Pierre-Joseph Habert
Encyclopedia
Pierre-Joseph Habert enlisted in the French army at the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars
and led a division during the Napoleonic Wars
. After serving in the army from 1792 to 1797, he fought in Ireland and Egypt, rising in rank to become a colonel
by 1802. Under Emperor Napoleon
, he led his regiment in the 1805 campaign against Austria. In the 1806-1807 campaign he saw action at Jena, Golymin
, Eylau
, and Heilsberg
and was wounded twice in the last-named battle.
Promoted to general officer, Habert was posted to Spain where he achieved fame in the Peninsular War
. After he fought with varying fortunes in 1808 and 1809, General and later Marshal
Louis Gabriel Suchet
arrived to take command in Aragon
. A string of almost unbroken successes followed. Though only a general of brigade he was named to lead Suchet's 3rd Division in actions at Lerida, Tortosa
, and Tarragona
. After being promoted, he led his division at Saguntum
, Valencia
, Castalla
, and Ordal
. He became known as the Ajax
of the Army of Catalonia for his prolonged defense of Barcelona
in 1814. He commanded a division during the Hundred Days
at Ligny
and Wavre
, though he missed the Battle of Waterloo
. Habert is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
.
bookseller Henry Habert in Franche-Comté
on 22 December 1773, Habert joined the French army on 1 September 1792 at the start of the War of the First Coalition. Quickly named captain of the 4th battalion of Yonne
volunteers, within two years he rose to become a chef de bataillon (major) in the 107th Demi-Brigade. The year 1796 found him serving in the 3rd Foreign Demi-Brigade. He went with Lazare Hoche
's abortive expedition in support of the Irish Rebellion of 1798
. Captured by the British, he spent a number of months as a prisoner before being released. Sent to Egypt with dispatches, his ship evaded the British naval blockade and he was appointed aide-de-camp
to Jacques-François Menou
. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Heliopolis
on 20 March 1800. On 21 March 1801, Menou appointed him an acting general of brigade after his actions at the Second Battle of Abukir
. He returned to France after the Capitulation of Alexandria
.
On 29 May 1802, now a chef de brigade (colonel)
, Habert received command of the 105th Line Infantry Regiment. He became a chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur
in 1803 and an officer of the Légion in 1804. During this time his unit guarded the west coast of France. In August 1805, at the start of the War of the Third Coalition, his regiment joined Jacques Desjardin
's division of Marshal
Pierre Augereau's VII Corps. Having a long march from the environs of Brest
, Augereau's men missed the bulk of the fighting but managed to trap Franz Jellacic
's Austrian division near Lake Constance
. On 13 November, Augereau with Desjardin's 1st Division forced Jellacic to surrender his 4,000 troops at Dornbirn
in the Voralberg. The Austrians were allowed to march off to Bohemia
on condition that they would not fight against France for one year.
The beginning of the War of the Fourth Coalition
saw Habert's 105th Regiment serving in Jacques Lefranc's brigade of Desjardin's VII Corps Division. At the Battle of Jena on 14 October 1806, Desjardin's division seized the village of Isserstadt, piercing the right-center of the Prussian-Saxon front and rescuing Marshal Michel Ney
's advance guard from a precarious situation.
On 24 December, Augereau forced a crossing of the Wkra
River in Poland in the Battle of Czarnowo
. He sent Étienne Heudelet de Bierre's 2nd Division to attempt a passage at Sochocin
, while Desjardin tried to cross at Kołoząb. A Russian division under Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
opposed the French. Heudelet's attack was repulsed, but Desjardin met with success. Desjardin pinned down the Russians with covering fire, while some elite companies stormed across the partially destroyed bridge. Pierre Belon Lapisse
led Desjardin's other brigade in a flank attack. The combined assault drove off the Russian defenders and captured six field pieces.
Habert led the 105th against the Russians at the Battle of Golymin
on 26 December. Desjardin's division reached the field first and pressed back a Russian infantry regiment. Reinforced, the Russians pushed back Desjardin's men, who rallied and came on again. This time Desjardin's 2nd Brigade was stopped by grapeshot only 50 paces from the enemy guns. The brigade fell back 200 yards and formed squares in front of the village of Kaleczin. The Russians retreated that night.
The 105th fought at the Battle of Eylau
on 8 February 1807. At 2:00 PM in the afternoon, Emperor Napoleon ordered an unwell Augereau to attack the Russian left flank. As the movement got underway, a blizzard swept across the battlefield. Blinded by the snow, the VII Corps veered to the left of its intended attack axis to strike the Russian center. Pounded unmercifully by a 70-gun battery and swamped by counterattacking infantry and cavalry, Augereau's soldiers suffered huge losses and the remnants fled. His division commander Desjardin was killed. The decimated VII Corps was discontinued and the survivors distributed to other corps. Habert was transferred to Claude Legrand's division in Marshal Nicolas Soult's IV Corps
on 21 February. He fought at the Battle of Heilsberg
on 10 June 1807 where he was wounded in the head and shoulder. On 11 July 1807 he became a commandant in the Légion d'Honneur.
. Tranferred to Spain, he served as a brigade commander in the division of Pierre Hugues Victoire Merle for three weeks before being reassigned to Jean-Antoine Verdier
's division in mid-June. Both divisions formed part of Jean-Baptiste Bessières
army corps. During this period, from 15 June to 14 August, the French waged the unsuccessful First Siege of Saragossa
. From August, he served in Jean Sébastien Grandjean's division. By early November he transferred again to lead the 2nd Brigade of Maurice Mathieu's division in Marshal Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey's III Corps
. On 23 November, Mathieu's division fought in the French victory at the Battle of Tudela
. From 19 December 1808 to 20 February 1809, the III Corps participated in the Second Siege of Saragossa
. In this bloodbath, 18,000 Spaniards died of battle injuries or sickness. French losses were also staggering, with 4,000 killed in battle plus an additional 6,000 succumbing to disease.
The III Corps, now led by Jean-Andoche Junot
easily overran the Ebro
valley after the fall of Saragossa. However, Spanish guerillas and regulars were soon active again. As war with Austria threatened, Napoleon withdrew large forces from Spain, leaving Junot only 15,000 troops to occupy the province of Aragon
.
