Jean Boudet
Encyclopedia
Jean Boudet was a French général de division
of the French Revolutionary Wars
and the Napoleonic Wars
. The campaigns in which he was involved include the Saint-Domingue expedition
. He was made a grand officer of the Légion d'honneur
on 2 June 1809 and a knight of the Order of the Iron Crown
, as well as a Comte de l'Empire in 1808. His name is engraved on the 16th column of the east side of the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris.
s, he entered a battalion of volunteers in Gironde
as a lieutenant in 1792. In 1793 he gained distinction for his bravery at the 1793 fighting at Château-Pignon and assisted at the Siege of Toulon
as a captain, then in 1794 he fought in the War in the Vendée.
He set off from île de Ré
for Guadeloupe
(then occupied by the British) with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, beside Victor Hugues
, on 21 April 1794. He was landed at Pointe des Salines and captured fort Fleur d'épée
and the town of Pointe-à-Pitre
, strongly defended by the British. He was made chef de brigade on 18 June 1794 and then général de brigade and supreme commander of all land forces on Guadeloupe
on 14 December 1795. On 28 December 1794, at Pointe-à-Pitre
, he married Marie Joseph Elisabeth Augustine Darboussier. He completed the conquest of the island by a long series of brilliant feats of arms and the French Directory
(via Victor Hugues
and Lebas
) raised him to the rank of général de division. Boudet headed some dragoons to punish the rebellion of Le Lamentin
in December 1797 and then, after two years and having made the island defensible, he returned to France in April 1799 to take part in the Dutch campaign, under the command of general Brune. After 18 brumaire
, he joined the armée de réserve, commanded by Berthier and being readied for Italy
. He led the vanguard in the second Italian campaign of Napoléon Bonaparte
and gained distinction at the head of his division, especially at Lodi
and Marengo, being wounded at the latter.
and Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Rochambeau). On 8 October he was put in command of the troops gathered at Rochefort, which would form the core of his division on Saint-Domingue. Leaving Brest on 11 December 1801 and landing at Port-au-Prince
on 5 February 1802, he treated its black, white and creole inhabitants equally and was thus made very welcome. Operating in isolation from the rest of his supreme commander Charles Leclerc
's troops, Boudet easily captured Leogane (11 February) then followed Dessalines
's bloody trail as far as Saint-Marc (25 February), then to the redoubt at Crête-à-Pierrot. He assaulted the redoubt on 11 March, being wounded in the heel by shrapnel and forced to abandon his command of the division to Rochambeau. The Haitian historian A. Beaubrun-Arnouin (slightly suspected of pro-French bias) writes that Boudet was almost unique in his humanity towards enemy soldiers or prisoners, gaining respect even from his enemies.
During this time Magloire Pélage's provisional government on Guadeloupe, wishing to prove its loyalty to the government of mainland France, demanded that Leclerc send him Boudet to take command of the island until Paris officially sent it a new governor. He was still highly appreciated by Guadeloupe's inhabitants since his previous time on the island and thus left Saint-Domingue for Guadeloupe on 21 April 1802, but unfortunately general Antoine Richepanse
's expedition reached the island before him (6 May) and Richepanse's brutal command immediately ignited a revolt there by Louis Delgrès
and his companions. Boudet reached the island on 28 May but his presence there rapidly became useless and he returned to Saint-Domingue, where he was put at the head of the division in the north in September before being sent back to France by Leclerc on 28 September to inform Bonaparte of the dramatic situation. This was a trusted mission given to an officer whose merit he praised, though in correspondence Leclerc later accused him of embezzlement during his time on Saint-Domingue.
and, after the Treaties of Tilsit
, captured Stralsund
. In return for Boudet's services, Napoléon made him a comte d'Empire in 1808 and gifted him land with a revenue of 30,000 francs in Swedish Pomerania
. He took up garrison duties in the Hanseatic
towns and was in the front rank during the Austrian campaign of 1809 at the head of the 4th Division of the 4th Army Corps commanded by marshal Masséna
. General Boudet assisted in the captured of Vienna
then distinguished himself in the fierce defence of the village of Essling
(21–22 May 1809), turning a granary into an impregnable bunker. As Napoleon himself admitted, it was to general Boudet's conduct that the French owed their victory at Aspern. He lost his artillery at on 6 July, however, leading to fierce public criticism of Napoleon. He died on 14 September, shortly after a humiliating interview with Napoleon earlier that day, either by suicide or dying of despair.
