Baptiste Pierre Bisson
Encyclopedia
Baptiste-Pierre-François Bisson, born 16 February 1767 at Montpellier
, France
and died 26 July 1811, at Mantua
in the Kingdom of Italy
, joined the French army and rose rapidly in rank during the French Revolutionary Wars
. He served as a division commander in the Grand Armée of Emperor Napoleon
in 1805 and 1807, playing a leading role at the Battle of Friedland
. He was captured by Tyrolean
rebels in 1809. Known as a gourmand, he became very fat before dying prematurely. His surname is one of the Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
.
in the south of France in what later became the department of Hérault
. On 23 May 1793, while a chef de bataillon (major
), he led 60 grenadiers and 50 dragoons in the heroic defense of a village. On 19 September 1794, he was elevated in rank to chef de brigade
(colonel
) of the 26th Demi-Brigade. On 23 May 1796, he tranferred to command the 43rd Line Infantry Demi-Brigade. He led the 43rd at the Battle of Marengo on 14 June 1800. During the engagement his demi-brigade fought as part of Jacques-Antoine de Chambarlhac de Laubespin
's division. Recognizing his intelligence and courage, Napoleon promoted Bisson to general of brigade on 5 July 1800.
Louis-Nicolas Davout's III Corps. Command of the division passed to Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga
, who led it at the Battle of Austerlitz
after Bisson was badly wounded during the pursuit at the passage of the Traun River. He became a Grand Officer of the Légion d'Honneur
on 25 December 1805.
At the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition
, Napoleon recalled Bisson to command one of Marshal Michel Ney
's VI Corps infantry divisions. At the Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen
on 5 and 6 June 1807, he led the 25th Light Infantry Regiment and the 27th, 50th, and 59th Line Infantry Regiments. He also directed his division at the Battle of Friedland
on 14 June 1807. At 5:00 PM, Napoleon ordered the attack to begin and Ney's corps advanced with his two divisions formed in mass. With Jean Gabriel Marchand
's division on the right and Bisson's on the left, the French pressed back the Russians opposing them. However, as Ney's corps advanced deep into the enemy positions, it ran into intense artillery fire which caused heavy losses. When the Russian reserve cavalry counterattacked, the soldiers of both Marchand and Bisson headed for the rear in confusion. At this moment, Napoleon brought up Claude Perrin Victor's I Corps and it smashed the Russian left flank. As their enemies recoiled, Ney's men rallied and returned to the assault, helping to drive the Russians from Pravdinsk (Friedland)
around 8:00 PM.
Napoleon appointed Bisson a Count of the Empire in 1808. By this time in his career, Bisson gained a reputation as a hard drinker. The beginning of the War of the Fifth Coalition
found him leading a column of 2,050 conscripts from Italy to Bavaria
over the Brenner Pass
. The Tyrolean Rebellion broke out all around him. The rebels soon forced Bisson to surrender with his trapped soldiers and the eagle of the 3rd Line Infantry Regiment near Innsbruck
between 11 and 13 April 1809.
Bisson was a tall man but he also became extremely obese. He became renowned both for his bravery and for an astonishing capacity for eating and drinking. One observer claimed he could finish off eight bottles of wine for lunch while conversing pleasantly and issuing orders to his troops. Bisson died at Mantua
in northern Italy on 26 July 1811. His name is inscribed on Column 16 of the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris
.
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and died 26 July 1811, at Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
in the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
, joined the French army and rose rapidly in rank during the French Revolutionary Wars
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...
. He served as a division commander in the Grand Armée of 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...
in 1805 and 1807, playing a leading role at the Battle of Friedland
Battle of Friedland
The Battle of Friedland saw Napoleon I's French army decisively defeat Count von Bennigsen's Russian army about twenty-seven miles southeast of Königsberg...