In May, Habert received a rude introduction to guerilla warfare when Colonel Perena led his militia
in chasing out the French garrison of Monzón
. Desiring to recapture the town, Habert sent a force consisting of about 1,000 men from his elite companies plus some cuirassiers across the Cinca River downstream from Monzón. However, the river flooded without warning, trapping his detachment on the far bank. With the rest of his troops Habert attempted to cross at Monzón itself, but Perena's men repelled all his assaults on 16 May. The cavalry swam their horses across the river and escaped. But the isolated foot soldiers ran out of ammunition and were forced to surrender on 19 May as Habert watched helplessly. In this action, Habert commanded Junot's 1st Division of 9,000 troops and 12 guns, with two squadrons of the 13th Cuirassier Regiment attached. Perena's estimated 10,000 Miqueletes
captured three voltiguer (light) companies of the 14th Line Infantry Regiment, the grenadier and voltiguer companies of the 116th Line Infantry Regiment, and possibly other units.
On the day that Habert's elite companies laid down their arms, Louis Gabriel Suchet
arrived to replace Junot in command. The Battle of Alcañiz
on 23 May 1809, Suchet's first action in independent command, was a French defeat at the hands of Joaquín Blake y Joyes
. Before the battle, Habert was ordered to join Suchet. In the action, the 1st Division was led by Anne-Gilbert Laval while the 2nd Division was commanded by Louis François Felix Musnier. Habert is not listed in the order of battle.
Soon, Blake was menacing Saragossa and Suchet led his rallied troops out to fight the Battle of María
on 15 June. In this action, the French corps commander detached Laval to protect Saragossa, while Habert led the remainder of the 1st Division. Knowing 3,000 reinforcements were due to arrive, Suchet maintained the defensive all day. When the hoped-for troops showed up at 4:00 PM, the French general hurled Habert's infantry and Pierre Watier
's cavalry at Blake's right wing. Under the double attack, the Spanish line caved in. The French inflicted 1,000 killed and 3,000 to 4,000 wounded on their opponents while suffering 700 to 800 killed and wounded. Two days later, Blake stood to fight again at Belchite
. Suchet sent Musnier to assault the Spanish left flank while Habert attacked the right. Just as Habert's troops became engaged, the French artillery scored a lucky hit on a Spanish artillery caisson behind the right wing. The resulting explosion set off a series of blasts that provoked Blake's men into a panicky flight from the field. The French lost about 200 casualties while their opponents lost ten times as many, plus 20 ammunition wagons. One source credits Laval with command of the 1st Division in this engagement.
Having cleared the Ebro valley, Suchet sent Musnier to fight guerillas to the north, while Laval battled the Spanish to the south. For the remainder of 1809, the III Corps waged local anti-guerilla operations. A January 1810 order of battle shows that Habert commanded Suchet's 3rd Division, though he still ranked as a general of brigade. Its strength was 4,329 men in seven battalions. At this time King Joseph Bonaparte
insisted that Suchet capture Valencia. Accordingly, the III Corps commander advanced to the gates of that port city on 6 March, but within four days abandoned the futile blockade and retreated. Instead, Suchet advanced on Lleida (Lerida)
, arriving before the city on 15 April and inflicting a stinging repulse to a Spanish relief force on 23 April at Margalef
. The French sat down to begin the Siege of Lerida on 29 April. During the operation, Habert's division included two battalions each of the 5th Light and 116th Line Infantry Regiments, three battalions of the 117th Line, and two foot artillery batteries. The Spanish governor Garcia Conde surrendered on 13 May with 7,000 men.
Suchet followed this success by investing Mequinenza
, a fortress on a bluff high above the Ebro river, on 15 May. After cutting a new road up the height, the French dragged their siege guns within range and began a bombardment of the castle. The Spanish commander capitulated with 1,000 men on 5 June. Habert's 3rd Division participated in the operation. Suchet's next assignment was to seize the fortress-city of Tortosa
, a strategically important location which controlled the lower Ebro crossing between Barcelona
and Valencia. The III Corps managed to isolate the city, but was unable to begin a formal siege for many months because of the activities of Spanish guerillas and regular armies in both Aragon and Catalonia
. However, Suchet finally got his heavy artillery forward and Marshal Jacques MacDonald arrived with his VII Corps to cover the proposed operation by 10 December.
The Siege of Tortosa
began on either 16 or 19 December 1810. Suchet pursued siege operations with vigor and on 2 January 1811 secured the surrender of Spanish commander Conde de Alacha Lilli and his garrison, though some managed to escape. Habert's division was left to defend the place while Suchet consolidated his gains. Of the 7,179 defenders, 1,400 were killed or wounded and 3,974 were captured. French losses were about 400. Habert's division was the same as at Lerida, except that three battalions of the 16th Line Infantry replaced the 116th Line, which was transferred to Jean Isidore Harispe
's division.
Promised his marshal's baton if he captured Tarragona
, Suchet arrived in front of that coastal city on 3 May. The organization of Habert's division was the same as at Lerida. The Siege of Tarragona
began on 5 May and lasted until 29 June 1811. The French captured Fort Olivo on 29 May and repulsed a counterattack the next day. Despite bitter resistance, they overcame the outlying forts one by one. On 21 June, Suchet's troops burst into the lower city and captured it. Three columns of French soldiers stormed into the upper city on 28 June. Gathering his men, Habert led a climactic charge against the defenders, breaking all resistance and capturing the Spanish commander Juan Senen de Contreras. The French infantry went berserk, massacring many helpless Spanish soldiers. English and Spanish accounts claim that up to 4,000 civilians were butchered. The French, while admitting that their troops ran amok, denied that their soldiers killed anyone other than armed enemies. As promised, Napoleon appointed Suchet a Marshal of France
. During the siege, the French suffered 4,300 casualties, while inflicting 14,000 to 15,000 losses on the Spanish, including 8,000 men captured.