Divisional General
Divisional General is a rank used in many armies to denote a rank of general, corresponding to command of a division. For convenience Divisional General is almost always translated into English as Major-General, the equivalent rank used by the UK, USA, etc., although this translation is, strictly...
of 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 the 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...
. The campaigns in which he was involved include the Saint-Domingue expedition
Saint-Domingue expedition
The Saint-Domingue expedition was a French military expedition sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul, under his brother-in-law Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc in an attempt to regain French control of the island of Saint-Domingue and curtail the measures of independence taken by the former...
. He was made a grand officer of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
on 2 June 1809 and a knight of the Order of the Iron Crown
Order of the Iron Crown
The Imperial Order of the Iron Crown was established June 5, 1805 by Napoleon Bonaparte . It took its name from the ancient Iron Crown of Lombardy, a medieval jewel with an iron ring, forged from what was supposed to be a nail from the True Cross as a band on the inside. This crown also gave its...
, as well as a Comte de l'Empire in 1808. His name is engraved on the 16th column of the east side of the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
in Paris.
To 1801
Boudet began his military career as a sous-lieutenant in the légion de Maillebois, before becoming a dragoon in the régiment de Penthièvre in 1785. Later, on the formation of the National GuardNational Guard (France)
The National Guard was the name given at the time of the French Revolution to the militias formed in each city, in imitation of the National Guard created in Paris. It was a military force separate from the regular army...
s, he entered a battalion of volunteers in Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
as a lieutenant in 1792. In 1793 he gained distinction for his bravery at the 1793 fighting at Château-Pignon and assisted 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:...
as a captain, then in 1794 he fought in the War in the Vendée.
He set off from île de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
for Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
(then occupied by the British) with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, beside Victor Hugues
Victor Hugues
Victor Hugues was a French politician and colonial administrator during the French Revolution, who governed Guadeloupe from 1794 to 1798, emancipating the island's slaves under orders from the National Convention.-Early life and appointment:Hugues was born in Marseille's salesmen family and was a...
, on 21 April 1794. He was landed at Pointe des Salines and captured fort Fleur d'épée
Fort Fleur d'épée
Fort Fleur d'épée is a fortification on Grande-Terre on Guadeloupe. The origins of its name are unknown, though it may correspond to a nickname of a soldier who lived in it. It was built from 1750 to 1763 to a polygonal plan by Vauban in the heights above the town of Gosier, many metres above the...
and the town of Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
, strongly defended by the British. He was made chef de brigade on 18 June 1794 and then général de brigade and supreme commander of all land forces on Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
on 14 December 1795. On 28 December 1794, at Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
, he married Marie Joseph Elisabeth Augustine Darboussier. He completed the conquest of the island by a long series of brilliant feats of arms and the French Directory
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
(via Victor Hugues
Victor Hugues
Victor Hugues was a French politician and colonial administrator during the French Revolution, who governed Guadeloupe from 1794 to 1798, emancipating the island's slaves under orders from the National Convention.-Early life and appointment:Hugues was born in Marseille's salesmen family and was a...
and Lebas
Philippe-François-Joseph Le Bas
Philippe-François-Joseph Le Bas was a French revolutionary.- Life :The son of a notary, intendant to the prince de Rache, avocat to the parliament of 1789, companion and collaborator of Saint-Just, in 1792 Le Bas was elected député to the National Convention for the Pas-de-Calais, sitting among...
) raised him to the rank of général de division. Boudet headed some dragoons to punish the rebellion of Le Lamentin
Le Lamentin
Le Lamentin is a town and the second-largest commune in the French overseas department of Martinique.It is located in the center of the island of Martinique, and is part of the metropolitan area of Fort-de-France, the largest conurbation in Martinique. In the 1999 census, Le Lamentin had a...
in December 1797 and then, after two years and having made the island defensible, he returned to France in April 1799 to take part in the Dutch campaign, under the command of general Brune. After 18 brumaire
18 Brumaire
The coup of 18 Brumaire was the coup d'état by which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate...
, he joined the armée de réserve, commanded by Berthier and being readied for Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He led the vanguard in the second Italian campaign of Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
and gained distinction at the head of his division, especially at Lodi
Battle of Lodi
The Battle of Lodi was fought on May 10, 1796 between French forces under General Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian rear guard led by Karl Philipp Sebottendorf at Lodi, Lombardy...
and Marengo, being wounded at the latter.
