Henri Delaborde
Encyclopedia
Henri François Delaborde (21 December 1764 – 3 February 1833) was a French
general
in the French Revolutionary Wars
and Napoleonic Wars
.
. In 1783, Delaborde joined the Regiment of Condé as a private. At the outbreak of the French Revolution
he joined the Volunteers of the Côte-d'Or
, and passing rapidly through all the junior grades, was made general of brigade after the combat of Rhein-Zabern (1793).
As chief of the staff, he was present at the siege of Toulon
in the same year and promoted general of division. He was, for a time, governor of Corsica. In 1794 Delaborde served on the Spanish frontier, distinguishing himself at the Bidassoa (25 July) and Misquiriz (16 October).
His next command was on the Rhine. At the head of a division he took part in the celebrated campaigns of 1795-1797, and in 1796 covered Major-General Jean Moreau
's right when that general invaded Bavaria
. In late 1799, Delaborde led a division in actions at Philippsburg and Wiesloch as part of Maj-Gen Claude Lecourbe
's corps. In the 1800 campaign in southern Germany, Delaborde led a small division in St-Suzanne's corps, which was part of Moreau's army.
Delaborde was in constant military employment during the Consulate
and the early Empire
and was made commander of the Legion of Honour in 1804.
with Maj-Gen Jean-Andoche Junot
's army. Against Sir Arthur Wellesley
's English army he fought a skillful and brilliant rear-guard action at the Battle of Roliça
. At the Battle of Vimeiro
on 21 August 1808, he was wounded while leading his division in an unsuccessful frontal attack. He commanded a division under Marshal Nicolas Soult
at the Battle of Corunna
, the battle of Povoa de Lanhosa in the First Battle of Porto
campaign and the Second Battle of Porto.
's divisional commanders in the Russian campaign, leading the Young Guard. In early December when Napoleon abandoned his crippled Grand Army, Delaborde was still at Mortier's side. In 1813, he led the 3rd Division of the Young Guard until wounded in action at Pirna. In the following year he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor and was governor of the Castle of Compiègne
. He joined Napoleon in the Hundred Days
and became Chamberlain and a peer. Marked for punishment by the returning Bourbons, he was sent before a court-martial and only escaped condemnation through a technical flaw in the wording of the charge. The rest of his life was spent in retirement.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Early career
He was the son of a baker of DijonDijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
. In 1783, Delaborde joined the Regiment of Condé as a private. At the outbreak of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
he joined the Volunteers of the Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France.- History :Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.- Geography :...
, and passing rapidly through all the junior grades, was made general of brigade after the combat of Rhein-Zabern (1793).
As chief of the staff, he was present at the siege of Toulon
Siege of Toulon
The Siege of Toulon was an early Republican victory over a Royalist rebellion in the Southern French city of Toulon. It is also often known as the Fall of Toulon.-Context:...
in the same year and promoted general of division. He was, for a time, governor of Corsica. In 1794 Delaborde served on the Spanish frontier, distinguishing himself at the Bidassoa (25 July) and Misquiriz (16 October).
His next command was on the Rhine. At the head of a division he took part in the celebrated campaigns of 1795-1797, and in 1796 covered Major-General Jean Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, but later became a rival and was banished to the United States.- Early life :Moreau was born at Morlaix in Brittany...
's right when that general invaded Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. In late 1799, Delaborde led a division in actions at Philippsburg and Wiesloch as part of Maj-Gen Claude Lecourbe
Claude Lecourbe
Claude Jacques Lecourbe , born in Besançon, was a French general during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars....
's corps. In the 1800 campaign in southern Germany, Delaborde led a small division in St-Suzanne's corps, which was part of Moreau's army.
Delaborde was in constant military employment during the Consulate
French Consulate
The Consulate was the government of France between the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire in 1804...
and the early Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
and was made commander of the Legion of Honour in 1804.
Peninsula
Delaborde received the dignity of count in 1808. In that year he invaded PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
with Maj-Gen Jean-Andoche Junot
Jean-Andoche Junot
Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st Duke of Abrantès was a French general during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:...
's army. Against Sir Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's English army he fought a skillful and brilliant rear-guard action at the Battle of Roliça
Battle of Roliça
In the Battle of Roliça an Anglo-Portuguese army under Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated an outnumbered French army under General Henri Delaborde, near the village of Roliça in Portugal. The French retired in good order...
. At the Battle of Vimeiro
Battle of Vimeiro
In the Battle of Vimeiro the British under General Arthur Wellesley defeated the French under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro , near Lisbon, Portugal during the Peninsular War...
on 21 August 1808, he was wounded while leading his division in an unsuccessful frontal attack. He commanded a division under Marshal Nicolas Soult
Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult
Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia , the Hand of Iron, was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804. He was one of only six officers in French history to receive the distinction of Marshal General of France...
at the Battle of Corunna
Battle of Corunna
The Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
, the battle of Povoa de Lanhosa in the First Battle of Porto
First Battle of Porto
In the First Battle of Porto the French under Marshal Soult defeated the Portuguese, under General Parreiras, and the British Army, outside the city of Porto during the Peninsular War...
campaign and the Second Battle of Porto.
Later career
In 1812 Delaborde was one of Marshal Édouard MortierÉdouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier
Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, 1st Duc de Trévise was a French general and Marshal of France under Napoleon I.-Biography:...
's divisional commanders in the Russian campaign, leading the Young Guard. In early December when Napoleon abandoned his crippled Grand Army, Delaborde was still at Mortier's side. In 1813, he led the 3rd Division of the Young Guard until wounded in action at Pirna. In the following year he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor and was governor of the Castle of Compiègne
Château de Compiègne
The Castle of Compiègne is a French château, a royal residence built for Louis XV and restored by Napoleon. Compiègne was one of three seats of royal government, the others being Versailles and Fontainebleau...
. He joined Napoleon in the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
and became Chamberlain and a peer. Marked for punishment by the returning Bourbons, he was sent before a court-martial and only escaped condemnation through a technical flaw in the wording of the charge. The rest of his life was spent in retirement.