Habert was elevated in rank to general of division on 25 June 1811 and appointed Baron of the Empire on 18 July. According to a 15 July 1811 return of Suchet's newly-named Army of Aragon, Habert's division included 4,433 men in 11 battalions. Reorganized for the invasion of Valencia
in September, his 3rd Division included the 2,119-strong brigade of Louis François Elie Pelletier Montmarie and the 1,340-man brigade of Nicolas Bronikowski d'Oppeln. Suchet reached the towering castle of Sagunto (Saguntum)
on 23 September. After the garrison repelled two premature attacks, Blake arrived nearby with a relief army. On 25 October, the Spanish general attacked the French to open the Battle of Saguntum
. Suchet deployed Habert's division on the left flank, next to the coast. Though outnumbered two-to-one, the French quickly routed Blake's left flank units, but the Spanish center and right fought stubbornly. Habert was forced to refuse his left flank to avoid being bombarded from the sea by enemy gunboats. After an intense struggle in the center, the Spaniards collapsed and ran. Habert wheeled his division to cut off their escape through the village of Puzzol, but the Walloon Guards Regiment bravely held the escape route open at great cost to themselves. The French inflicted over 6,000 casualties on their adversaries while losing 1,000 killed and wounded. The 2,500 defenders of Saguntum castle quickly capitulated.
Next, Suchet turned his gaze toward Valencia. His army included the infantry divisions of Musnier, Harispe, Habert, Guiseppe Frederico Palombini, Louis Fursy Henri Compère
, plus André Joseph Boussart
's cavalry division. To these were added the infantry divisions of Honoré Charles Reille
and Philippe Eustache Louis Severoli to make a powerful army of 33,000 men. Suchet planned a double envelopment, with the greater part of his forces massed inland to cut behind Blake's left flank. Meanwhile, Habert was ordered to break through the Spanish right flank between Valencia and the sea. While minor forces distracted Blake in front, Suchet's pincers closed on the city on 25 December 1811. In the Siege of Valencia
, Habert carried out his assignment, scattering José Obispo's troops on the right, while Suchet overran the Spanish left. Blake's flanking troops escaped, but the bulk of his troops were forced into the city where they surrendered on 8 January 1812. For a loss of 2,000 troops the French inflicted horrendous losses on their opponents, 4,011 killed or died of illness plus 16,270 men and 374 guns captured. Only 7,071 Spanish soldiers escaped the trap.
on 22 July and the Siege of Burgos
in the fall. During this period, King Joseph abandoned Madrid
and sought refuge with Suchet in Valencia before the king and Marshal Nicolas Soult recaptured Madrid.
Habert's next action was the Battle of Castalla
on 13 April 1813. In that conflict, Suchet sent Louis-Benoit Robert's division to attack the left flank of John Murray, 8th Baronet's Anglo-Spanish army. Meanwhile, the marshal ordered Habert to contain Murray's center, Boussart to observe the enemy right flank, and Harispe to remain in reserve. When Robert's assault failed, Suchet directed Habert to withdraw and Harispe to cover the retreat. At the battle Habert commanded only 2,722 men in four battalions. These units were two battalions of the 14th Line Infantry Regiment and one battalion each of the 16th and 117th Line. At the time of the Siege of Tarragona
in June 1813, Habert's 3rd Division numbered 4,120 men in six battalions. After the Battle of Vitoria
on 21 June, Suchet was forced to evacuate Valencia and Aragon, while falling back to Catalonia.
Habert led the 3rd Division at the Battle of Ordal
on 13 September 1813. The 14th, 16th, and 117th Line each had two battalions in the fight. Suchet attacked the inadequately patrolled Anglo-Spanish positions in the night and administered a one-sided drubbing to his enemies. A late 1813 order of battle placed Habert in command of Suchet's 4th Division, counting 3,975 men in four battalions. As Napoleon drained Suchet's strength away in order to defend eastern France, the marshal was left with only 17,000 soldiers. Forced to abandon most of Catalonia, he installed Habert as governor of Barcelona. For his tenacious defense of that city in the face of a besieging army of 30,000 and a British naval squadron, Habert earned the sobriquet the Ajax
of the Army of Catalonia. He surrendered Barcelona on 25 April, long after Napoleon's abdication, and only with "great reluctance".
Habert became a grand officer of the Légion d'Honneur on 29 July 1814 after King Louis XVIII of France
restoration to power. After commanding the 2nd Division, he joined Napoleon during the Hundred Days
and was appointed to lead the 10th Division in Dominique Vandamme
's III Corps. The division included the 22nd, 34th, 70th, and 88th Line Infantry Regiments. At the Battle of Ligny
on 16 June 1815, his division attacked the Prussians holding the village of Saint-Amand. His troops captured the place, lost it to a counterattack, and captured it again.
At the Battle of Wavre
on 18 June, Vandamme, without waiting for orders from Marshal Emmanuel Grouchy, ordered Habert to attack the town. His troops quickly flushed the Prussian skirmishers out of Aisemont, south of the Dyle River. Habert launched a strong column of infantry at the main bridge, covered by two 12-pounder batteries, one on each side of the main road. The initial attempt failed, along with two more assaults. In the attack, Habert and 600 of his men were struck down by Prussian fire. Shot in the lower abdomen, he was placed in inactive status on 1 August 1815 though he was assigned to the general staff. He bought a home in Montréal, Yonne
and moved there in 1817. He was still officially part of the general staff as late as 30 December 1818 and retired on 1 December 1824. He died of an unhealed war wound at his house in Montréal on 19 May 1825 and is buried nearby. HABERT is inscribed on Column 36 of the Arc de Triomphe
.
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 led a division during 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...
. After serving in the army from 1792 to 1797, he fought in Ireland and Egypt, rising in rank to become a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
by 1802. Under Emperor Napoleon
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...
, he led his regiment in the 1805 campaign against Austria. In the 1806-1807 campaign he saw action at Jena, Golymin
Battle of Golymin
The Battle of Golymin took place on 26 December 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars at Gołymin, Poland, between around 17,000 Russian soldiers with 28 guns under Prince Golitsyn and 38,000 French soldiers under Marshal Murat. The Russian forces disengaged successfully from the superior French forces...
, Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
, and Heilsberg
Battle of Heilsberg
The Battle of Heilsberg took place on 10 June 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars.-Overview:On 24 May 1807, the Siege of Danzig ended when Prussian General Friedrich Adolf, Count von Kalckreuth capitulated to French Marshal Francois Joseph Lefebvre. With Gdansk secured, Napoleon was now free to turn...
and was wounded twice in the last-named battle.