. He was captured by Tyrolean
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
rebels in 1809. Known as a gourmand, he became very fat before dying prematurely. His surname 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
Bisson was born on 16 February 1767 at MontpellierMontpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
in the south of France in what later became the department of Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
. On 23 May 1793, while a chef de bataillon (major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
), he led 60 grenadiers and 50 dragoons in the heroic defense of a village. On 19 September 1794, he was elevated in rank to chef de brigade
Chef de brigade
Chef de brigade was a military rank, equivalent to colonel, in the French Revolutionary army, in command of a demi-brigade. Both that unit and that rank were created at the same time, in 1793. The two designations disappeared just before the institution of the French Empire, in 1803, with the...
(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...
) of the 26th Demi-Brigade. On 23 May 1796, he tranferred to command the 43rd Line Infantry Demi-Brigade. He led the 43rd at the Battle of Marengo on 14 June 1800. During the engagement his demi-brigade fought as part of Jacques-Antoine de Chambarlhac de Laubespin
Jacques-Antoine de Chambarlhac de Laubespin
Jean Jacques-Antoine Vital François de Chambarlhac was a French infantry commander during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
's division. Recognizing his intelligence and courage, Napoleon promoted Bisson to general of brigade on 5 July 1800.
Empire
On 1 February 1805, Bisson was named general of division. At the beginning of the War of the Third Coalition, he led an infantry division in MarshalMarshal 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-Nicolas Davout's III Corps. Command of the division passed to Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga
Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga
Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga was a French général de division of Italian descent. Two of his brothers were also generals...
, who led it at the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
after Bisson was badly wounded during the pursuit at the passage of the Traun River. He became a Grand Officer 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...
on 25 December 1805.
At the end 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....
, Napoleon recalled Bisson to command one of 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 VI Corps infantry divisions. At the Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen
Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen
In the Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen on 5 and 6 June 1807, troops of the Russian Empire led by General Levin August, Count von Bennigsen attacked the First French Empire corps of Marshal Michel Ney. The Russians pressed back their opponents in an action that saw Ney fight a brilliant rear guard action...
on 5 and 6 June 1807, he led the 25th Light Infantry Regiment and the 27th, 50th, and 59th Line Infantry Regiments. He also directed his division at the Battle of Friedland
Battle of Friedland
The Battle of Friedland saw Napoleon I's French army decisively defeat Count von Bennigsen's Russian army about twenty-seven miles southeast of Königsberg...
on 14 June 1807. At 5:00 PM, Napoleon ordered the attack to begin and Ney's corps advanced with his two divisions formed in mass. With Jean Gabriel Marchand
Jean Gabriel Marchand
Jean Gabriel Marchand, 1st Count Marchand went from being an attorney to a company commander in the army of the First French Republic in 1791. He fought almost exclusively in Italy throughout the French Revolutionary Wars and served on the staffs of a number of generals...
's division on the right and Bisson's on the left, the French pressed back the Russians opposing them. However, as Ney's corps advanced deep into the enemy positions, it ran into intense artillery fire which caused heavy losses. When the Russian reserve cavalry counterattacked, the soldiers of both Marchand and Bisson headed for the rear in confusion. At this moment, Napoleon brought up Claude Perrin Victor's I Corps and it smashed the Russian left flank. As their enemies recoiled, Ney's men rallied and returned to the assault, helping to drive the Russians from Pravdinsk (Friedland)
Pravdinsk
Pravdinsk is a town and the administrative center of Pravdinsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Lava River, approximately east of Bagrationovsk...
around 8:00 PM.
Napoleon appointed Bisson a Count of the Empire in 1808. By this time in his career, Bisson gained a reputation as a hard drinker. The beginning of the War of the Fifth Coalition
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
found him leading a column of 2,050 conscripts from Italy to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
over the Brenner Pass
Brenner Pass
- Roadways :The motorway E45 leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona and Modena uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe...
. The Tyrolean Rebellion broke out all around him. The rebels soon forced Bisson to surrender with his trapped soldiers and the eagle of the 3rd Line Infantry Regiment near Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
between 11 and 13 April 1809.
Bisson was a tall man but he also became extremely obese. He became renowned both for his bravery and for an astonishing capacity for eating and drinking. One observer claimed he could finish off eight bottles of wine for lunch while conversing pleasantly and issuing orders to his troops. Bisson died at Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
in northern Italy on 26 July 1811. His name is inscribed on Column 16 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...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.