Adolphe Niel
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (February 2012) |
Adolphe Niel | |
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Minister of War |
Adolphe Niel (4 October 1802 – 13 August 1869) was a French Army general and statesman.
He was born at
École Polytechnique in 1821. Niel entered the engineer school at Metz, became lieutenant in the Engineers Corps in 1827, and captain in 1833. He fought in the French conquest of Algeria, participating in the storming of Constantine. There Niel led the engineer detachment with one of the storming parties, and his conduct gained for him the rank of chef de bataillon in 1837. Niel was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1840 and to colonel in 1846. His next war service was as chief of staff to General Vaillant during the 1849 siege of Rome, after which he was made general of brigade and director of engineer services at headquarters.[1]
In 1851, Niel became a member of the Committee of Fortifications. He became a member of the council of state in 1852 and in 1853 was promoted to
Napoleon III, and he was now empowered to advise the generals on the spot in accordance with the wishes of the sovereign and the home government.[1]
Niel managed to carry out this delicate and difficult task with as much success as could be expected, and he directed siege operations at the
French Senate. In the war against the Austrians, Niel commanded the IV Corps and took part in the Battle of Magenta and the Battle of Solferino. Niel was made a marshal of France on the field at Solferino.[1]
After he served for some years in a home command, Niel became
minister of war and held the position from 1867 to 1869. In this capacity he drafted and began to carry out a far-reaching scheme of army reform, based on universal service and the automatic creation of large reserves which needed only time to mature.[1] Under his system, those men who had purchased exemption from conscription into the army would nonetheless be called up into a new service, the Garde Mobile. He also was able to rearm the whole of the army with the chassepot rifle, but not the Garde Mobile. He did not live to complete the development of his system.[1]
Niel died in Paris during an operation for a bladder stone, and a year later the Franco-Prussian War destroyed the old imperial army upon which the new formations were to have been grafted.[1]
Decorations
- Légion d'honneur
- Knight (21 October 1838)
- Officer (17 March 1845)
- Commander (10 May 1852)
- Grand Officer (28 August 1854)
- Grand Cross (22 September 1855)
- Médaille militaire (4 July 1859)
- Honorary Companion of the Order of the Bath (UK)
- Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (UK, 3 January 1856)[2]
- Crimea Medal (UK)
- Baltic Medal (UK)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Sardinia)
References
- ^ a b c d e f One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Niel, Adolphe". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 670.
- ISBN 9780806304434. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
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