Promoted to general officer, Habert was posted to Spain where he achieved fame in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. After he fought with varying fortunes in 1808 and 1809, General and later Marshal
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
Louis Gabriel Suchet
Louis Gabriel Suchet
Louis Gabriel Suchet, 1st Duc d'Albufera was a Marshal of France and one of Napoleon's most brilliant generals.-Early career:...
arrived to take command in Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
. A string of almost unbroken successes followed. Though only a general of brigade he was named to lead Suchet's 3rd Division in actions at Lerida, Tortosa
Siege of Tortosa (1810)
The Siege of Tortosa opposed the French and the Spaniards. The confrontation took place in December 1810. Tortosa surrendered January 2, 1811.Colonel Rouelle was employed at the siege of Tortosa, where he failed two exits undertaken by the besieged, the December 24, 1810 and December 28, 1810....
, and Tarragona
Siege of Tarragona (1811)
In the Siege of Tarragona from 5 May to 29 June 1811, Louis Gabriel Suchet's French Army of Aragon laid siege to a Spanish garrison led by Lieutenant General Juan Senen de Contreras. A British naval squadron commanded by Admiral Edward Codrington harassed the French besiegers with cannon fire and...
. After being promoted, he led his division at Saguntum
Battle of Saguntum (1811)
The Battle of Saguntum on 25 October 1811 saw the French Army of Aragon under Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet fighting a Spanish army led by Lieutenant General Joaquín Blake y Joyes. The Spanish attempt to raise the siege of the castle of Sagunto failed when the French, Italians, and Poles drove...
, Valencia
Siege of Valencia (1812)
The Siege of Valencia from 3 November 1811 to 9 January 1812, saw Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet's French Army of Aragon besiege Captain General Joaquín Blake y Joyes' forces in the city of Valencia, Spain during the Peninsular War...
, Castalla
Battle of Castalla
In the Battle of Castalla on 13 April 1813, an Anglo-Spanish-Sicilian force commanded by Lieutenant General John Murray, 8th Baronet fought Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet's French Army of Valencia and Aragon. Murray's troops successfully repelled a series of French attacks causing Suchet to retreat....
, and Ordal
Battle of Ordal
The Battle of Ordal on 12 and 13 September 1813 saw a First French Empire corps led by Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet make a night assault on a position held by Lieutenant General Lord William Bentinck's smaller Anglo-Allied and Spanish advance guard...
. He became known as the Ajax
Ajax (mythology)
Ajax or Aias was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War. To distinguish him from Ajax, son of Oileus , he is called "Telamonian Ajax," "Greater...
of the Army of Catalonia for his prolonged defense of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 1814. He commanded a division during 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...
at Ligny
Battle of Ligny
The Battle of Ligny was the last victory of the military career of Napoleon I. In this battle, French troops of the Armée du Nord under Napoleon's command, defeated a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher, near Ligny in present-day Belgium. The bulk of the Prussian army survived, however, and...
and Wavre
Battle of Wavre
The Battle of Wavre was the final major military action of the Hundred Days campaign and the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought on 18-19 June 1815 between the Prussian rearguard under the command of General Johann von Thielmann and three corps of the French army under the command of Marshal Grouchy. A...
, though he missed the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. Habert is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
The following is the list of the names of the 660 persons inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris. Most of them are generals who served during the First French Empire with additional figures from the French Revolution ....
.
Revolution
Born the son of AvallonAvallon
Avallon is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in center-eastern France.-Geography:Avallon is located 50 km south-southeast of Auxerre, served by a branch of the Paris-Lyon railway and by exit 22 of the A6 motorway...
bookseller Henry Habert in Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
on 22 December 1773, Habert joined the French army on 1 September 1792 at the start of the War of the First Coalition. Quickly named captain of the 4th battalion of Yonne
Yonne
Yonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
volunteers, within two years he rose to become a chef de bataillon (major) in the 107th Demi-Brigade. The year 1796 found him serving in the 3rd Foreign Demi-Brigade. He went with Lazare Hoche
Lazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche was a French soldier who rose to be general of the Revolutionary army.Born of poor parents near Versailles, he enlisted at sixteen as a private soldier in the Gardes Françaises...
's abortive expedition in support of the Irish Rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
. Captured by the British, he spent a number of months as a prisoner before being released. Sent to Egypt with dispatches, his ship evaded the British naval blockade and he was appointed aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Jacques-François Menou
Jacques-Francois Menou
Jacques-François de Menou, baron de Boussay was a French general under Napoleon I of France. Born Jacques Menou in Boussay on 3 September 1750, he died in Mestre in the Veneto on 13 August 1810...
. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Heliopolis
Battle of Heliopolis (1800)
The Battle of Heliopolis was a French victory by the armée d'Orient under General Kléber over the Ottoman army at Heliopolis on 20 March 1800....
on 20 March 1800. On 21 March 1801, Menou appointed him an acting general of brigade after his actions at the Second Battle of Abukir
Battle of Abukir (1801)
The Battle of Abukir of 8 March 1801 was the second battle of the Egyptian campaign in the French Revolutionary Wars, to be fought at Abu Qir on the Mediterranean coast, near the Nile delta. A British army of 5,000 led by General Ralph Abercromby landed along the beach to dislodge an entrenched...
. He returned to France after the Capitulation of Alexandria
Capitulation of Alexandria (1801)
The Capitulation of Alexandria in August 1801 brought to an end the French expedition to Egypt.French troops, defeated by British and Ottoman forces, had retreated to Alexandria where they were besieged...
.
Early Empire
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, Habert received command of the 105th Line Infantry Regiment. He became a chevalier 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...
in 1803 and an officer of the Légion in 1804. During this time his unit guarded the west coast of France. In August 1805, at the start of the War of the Third Coalition, his regiment joined Jacques Desjardin
Jacques Desjardin
Jacques Desjardin or Jacques Jardin or Jacques Desjardins; enlisted in the French royal army as a young man and eventually became a sergeant. During the first years of the French Revolutionary Wars he enjoyed very rapid promotion to the rank of general officer in the army of the First French...
's division of Marshal
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
Pierre Augereau's VII Corps. Having a long march from the environs of Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, Augereau's men missed the bulk of the fighting but managed to trap Franz Jellacic
Franz Jellacic
Baron Franjo Jelačić Bužimski , born 14 April 1746 – died 4 February 1810, was a Croatian nobleman, a member of the House of Jelačić...