Saint-Domingue
Just as peace accords were being signed with the British at London (1 October 1801) he was chosen the expedition being prepared for Saint-Domingue due to his colonial experience (as were other leaders of this expedition, such as Edme Étienne Borne DesfourneauxEdme Étienne Borne Desfourneaux
Edme Étienne Borne Desfourneaux was a French general and governor of Guadalope.-Life:He was badly wounded at the Action of 19 February 1801.- Source :...
and Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Rochambeau). On 8 October he was put in command of the troops gathered at Rochefort, which would form the core of his division on Saint-Domingue. Leaving Brest on 11 December 1801 and landing at Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
on 5 February 1802, he treated its black, white and creole inhabitants equally and was thus made very welcome. Operating in isolation from the rest of his supreme commander Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc
Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc was a French Army general and husband to Pauline Bonaparte, sister to Napoleon Bonaparte.-To 1801:...
's troops, Boudet easily captured Leogane (11 February) then followed Dessalines
Dessalines
Dessalines can refer to:* Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a general and statesman of Haiti.** La Dessalinienne, the national anthem of Haiti named in his honor.** Arrondissement of Dessalines, a Haitian arrondissement in the Artibonite Department...
's bloody trail as far as Saint-Marc (25 February), then to the redoubt at Crête-à-Pierrot. He assaulted the redoubt on 11 March, being wounded in the heel by shrapnel and forced to abandon his command of the division to Rochambeau. The Haitian historian A. Beaubrun-Arnouin (slightly suspected of pro-French bias) writes that Boudet was almost unique in his humanity towards enemy soldiers or prisoners, gaining respect even from his enemies.
During this time Magloire Pélage's provisional government on Guadeloupe, wishing to prove its loyalty to the government of mainland France, demanded that Leclerc send him Boudet to take command of the island until Paris officially sent it a new governor. He was still highly appreciated by Guadeloupe's inhabitants since his previous time on the island and thus left Saint-Domingue for Guadeloupe on 21 April 1802, but unfortunately general Antoine Richepanse
Antoine Richepanse
Antoine Richepanse was a French revolutionary general and colonial administrator.-Military career:Richepanse was born in Metz as the son of an officer of the Regiment of Conti...
's expedition reached the island before him (6 May) and Richepanse's brutal command immediately ignited a revolt there by Louis Delgrès
Louis Delgrès
Louis Delgrès was a mulatto leader of the movement in Guadeloupe resisting reoccupation by Napoleonic France in 1802...
and his companions. Boudet reached the island on 28 May but his presence there rapidly became useless and he returned to Saint-Domingue, where he was put at the head of the division in the north in September before being sent back to France by Leclerc on 28 September to inform Bonaparte of the dramatic situation. This was a trusted mission given to an officer whose merit he praised, though in correspondence Leclerc later accused him of embezzlement during his time on Saint-Domingue.
Europe
General Boudet was welcomed back to France as a hero and made commander of the 1st Infantry Division in the corps of general Claude-Victor Perrin (26 October 1803) in the northern Netherlands. He then moved to the corps under general Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, at the Utrecht camp (5 February 1804). He took part in the 1805 campaign under Marmont before being sent to the armée d’Italie in 1806. In 1807 he was in Germany and took part in the siege of Colbert under the command of MuratJoachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
and, after the Treaties of Tilsit
Treaties of Tilsit
The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by Napoleon I of France in the town of Tilsit in July, 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland. The first was signed on 7 July, between Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Napoleon I of France, when they met on a raft in the middle of the Neman...
, captured Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
. In return for Boudet's services, Napoléon made him a comte d'Empire in 1808 and gifted him land with a revenue of 30,000 francs in Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts...
. He took up garrison duties in the Hanseatic
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
towns and was in the front rank during the Austrian campaign of 1809 at the head of the 4th Division of the 4th Army Corps commanded by marshal Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
. General Boudet assisted in the captured of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
then distinguished himself in the fierce defence of the village of Essling
Essling
Essling is part of Donaustadt, the 22nd district of Vienna.The area is known because of the Battle of Aspern-Essling, which was fought nearby on May 21 and May 22, 1809....
(21–22 May 1809), turning a granary into an impregnable bunker. As Napoleon himself admitted, it was to general Boudet's conduct that the French owed their victory at Aspern. He lost his artillery at on 6 July, however, leading to fierce public criticism of Napoleon. He died on 14 September, shortly after a humiliating interview with Napoleon earlier that day, either by suicide or dying of despair.
External links
- Service Historique de l’Armée de Terre – cote : 7 Yd 391.
- État de services : web.genealogie.free.fr : Les militaires.
- Biography : Les Amis du Patrimoine Napoléonien.