"...
, and in 1836 joined the
ZouaveZouave was the title given to certain infantry regiments in the French army, normally serving in French North Africa between 1831 and 1962. The name was also adopted during the 19th century by units in other armies, especially volunteer regiments raised for service in the American Civil War...
s, becoming lieutenant of the
Foreign LegionThe French Foreign Legion is a unique unit in the French Army, established in 1831. The legion was specifically created for foreign nationals wishing to serve in the French Armed Forces, but commanded by French officers. However, it is also open to French citizens, who amount to 24% of recruits...
in 1838, and
aide-de-camp to King
Louis PhilippeLouis-Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. He was the last king to rule France, although Napoleon III, styled as an emperor, would serve as its last monarch....
. It was in the African expedition that he first came to the front.
Charles Denis Sauter Bourbaki (April 22, 1816 – September 27, 1897) was a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
general.
He was born at Pau, the son of Greek colonel
Constantin Denis BourbakiColonel Constantin Denis Bourbaki , was a Greek officer raised in France, and serving in the French military. He fought in the last phases of the Napoleonic Wars, and after 1825, joined the Greek War of Independence. He was killed in 1827 following his defeat at the Battle of Kamatero...
, who died in the
War of IndependenceThe Greek War of Independence was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between 1821 and 1829, with later assistance from several European powers, against the Ottoman Empire, who were assisted by their vassals, the Egyptian Khedivate and partly the Vilayet of...
in 1827. He was educated at the
Prytanée National MilitaireThe Prytanée National Militaire, originally Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand, is a French school managed by the military, offering regular secondary education as well as special preparatory school classes, equivalent in level to the first years of university, for students who wish to enter French...
, entered
St CyrThe École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr. Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish." or "Training for victory". French cadet officers are named "saint-cyriens", or "cyrards"...
, and in 1836 joined the
ZouaveZouave was the title given to certain infantry regiments in the French army, normally serving in French North Africa between 1831 and 1962. The name was also adopted during the 19th century by units in other armies, especially volunteer regiments raised for service in the American Civil War...
s, becoming lieutenant of the
Foreign LegionThe French Foreign Legion is a unique unit in the French Army, established in 1831. The legion was specifically created for foreign nationals wishing to serve in the French Armed Forces, but commanded by French officers. However, it is also open to French citizens, who amount to 24% of recruits...
in 1838, and
aide-de-camp to King
Louis PhilippeLouis-Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. He was the last king to rule France, although Napoleon III, styled as an emperor, would serve as its last monarch....
. It was in the African expedition that he first came to the front. In 1842 he was captain in the
Zouaves; 1847, colonel of the
Turcos; in 1850, lieutenant-colonel of the 1st
Zouaves; 1851, colonel; 1854, brigadier-general. In the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of the British Empire, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
he commanded a portion of the Algerian troops; and at the
AlmaThe Battle of the Alma , which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place just south of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St...
,
InkermanThe Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5 1854 between the Allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the Allies in the field, and condemned the war to the Siege of Sevastopol...
and
SevastopolSevastopol is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451...
Bourbaki's name became famous. In 1857 he was made general of division, commanding in 1859 at Lyons. His success in the war with Italy was only second to that of
MacMahonMarie Edme Patrice Maurice de Mac-Mahon, 1st Duc de Magenta, Marshal of France was a French general and politician...
, and in 1862 he was proposed as a candidate for the vacant Greek throne, but declined the proffered honour. In 1870 the emperor entrusted him with the command of the Imperial Guard, and he played an important part in the fighting round Metz.
A curious incident of the
siege of MetzThe Siege of Metz lasting from August 19 – October 27 1870 was fought during the Franco-Prussian War and ended in a decisive Prussian victory....
is connected with Bourbaki's name. A man who called himself Regnier, about September 21, appeared at
HastingsHastings is a town and Borough on the coast of East Sussex in England. It includes originally separate settlements, as well as the inevitable growth of the town through the building of new estates....
, to seek an interview with the refugee empress Eugénie, and failing to obtain this he managed to get from the young prince imperial a signed photograph with a message to the emperor Napoleon. This he used, by means of a safe-conduct from
BismarckOtto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was a Prussian German statesman and aristocrat of the 19th century. As Ministerpräsident of Prussia from 1862–1890, he oversaw the unification of Germany. In 1867 he became Chancellor of the North German Confederation...