's Austrian division near Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
. On 13 November, Augereau with Desjardin's 1st Division forced Jellacic to surrender his 4,000 troops at Dornbirn
Dornbirn
Dornbirn is a city in Vorarlberg, Austria. It is the administrative center of the district Dornbirn, which also includes the city of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau....
in the Voralberg. The Austrians were allowed to march off to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
on condition that they would not fight against France for one year.
The beginning of the War of the Fourth Coalition
War of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. Coalition partners included Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and the United Kingdom....
saw Habert's 105th Regiment serving in Jacques Lefranc's brigade of Desjardin's VII Corps Division. At the Battle of Jena on 14 October 1806, Desjardin's division seized the village of Isserstadt, piercing the right-center of the Prussian-Saxon front and rescuing Marshal Michel Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
's advance guard from a precarious situation.
On 24 December, Augereau forced a crossing of the Wkra
Wkra
Wkra is a river in north-eastern Poland, a tributary of the Narew river, with a length of 249 kilometres and the basin area of 5,322 km². .Towns and townships:* Bieżuń* Radzanów* Strzegowo* Glinojeck* Sochocin...
River in Poland in the Battle of Czarnowo
Battle of Czarnowo
The Battle of Czarnowo on the night of 23–24 December 1806 saw troops of the First French Empire under the eye of Emperor Napoleon I launch an evening assault crossing of the Wkra River against Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Ostermann-Tolstoy's defending Russian Empire forces...
. He sent Étienne Heudelet de Bierre's 2nd Division to attempt a passage at Sochocin
Sochocin
Sochocin is a village in Płońsk County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Sochocin. It lies approximately north-east of Płońsk and north-west of Warsaw....
, while Desjardin tried to cross at Kołoząb. A Russian division under Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly , was a Russian Field Marshal and Minister of War during Napoleon's invasion in 1812 and War of the Sixth Coalition.-Early life:...
opposed the French. Heudelet's attack was repulsed, but Desjardin met with success. Desjardin pinned down the Russians with covering fire, while some elite companies stormed across the partially destroyed bridge. Pierre Belon Lapisse
Pierre Belon Lapisse
Pierre Belon Lapisse, Baron de Sainte-Hélène enlisted in the French Army during the reign of Louis XVI and fought in the American Revolutionary War. Appointed an officer at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars, he rose in rank to become a general officer by 1799...
led Desjardin's other brigade in a flank attack. The combined assault drove off the Russian defenders and captured six field pieces.
Habert led the 105th against the Russians at the Battle of Golymin
Battle of Golymin
The Battle of Golymin took place on 26 December 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars at Gołymin, Poland, between around 17,000 Russian soldiers with 28 guns under Prince Golitsyn and 38,000 French soldiers under Marshal Murat. The Russian forces disengaged successfully from the superior French forces...
on 26 December. Desjardin's division reached the field first and pressed back a Russian infantry regiment. Reinforced, the Russians pushed back Desjardin's men, who rallied and came on again. This time Desjardin's 2nd Brigade was stopped by grapeshot only 50 paces from the enemy guns. The brigade fell back 200 yards and formed squares in front of the village of Kaleczin. The Russians retreated that night.
The 105th fought at the Battle of Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
on 8 February 1807. At 2:00 PM in the afternoon, Emperor Napoleon ordered an unwell Augereau to attack the Russian left flank. As the movement got underway, a blizzard swept across the battlefield. Blinded by the snow, the VII Corps veered to the left of its intended attack axis to strike the Russian center. Pounded unmercifully by a 70-gun battery and swamped by counterattacking infantry and cavalry, Augereau's soldiers suffered huge losses and the remnants fled. His division commander Desjardin was killed. The decimated VII Corps was discontinued and the survivors distributed to other corps. Habert was transferred to Claude Legrand's division in Marshal Nicolas Soult's IV Corps
IV Corps (Grande Armée)
The IV Corps of the Grande Armée was a military unit during the Napoleonic Wars. It consisted several different units and commanders.- Under Soult :Marshal Nicolas Soult took command of IV Corps in 1805....
on 21 February. He fought at the Battle of Heilsberg
Battle of Heilsberg
The Battle of Heilsberg took place on 10 June 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars.-Overview:On 24 May 1807, the Siege of Danzig ended when Prussian General Friedrich Adolf, Count von Kalckreuth capitulated to French Marshal Francois Joseph Lefebvre. With Gdansk secured, Napoleon was now free to turn...
on 10 June 1807 where he was wounded in the head and shoulder. On 11 July 1807 he became a commandant in the Légion d'Honneur.
Middle Empire
On 18 February 1808, Habert won promotion to general of brigade and was granted 4,000 francs worth of annual rent from property in the Kingdom of WestphaliaKingdom of Westphalia
The Kingdom of Westphalia was a new country of 2.6 million Germans that existed from 1807-1813. It included of territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte...
. Tranferred to Spain, he served as a brigade commander in the division of Pierre Hugues Victoire Merle for three weeks before being reassigned to Jean-Antoine Verdier
Jean-Antoine Verdier
Jean-Antoine Verdier was a French General during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.Born in Toulouse, he enlisted into the Régiment de la Fère on 18 February 1785...
's division in mid-June. Both divisions formed part of Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Jean-Baptiste Bessières, 1st Duc d' Istria was a Marshal of France of the Napoleonic Era. His younger brother, Bertrand, followed in his footsteps and eventually became a Divisional General...
army corps. During this period, from 15 June to 14 August, the French waged the unsuccessful First Siege of Saragossa
Siege of Saragossa (1808)
The First Siege of Saragossa was a bloody struggle in the Peninsular War. A French army under General Jean-Antoine Verdier besieged, repeatedly stormed, and was repulsed from the Spanish city of Saragossa over the summer of 1808....
. From August, he served in Jean Sébastien Grandjean's division. By early November he transferred again to lead the 2nd Brigade of Maurice Mathieu's division in Marshal Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey's III Corps
III Corps (Grande Armée)
The III Corps of the Grande Armée were few military units during the Napoleonic Wars. The III Corps came to prominence between 1805 and 1809 under the command of Marshal Louis Nicolas Davout, when it repeatedly scored impressive victories single-handedly or in conjunction with other French forces...
. On 23 November, Mathieu's division fought in the French victory at the Battle of Tudela
Battle of Tudela
The Battle of Tudela was a battle of the Peninsular War fought on November 23, 1808 near Tudela, Spain. The battle resulted in the victory of the French and Poles under Marshal Lannes against the Spanish under General Castaños....
