Jean-Charles Pichegru
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Jean-Charles Pichegru | |
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Years of service | 1783–1797 |
Rank | Divisional general |
Battles/wars | French Revolutionary Wars |
Jean-Charles Pichegru (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ ʃaʁlə piʃˈɡʁy], 16 February 1761 – 5 April 1804) was a French general of the Revolutionary Wars. Under his command, French troops overran Belgium and the Netherlands before fighting on the Rhine front. His royalist positions led to his loss of power and imprisonment in Cayenne, French Guiana during the Coup of 18 Fructidor in 1797. After escaping into exile in London and joining the staff of Alexander Korsakov, he returned to France and planned the Pichegru Conspiracy to remove Napoleon from power, which led to his arrest and death. Despite his defection, his surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on Column 3.
Early life and career
Pichegru was born in a peasant family at
When the
Rhine front
The fine condition of his regiment was noticed in the
In 1793,
Appointed commander-in-chief of the
Northern front
In December 1793, Hoche was arrested, probably owing to his colleague's denunciations, and Pichegru became commander-in-chief of the Army of the Rhine and Moselle. He was summoned to succeed Jourdan in the Army of the North in February 1794, subsequently fighting three major campaigns within the year. The forces of the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and Habsburg Austria held a strong position along the Sambre to the North Sea.
After attempting to break the Austrian centre, Pichegru suddenly turned their left, and defeated the
Pichegru began his second campaign by crossing the
This major victory was marked by unique episodes, such as the Capture of the Dutch fleet at Den Helder by French hussars, and exceptional discipline of the French battalions in Amsterdam, who, although faced with the opportunity of plundering the richest city in Europe, showed self-restraint.[1]
Thermidor and Directory
Although a former associate of
Pichegru then took command of the armies of the North, the Sambre-and-Meuse, and the Rhine, and, crossing the Rhine in force, took Mannheim in May 1795.[1]
Going over to the Royalists
Although he was at the height of his fame as general, Pichegru allowed his colleague Jourdan to be defeated, betrayed all his plans to the enemy, and took part in organizing a
Coup attempts and death
Pichegru planned a coup d'état but was arrested during the anti-royalist Coup of 18 Fructidor and with fourteen others was deported to Cayenne, French Guiana, in 1797.[1] He and seven others escaped and fled to Paramaribo. The gouverneur De Friderici allowed them to get on board a ship to the United States.[2] Shortly thereafter, he went to London, where he joined other French émigrés. There, he served on General Aleksandr Rimsky-Korsakov's staff in the campaign of 1799.
Pichegru went to Paris in August 1803 with Georges Cadoudal to head a royalist uprising against the First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte. Betrayed by a friend, Pichegru was arrested on 28 February 1804, and was later found strangled in prison on the morning of April 6. The government reported that he had committed suicide, but Napoleon has often been blamed for orchestrating the murder.[3][4] However, there is little evidence that Napoleon was involved. His supporters often argue that Napoleon had nothing to gain from having Pichegru murdered, especially after the execution of d'Enghien, which infuriated royalty across Europe. [5]
Pichegru was buried in the cimetière Sainte-Catherine, a Paris cemetery with its entrance in the former rue de Fer, and which was closed in 1824.
References
- ^ a b c d e Chisholm 1911.
- .
- ^ Scott, Sir Walter (1827). The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French. Vol. 2. New York: J. & J. Harper. pp. 49–50.
- ^ "Pichegru".
- ^ Roberts, Andrew (2014). Napoleon: A Life. Penguin. p. 419.
Sources
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Pichegru, Charles". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.. In turn, it cites as references:
- Alan Schom, Napoleon Bonaparte
- Louis Fauche-Borel, Mémoires
- J.M. Gassier, Vie du général Pichegru, Paris, 1815
- Comte de Montgaillard, Mémoires concernant la trahison de Pichegru, 1804
- G. Pierret, Pichegru, son prods et sa mon, 1826
- Anne Jean Marie René Savary, Mémoires sur la mort de Pichegru, Paris, 1825
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