, as credentials to Marshal Bazaine, to whom he presented himself at Metz, telling him on the empress's alleged authority that peace was about to be signed and that either
Marshal CanrobertFrançois Certain Canrobert , known as Maréchal Canrobert, was a marshal of France.-Biography:He was born at Saint-Céré and educated at St.Cyr; he received a commission as sub-lieutenant in 1828, becoming lieutenant in 1833.He went to Algeria in 1835, served in the expedition to Mascara, at the...
or General Bourbaki was to go to Hastings for the purpose. Bourbaki at once went to England, with
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
n connivance, as though he had a recognized mission, only to discover from the empress at Hastings that a trick had been played on him; and as soon as he could manage he returned to France.
He offered his services to
GambettaLéon Gambetta was a French statesman prominent after the Franco-Prussian War.-Youth and education:...
and received the command of the Northern Army, but was recalled on November 10 and transferred to the Army of the Loire. In command of the hastily-trained and ill-equipped Army of the East, Bourbaki made the attempt to raise the
siege of BelfortThe Siege of Belfort was a 103 day military assault and blockade of the city of Belfort during the Franco-Prussian War. The garrison held out until the armistice between France and the German Empire obligated French forces to abandon the stronghold in February 1871.Belfort is located in a gap...
, which, after the victory of
VillersexelThe Battle of Villersexel in the Franco-Prussian War opposed on January 9, 1871 elements of the French Armée de l'Est under General Bourbaki to August von Werder's Prussians...
, ended in the repulse of the French in the three days'
battle of the LisaineThe Battle of the Lisaine was fought from January 15 to January 17 of 1871 between Prussian and French forces. The French were led by Charles Denis Bourbaki, and were attempting to relieve the Siege of Belfort. Their efforts failed, and they were forced to flee into Switzerland....
. Other German forces under
ManteuffelEdwin Freiherr von Manteuffel was a German Generalfeldmarschall noted for his victories in the Franco-Prussian War....
now closed upon Bourbaki, and he was eventually driven over the Swiss frontier with the remnant of his forces. His troops were in the most desperate condition, owing to lack of food; and out of 150,000 men under him when he started, only 87,000 men with 12,000 horses escaped into Swiss territory. They crossed the western border of Switzerland at
Les VerrièresLes Verrières is a municipality in the district of Val-de-Travers in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland....
,
Sainte-CroixSainte-Croix is a municipality in the district of Grandson in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located between Yverdon in Vaud, Fleurier in Neuchâtel, and Pontarlier in France....
,
VallorbeVallorbe is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland....
and in the
Vallée de JouxThe Vallée de Joux is a valley of the Jura Mountains in the swiss Canton of Vaud. It is located at 20 miles North from Geneva and Lausanne, its mean altitude is over 3300 feet . There are three lakes in the Vallée de Joux : the lac de Joux , the lac Brenet and the lac Ter...
at the beginning of February 1871. They were disarmed and detained for six weeks before being repatriated in March. Rather than submit to the humiliation of a probable surrender, Bourbaki had delegated his functions to
General ClinchantJustin Clinchant , French soldier, entered the army from St Cyr in 1841.From 1847 to 1852 he was employed in the Algerian campaigns, and in 1854 and 1855 in the Crimea. At the assault on the Malakoff he greatly distinguished himself at the head of a battalion...
on January 26 1871, and tried to commit suicide that night. He fired a pistol at his own head, but the bullet, owing to a deviation of the weapon, was flattened against his skull and his life was saved. General Clinchant carried Bourbaki into
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
, where he recovered sufficiently to return to France.
In July 1871, he again took the command at Lyons, and subsequently became military governor. In 1881, owing to his political opinions, he was placed on the retired list. In 1885 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the senate. A patriotic Frenchman and a brilliant soldier and leader, Bourbaki, like some other French generals of the Second Empire whose training had been obtained in Africa, was found wanting in the higher elements of command when the European conditions of 1870 were concerned.
Cultural references
A group of 20th-century French mathematicians published many works under the pseudonym
Nicolas BourbakiNicolas Bourbaki is the collective pseudonym under which a group of 20th-century mathematicians wrote a series of books presenting an exposition of modern advanced mathematics, beginning in 1935. With the goal of founding all of mathematics on set theory, the group strove for rigour and generality...
, named after the general.
The scene of Bourbaki's army being disarmed when they crossed the Swiss borders is the subject of a
panoramic paintingPanoramic paintings are massive artworks that reveal a wide, all-encompassing view of a particular subject, often a landscape, military battle, or historical event. They became especially popular in the 19th Century in Europe and the United States...
done in 1881 by
Edouard CastresEdouard Castres was a Swiss artist. He studied fine arts with Barthélemy Menn in Geneva before enrolling in the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He took part in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 as a Red Cross volunteer accomanying General Bourbaki's Eastern Army throughout the last phase of the war...
. Since 1889, this 360° painting has been on display at
LucerneLucerne is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and seat of the district with the same name. With a population of 57,890, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland and a focal point of the region...
.