. From 19 December 1808 to 20 February 1809, the III Corps participated in the Second Siege of Saragossa
Siege of Saragossa (1809)
The Second Siege of Saragossa was the French capture of the Spanish city of Zaragoza during the Peninsular War.It is particularly noted for its brutality.-Prelude:...
. In this bloodbath, 18,000 Spaniards died of battle injuries or sickness. French losses were also staggering, with 4,000 killed in battle plus an additional 6,000 succumbing to disease.
The III Corps, now led by 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:...
easily overran the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
valley after the fall of Saragossa. However, Spanish guerillas and regulars were soon active again. As war with Austria threatened, Napoleon withdrew large forces from Spain, leaving Junot only 15,000 troops to occupy the province of Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
.
In May, Habert received a rude introduction to guerilla warfare when Colonel Perena led his militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
in chasing out the French garrison of Monzón
Monzón
Monzón is a small town in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It has a population of 17,050. It is located in the northeast and adjoins the rivers Cinca and Sosa.-Historical overview:...
. Desiring to recapture the town, Habert sent a force consisting of about 1,000 men from his elite companies plus some cuirassiers across the Cinca River downstream from Monzón. However, the river flooded without warning, trapping his detachment on the far bank. With the rest of his troops Habert attempted to cross at Monzón itself, but Perena's men repelled all his assaults on 16 May. The cavalry swam their horses across the river and escaped. But the isolated foot soldiers ran out of ammunition and were forced to surrender on 19 May as Habert watched helplessly. In this action, Habert commanded Junot's 1st Division of 9,000 troops and 12 guns, with two squadrons of the 13th Cuirassier Regiment attached. Perena's estimated 10,000 Miqueletes
Miquelet (militia)
Miquelets or Micalets were irregular Catalan and Valencian militia. The name is a diminutive of Michael; it is claimed it comes from Miquel or Miquelot de Prats, a Catalan mercenary captain in the service of Cesare Borgia...
captured three voltiguer (light) companies of the 14th Line Infantry Regiment, the grenadier and voltiguer companies of the 116th Line Infantry Regiment, and possibly other units.
Louis Gabriel Suchet
Louis Gabriel Suchet, 1st Duc d'Albufera was a Marshal of France and one of Napoleon's most brilliant generals.-Early career:...
arrived to replace Junot in command. The Battle of Alcañiz
Battle of Alcañiz
The Battle of Alcañiz resulted in the defeat of Major-General Louis Gabriel Suchet's French army on May 23, 1809 by a Spanish force under General Joaquín Blake y Joyes....
on 23 May 1809, Suchet's first action in independent command, was a French defeat at the hands of Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Joaquín Blake y Joyes was a Spanish military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Peninsular wars.-Early military career:...
. Before the battle, Habert was ordered to join Suchet. In the action, the 1st Division was led by Anne-Gilbert Laval while the 2nd Division was commanded by Louis François Felix Musnier. Habert is not listed in the order of battle.
Soon, Blake was menacing Saragossa and Suchet led his rallied troops out to fight the Battle of María
Battle of María
The Battle of María, also known as the Battle of Belchite, resulted in the defeat of part of General Blake's Spanish army by a French force under General Suchet on June 15, 1809.-External links:**...
on 15 June. In this action, the French corps commander detached Laval to protect Saragossa, while Habert led the remainder of the 1st Division. Knowing 3,000 reinforcements were due to arrive, Suchet maintained the defensive all day. When the hoped-for troops showed up at 4:00 PM, the French general hurled Habert's infantry and Pierre Watier
Pierre Watier
Pierre Watier , was a French general of division.Born at Laon, Aisne, Watier is one of 660 personalities to have their name engraved under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the city where he died. His name appears on the 12th column and is spelt WATHIER....
's cavalry at Blake's right wing. Under the double attack, the Spanish line caved in. The French inflicted 1,000 killed and 3,000 to 4,000 wounded on their opponents while suffering 700 to 800 killed and wounded. Two days later, Blake stood to fight again at Belchite
Belchite
Belchite is a village in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, about 40 km southeast of Zaragoza. It is the capital of Campo de Belchite comarca and is located in a plain surrounded by low hills, the highest of which is Lobo...
. Suchet sent Musnier to assault the Spanish left flank while Habert attacked the right. Just as Habert's troops became engaged, the French artillery scored a lucky hit on a Spanish artillery caisson behind the right wing. The resulting explosion set off a series of blasts that provoked Blake's men into a panicky flight from the field. The French lost about 200 casualties while their opponents lost ten times as many, plus 20 ammunition wagons. One source credits Laval with command of the 1st Division in this engagement.
Having cleared the Ebro valley, Suchet sent Musnier to fight guerillas to the north, while Laval battled the Spanish to the south. For the remainder of 1809, the III Corps waged local anti-guerilla operations. A January 1810 order of battle shows that Habert commanded Suchet's 3rd Division, though he still ranked as a general of brigade. Its strength was 4,329 men in seven battalions. At this time King Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
insisted that Suchet capture Valencia. Accordingly, the III Corps commander advanced to the gates of that port city on 6 March, but within four days abandoned the futile blockade and retreated. Instead, Suchet advanced on Lleida (Lerida)
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
, arriving before the city on 15 April and inflicting a stinging repulse to a Spanish relief force on 23 April at Margalef
Margalef
Margalef is a village in Catalunya, Spain. It is situated on the edge of Montsant and is a popular ecotourism destination, especially among rock climbers. The rock type is conglomerate and it has more than 500 climbing routes of different grades, from 4 to 9b...
. The French sat down to begin the Siege of Lerida on 29 April. During the operation, Habert's division included two battalions each of the 5th Light and 116th Line Infantry Regiments, three battalions of the 117th Line, and two foot artillery batteries. The Spanish governor Garcia Conde surrendered on 13 May with 7,000 men.
Suchet followed this success by investing Mequinenza
Mequinenza
Mequinenza or Mequinensa is a town and municipality of the province of Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It is located by the confluence of the rivers Segre and Ebro.-History & Features:...
