Gouvion St-Cyr, whose military skills are undeniable: he never lost a battle is famous among Napoleon's marshals for his self-confidence and his independent character.
|
|
Gouvion St-Cyr, whose military skills are undeniable: he never lost a battle is famous among Napoleon's marshals for his self-confidence and his independent character. |
Son of a tanner, Gouvion is only three when his mother leaves home. After a two-year trip around Italy, he becomes a drawing teacher in Toul, then in Paris. In 1792, he decides to enlist in the Republican army. That is when he adds St-Cyr to his name, to distinguish himself from his cousins. He fights in the Army of the Mosel. He is intelligent, well-educated, capable, and has a very good eye; Gouvion St-Cyr quickly climbs the military ladder. On June 16, 1794, he is already promoted to major general, a true record for speed. He is in command of a division of the Army of the Rhine and Mosel and gains fame during the Mainz siege.
In 1798, he is temporarily put in command of the Army of Rome, which invades the Papal States, and creates the Roman Republic. Gouvion brings discipline back into the ranks of the officers who have just dismissed Masséna. He is recalled on July 26, 1798. He serves in the Army of Italy and takes part, under Joubert, in the battle of Novi, on August 15, 1799. After the battle, he succeeds in effecting a junction with the rest of the army.
When Masséna comes to replace Joubert, killed at Novi, Gouvion manages to be sent to the Army of Italy and defeats the Austrian armies. To reward his feats in Italy, Napoleon awards him the commission of first lieutenant of the Army and a saber of honor. Posted to the Army of Germany under Moreau, he seizes Freiburg and takes part in the battle of Hohenlinden on December 3, 1800.
In 1801, he is in charge of assisting Lucien Bonaparte in Spain. Two years later, he is lieutenant of the army of occupation in Naples, under Murat. However, he proves a little too independent politically to his superiors' taste. In 1804, he will not be promoted to marshal, but colonel general of the cuirassiers. In 1805, he serves in the army in charge of subjugating the kingdom of Naples, of which Joseph is the new king.
He commands an army corps during the 1807 Polish campaign. In 1808, he is put in charge of the 7th corps, with a free hand to operate in Catalonia. Gouvion St-Cyr wins one victory after another. Despite the shortage of artillery and ammunition, he succeeds in taking the fort of Rosas on December 4, 1808, as well as Barcelona. He then receives orders he considers unfeasible, learns he has been replaced and leaves his post prematurely. This new show of independence costs him his arrest and another quarantine.
In 1811, Napoleon calls him back to the Conseil d'Etat and puts him in command of the 6th corps of the Grande Armée. Gouvion St-Cyr wins victories; namely, he defeats Wittgenstein at Polotsk on August 7, 1812 and is promoted to marshal. In March 1813, ill, he goes back to Paris. He commands an army corps at the battle of Dresden (August 26-27, 1813). Napoleon puts him in charge of defending the city, but having run out of supplies and ammunition, St-Cyr capitulates on November 11, 1813. He remains a prisoner until June 1814.
When he returns to France, Louis XVIII is on the throne and has given him the title of Peer of France. When Napoleon comes back from Elba, Gouvion, in Orléans, has his men wear the white cockade. During the second Restoration, the King appoints him Minister of War. Gouvion St-Cyr undertakes a complete reorganization of the army. He leaves the ministry for a time, again because of a conflict with the government, but comes back in September 1817. That is when he has the recruitment and army promotion law that bears his name voted, and it is promulgated on March 12, 1818. It is a fundamental law, but the Ultra-royalists do not appreciate its democratic spirit. Gouvion St-Cyr is dismissed from the government for good in 1821.
He retires to his country estate and writes various books on military history, as well as his Memoirs.
By Artea
 | ||
|
| ||
Last Updated Saturday, October 4, 1997.