Jean-Marie Defrance
Jean-Marie Defrance | |
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Officier of the Légion d'honneur | |
Other work | Deputy to the National Convention Council of Five Hundred |
Jean-Marie Defrance (1771–1835) was a French General of the
.Defrance had an extensive and successful military career in the
In the Hundred Days, he commanded part of Jean Maximilien Lamarque's Army of the West. At the second Bourbon Restoration, he retained his titles and honours and subsequently held several command posts until retirement in 1829. He died in 1835.
Family
Jean-Marie Defrance was born on 21 September 1771 at Vassy, in the Champagne province and died 6 July 1835.[1] On his mother's side, he was the grandson of the French writer Pierre Chompré (1698 – 1760); his father, Jean-Claude Defrance, was the medical doctor at the Royal Military School of Rebais, in Champagne. Jean-Marie Defrance married the daughter of the richest jeweler in Paris, by the name Foncier.[2]
Military career
Defrance was stationed in Saint-Domingue during the first Haitian revolt and served in the volunteers Cape Dragoons. On his return to France in 1792, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the cavalry regiment royal-étranger. After serving in the Army of the North, he was appointed adjutant-general brigadier in the Army of Sambre and t-Meuse. He also served in the Council of Five Hundred.[2]
Defrance also served in the Swiss Campaign of 1799 as divisional Chief of Staff of the 1st Division of
Career during the Napoleonic Wars
In 1803, with Napoleon's military reorganisation, the title Chef-de-Brigade reverted to colonel; Defrance retained his command of the 12th Regiment of Chasseurs-a-Cheval. He was named Officer of the
Honors[2]
|
In 1806, he campaigned against
The confiscation of the Prussian cavalry and draft stock required supervision to integrate the acquisitions into the Grande Armée. After completing several terms as an inspector general of cavalry, Defrance was appointed general of division in August 1811 and joined Joachim Murat's Cavalry in February 1812 for Napoleon's Invasion of Russia. At the Battle of Borodino, he commanded 4th Cuirassier Division, which included three brigades and two horse artillery units of 12 guns.[6] These were assigned to Nansouty's Reserves and assaulted the Shevardino redoubt on 5–6 September.[7]
During the Saxon campaign, Defrance was appointed Inspector General for the Grande Armée.[2] He also commanded the 4th Heavy Cavalry Division at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, and one of his brigades remained at Lindenau to cover a possible retreat.[8]
In January 1814, for the last few months of Napoleon's rule, Defrance commanded four regiments of
Late military career
During the first
Defrance's name is engraved on the east side of the Arc de Triomphe.[2]
References
Notes and citations
- ^ See grave photograph at "Find a Grave", [1], memorial page for GEN Jean Marie Antoine De France, Find a Grave Memorial ID 44170595, citing Cimetière du Père Lachaise, Paris; Maintained by CMWJR (contributor 50059520).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j (in French) C. Mullié. "DeFrance". Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850. Paris. 1850-.
- ^ The 12th Regiment of Chasseurs had been created in 1769 as the Legion-Corse; after a series of name changes, in 1792 it was reformed as the 12th Regiment of Chasseurs-a-Cheval. Tony Broughton. Commanders of the 12th Regiment of Chasseurs-a-Cheval. Military Subjects: Organization, Tactics and Strategy. Napoleon Series Archived 2006-09-07 at the Wayback Machine. Robert Burnham, Editor in chief. November 2000. Accessed 8 May 2010.
- ^ a b Broughton. Commanders of the 12th Regiment of Chasseurs-a-Cheval.
- ^ Stephan Millar. French Order of Battle for Friedland: 14 June 1807 Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns. Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010.
- ^ Alexander Mikaberidze and Eman Vovsi.The Battle of Borodino: Order of Battle of the Allied Army. Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns. Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010.
- ^ Richard K. Riehn, Napoleon's Russian Campaign. John Wiley & Sons, 2005, p. 243.
- ^ Stephan Millar. French Order-of-Battle at Leipzig: 16–18 October 1813: Northern Sector. Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns. Robert Burnham, Editor in chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010.
- ^ David Chandler. Dictionary of the Napoleonic wars. Wordsworth editions, 1999, p. 30.
Bibliography
- Broughton, Tony. Commanders of the 12th Regiment of Chasseurs-a-Cheval. Military Subjects: Organization, Tactics and Strategy. Napoleon Series. Robert Burnham, Editor in chief. November 2000. Accessed 8 May 2010.
- Chandler, David. Dictionary of the Napoleonic wars. Wordsworth editions, 1999.
- Mikaberidze, Alexander and Eman Vovsi.The Battle of Borodino: Order of Battle of the Allied Army. Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns. Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010.
- Millar, Stephan. French Order of Battle for Friedland: 14 June 1807 Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns. Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010.
- Millar, Stephan. French Order-of-Battle at Leipzig: 16–18 October 1813: Northern Sector. Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns. Robert Burnham, Editor in chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010.
- (in French) Mullié, Charles. "DeFrance". Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850. Paris. 1850-.
- Riehn, Richard K. Napoleon's Russian Campaign. John Wiley & Sons, 2005.