, a fortress on a bluff high above the Ebro river, on 15 May. After cutting a new road up the height, the French dragged their siege guns within range and began a bombardment of the castle. The Spanish commander capitulated with 1,000 men on 5 June. Habert's 3rd Division participated in the operation. Suchet's next assignment was to seize the fortress-city of Tortosa
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
, a strategically important location which controlled the lower Ebro crossing between Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Valencia. The III Corps managed to isolate the city, but was unable to begin a formal siege for many months because of the activities of Spanish guerillas and regular armies in both Aragon and Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
. However, Suchet finally got his heavy artillery forward and Marshal Jacques MacDonald arrived with his VII Corps to cover the proposed operation by 10 December.
The Siege of Tortosa
Siege of Tortosa (1810)
The Siege of Tortosa opposed the French and the Spaniards. The confrontation took place in December 1810. Tortosa surrendered January 2, 1811.Colonel Rouelle was employed at the siege of Tortosa, where he failed two exits undertaken by the besieged, the December 24, 1810 and December 28, 1810....
began on either 16 or 19 December 1810. Suchet pursued siege operations with vigor and on 2 January 1811 secured the surrender of Spanish commander Conde de Alacha Lilli and his garrison, though some managed to escape. Habert's division was left to defend the place while Suchet consolidated his gains. Of the 7,179 defenders, 1,400 were killed or wounded and 3,974 were captured. French losses were about 400. Habert's division was the same as at Lerida, except that three battalions of the 16th Line Infantry replaced the 116th Line, which was transferred to Jean Isidore Harispe
Jean Isidore Harispe
Jean Isidore Harispe, 1st Comte Harispe was a distinguished French soldier of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as a of the following period. Harispe was created a Marshal of France in 1851.-Early life:...
's division.
Promised his marshal's baton if he captured Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
, Suchet arrived in front of that coastal city on 3 May. The organization of Habert's division was the same as at Lerida. The Siege of Tarragona
Siege of Tarragona (1811)
In the Siege of Tarragona from 5 May to 29 June 1811, Louis Gabriel Suchet's French Army of Aragon laid siege to a Spanish garrison led by Lieutenant General Juan Senen de Contreras. A British naval squadron commanded by Admiral Edward Codrington harassed the French besiegers with cannon fire and...
began on 5 May and lasted until 29 June 1811. The French captured Fort Olivo on 29 May and repulsed a counterattack the next day. Despite bitter resistance, they overcame the outlying forts one by one. On 21 June, Suchet's troops burst into the lower city and captured it. Three columns of French soldiers stormed into the upper city on 28 June. Gathering his men, Habert led a climactic charge against the defenders, breaking all resistance and capturing the Spanish commander Juan Senen de Contreras. The French infantry went berserk, massacring many helpless Spanish soldiers. English and Spanish accounts claim that up to 4,000 civilians were butchered. The French, while admitting that their troops ran amok, denied that their soldiers killed anyone other than armed enemies. As promised, Napoleon appointed Suchet a Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
. During the siege, the French suffered 4,300 casualties, while inflicting 14,000 to 15,000 losses on the Spanish, including 8,000 men captured.
Habert was elevated in rank to general of division on 25 June 1811 and appointed Baron of the Empire on 18 July. According to a 15 July 1811 return of Suchet's newly-named Army of Aragon, Habert's division included 4,433 men in 11 battalions. Reorganized for the invasion of Valencia
Valencia (province)
Valencia or València is a province of Spain, in the central part of the Valencian Community.It is bordered by the provinces of Alicante, Albacete, Cuenca, Teruel, Castellón, and the Mediterranean Sea...
in September, his 3rd Division included the 2,119-strong brigade of Louis François Elie Pelletier Montmarie and the 1,340-man brigade of Nicolas Bronikowski d'Oppeln. Suchet reached the towering castle of Sagunto (Saguntum)
Sagunto
Sagunto or Sagunt is an ancient city in Eastern Spain, in the modern fertile comarca of Camp de Morvedre in the province of Valencia. It is located in a hilly site, c. 30 km north of Valencia, close to the Costa del Azahar on the Mediterranean Sea...
on 23 September. After the garrison repelled two premature attacks, Blake arrived nearby with a relief army. On 25 October, the Spanish general attacked the French to open the Battle of Saguntum
Battle of Saguntum (1811)
The Battle of Saguntum on 25 October 1811 saw the French Army of Aragon under Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet fighting a Spanish army led by Lieutenant General Joaquín Blake y Joyes. The Spanish attempt to raise the siege of the castle of Sagunto failed when the French, Italians, and Poles drove...
. Suchet deployed Habert's division on the left flank, next to the coast. Though outnumbered two-to-one, the French quickly routed Blake's left flank units, but the Spanish center and right fought stubbornly. Habert was forced to refuse his left flank to avoid being bombarded from the sea by enemy gunboats. After an intense struggle in the center, the Spaniards collapsed and ran. Habert wheeled his division to cut off their escape through the village of Puzzol, but the Walloon Guards Regiment bravely held the escape route open at great cost to themselves. The French inflicted over 6,000 casualties on their adversaries while losing 1,000 killed and wounded. The 2,500 defenders of Saguntum castle quickly capitulated.
Next, Suchet turned his gaze toward Valencia. His army included the infantry divisions of Musnier, Harispe, Habert, Guiseppe Frederico Palombini, Louis Fursy Henri Compère
Louis Fursy Henri Compere
Louis Fursy Henri Compère was a French general of artillery in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. In 1794, he was promoted to chef de brigade, the equivalent of colonel. On 1 May 1794, he was promoted to general of brigade...
, plus André Joseph Boussart
André Joseph Boussart
André Joseph Boussart or André Joseph Boussard, born 13 November 1758 – died 11 August 1813, enlisted in the army of Habsburg Austria as a youth. A Belgian by birth, he joined the Brabant Revolution against Austria and fled to France when the rebellion collapsed. He soon found himself...
's cavalry division. To these were added the infantry divisions of Honoré Charles Reille
Honoré Charles Reille
Honoré Charles Michel Joseph Reille was a Marshal of France, born in Antibes.Reille served in the early campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars under Dumouriez and Masséna, whose daughter Victoire he married. In 1800, Reille was appointed commander of the Italian city of Florence...
and Philippe Eustache Louis Severoli to make a powerful army of 33,000 men. Suchet planned a double envelopment, with the greater part of his forces massed inland to cut behind Blake's left flank. Meanwhile, Habert was ordered to break through the Spanish right flank between Valencia and the sea. While minor forces distracted Blake in front, Suchet's pincers closed on the city on 25 December 1811. In the Siege of Valencia
Siege of Valencia (1812)
The Siege of Valencia from 3 November 1811 to 9 January 1812, saw Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet's French Army of Aragon besiege Captain General Joaquín Blake y Joyes' forces in the city of Valencia, Spain during the Peninsular War...
, Habert carried out his assignment, scattering José Obispo's troops on the right, while Suchet overran the Spanish left. Blake's flanking troops escaped, but the bulk of his troops were forced into the city where they surrendered on 8 January 1812. For a loss of 2,000 troops the French inflicted horrendous losses on their opponents, 4,011 killed or died of illness plus 16,270 men and 374 guns captured. Only 7,071 Spanish soldiers escaped the trap.
Late Empire
Suchet soon fell ill with fever and was unable to mount further operations. Overstreched by his conquests, Suchet went over to the defensive during 1812. In mid-autumn of that year, a French order of battle listed seven battalions and 4,975 soldiers in Habert's division. Great events were occurring elsewhere in Spain during this time, including the Battle of SalamancaBattle of Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
on 22 July and the Siege of Burgos
Siege of Burgos
At the Siege of Burgos, from 19 September to 21 October 1812, the Anglo-Portuguese Army led by General Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington tried to capture the castle of Burgos from its French garrison under the command of General of Brigade Jean-Louis Dubreton. The French repulsed every...
in the fall. During this period, King Joseph abandoned Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and sought refuge with Suchet in Valencia before the king and Marshal Nicolas Soult recaptured Madrid.
Habert's next action was the Battle of Castalla
Battle of Castalla
In the Battle of Castalla on 13 April 1813, an Anglo-Spanish-Sicilian force commanded by Lieutenant General John Murray, 8th Baronet fought Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet's French Army of Valencia and Aragon. Murray's troops successfully repelled a series of French attacks causing Suchet to retreat....
on 13 April 1813. In that conflict, Suchet sent Louis-Benoit Robert's division to attack the left flank of John Murray, 8th Baronet's Anglo-Spanish army. Meanwhile, the marshal ordered Habert to contain Murray's center, Boussart to observe the enemy right flank, and Harispe to remain in reserve. When Robert's assault failed, Suchet directed Habert to withdraw and Harispe to cover the retreat. At the battle Habert commanded only 2,722 men in four battalions. These units were two battalions of the 14th Line Infantry Regiment and one battalion each of the 16th and 117th Line. At the time of the Siege of Tarragona
Siege of Tarragona (1813)
In the Siege of Tarragona , an overwhelming Anglo-Allied force commanded by Lieutenant General John Murray, 8th Baronet failed to capture the Spanish port of Tarragona from a small Franco-Italian garrison led by General of Brigade Antoine Bertoletti.-Background:Murray's Anglo-Sicilian-Spanish army,...
in June 1813, Habert's 3rd Division numbered 4,120 men in six battalions. After the Battle of Vitoria
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
on 21 June, Suchet was forced to evacuate Valencia and Aragon, while falling back to Catalonia.
Habert led the 3rd Division at the Battle of Ordal
Battle of Ordal
The Battle of Ordal on 12 and 13 September 1813 saw a First French Empire corps led by Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet make a night assault on a position held by Lieutenant General Lord William Bentinck's smaller Anglo-Allied and Spanish advance guard...
on 13 September 1813. The 14th, 16th, and 117th Line each had two battalions in the fight. Suchet attacked the inadequately patrolled Anglo-Spanish positions in the night and administered a one-sided drubbing to his enemies. A late 1813 order of battle placed Habert in command of Suchet's 4th Division, counting 3,975 men in four battalions. As Napoleon drained Suchet's strength away in order to defend eastern France, the marshal was left with only 17,000 soldiers. Forced to abandon most of Catalonia, he installed Habert as governor of Barcelona. For his tenacious defense of that city in the face of a besieging army of 30,000 and a British naval squadron, Habert earned the sobriquet the Ajax
Ajax (mythology)
Ajax or Aias was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War. To distinguish him from Ajax, son of Oileus , he is called "Telamonian Ajax," "Greater...
of the Army of Catalonia. He surrendered Barcelona on 25 April, long after Napoleon's abdication, and only with "great reluctance".
Habert became a grand officer of the Légion d'Honneur on 29 July 1814 after King Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
restoration to power. After commanding the 2nd Division, he joined Napoleon during 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 was appointed to lead the 10th Division in Dominique Vandamme
Dominique Vandamme
General Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme, Count of Unseburg was a French military officer, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars....
's III Corps. The division included the 22nd, 34th, 70th, and 88th Line Infantry Regiments. At the Battle of Ligny
Battle of Ligny
The Battle of Ligny was the last victory of the military career of Napoleon I. In this battle, French troops of the Armée du Nord under Napoleon's command, defeated a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher, near Ligny in present-day Belgium. The bulk of the Prussian army survived, however, and...
on 16 June 1815, his division attacked the Prussians holding the village of Saint-Amand. His troops captured the place, lost it to a counterattack, and captured it again.
At the Battle of Wavre
Battle of Wavre
The Battle of Wavre was the final major military action of the Hundred Days campaign and the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought on 18-19 June 1815 between the Prussian rearguard under the command of General Johann von Thielmann and three corps of the French army under the command of Marshal Grouchy. A...
on 18 June, Vandamme, without waiting for orders from Marshal Emmanuel Grouchy, ordered Habert to attack the town. His troops quickly flushed the Prussian skirmishers out of Aisemont, south of the Dyle River. Habert launched a strong column of infantry at the main bridge, covered by two 12-pounder batteries, one on each side of the main road. The initial attempt failed, along with two more assaults. In the attack, Habert and 600 of his men were struck down by Prussian fire. Shot in the lower abdomen, he was placed in inactive status on 1 August 1815 though he was assigned to the general staff. He bought a home in Montréal, Yonne
Montréal, Yonne
Montréal is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.-References:*...
and moved there in 1817. He was still officially part of the general staff as late as 30 December 1818 and retired on 1 December 1824. He died of an unhealed war wound at his house in Montréal on 19 May 1825 and is buried nearby. HABERT is inscribed on Column 36 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...
.