Edmé-Martin Vandermaesen
Encyclopedia
Edmé-Martin Vandermaesen (Versailles, November 11, 1767 - September 1, 1813; also spelled Vander Maesen) was a French
general of the French Revolutionary Wars
and the Napoleonic Wars
. He was killed in action while leading his troops to safety after the Battle of San Marcial
in the Peninsular War
.
and in engagements in Haguenau
, Vandenheim and Landau
. General Michaud gave him command of the grenadiers of the division and sent him to capture the town of Brumpt, where a violent engagement occurred; Vandermaesen was wounded by a gunshot in the leg.
In early 1794, he was promoted to chief of brigade (equivalent to a colonel), taking command of the 14th demi-brigade. He took part in fights at Mannheim
, and led the crossing of the Rhine at Spire. Vandermaesen's and Decaen's units captured Frankenthal
. The 14th demi-brigade was renamed 62nd demi-brigade, and took part in the battles of Offenburg
, Rincken, Rastadt, Masch, Nerescheim, Geisenfeld, Neuboarg, Lesenfeld, and Biberach.
Besieged in Kehl
with the French Army, Vandermaesen conducted a number of sorties; under orders from Decaen, he retook advanced positions captured by the Austrians.
The French Army crossed the Rhine again but was soon recalled after peace talks occurred in Leoben
. At this time, Vandermaesen relinquished the command of the 62nd demi-brigade and took that of the 53rd, in the vanguard of the Army of Danube. At Ostrach, he was sent on a reconnaissance, taking a hundred prisoners; the next day, superior forces threatening to cut him from the French main corps, he was forced to retreat. Vandermaesen forced his way back to the main body of the French troops, and was again shot in the leg. He was mentioned in the report of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
about the affair, earning the rank of general of brigade
.
After another crossing the Rhine under fire, Vandermaesen captured Brisach, and made a junction with the Army of Switzerland. He took part in engagements against Swiss insurgents before being sent back to the Rhine Army, under general Laroche. He among the last French units on the right bank of the Rhine, while defending Mannheim and Neckarau. Vandermaesen was put in charge of the defence of Neckarau, with 6,000 men. On the 2nd complementary day of An VII (18 September 1799), Prince Charles' 30,000 men stormed the town. In a 6-hour fight, Vandermaesen retreated in good order towards Mannheim. The city itself fell soon afterwards, however. Vandermaesen's retreat was cut off and he was taken prisoner.
Vandermaesen was exchanged on 5 January 1801 for General-Major Meczery, and returned to the Army in Salzburg.
, Decaen was made captain general of Eastern colonies, and Vandermaesen was chosen to second him. He embarked at Brest on 15 ventôse an XI (6 March 1803), bound for Pondicherry, but with another war with England breaking out, the French division diverted to Isle de France (Mauritius)
. Vandermaesen was put in charge of the division, and was promoted in the Legion of Honour on 5 germinal an XII (26 March 1804); as second to the governor of Isle de France, he commanded the troops garrisoned there and in Isle Bourbon. After the Battle of Grand Port
, Vandermaesen returned to France, where he was received by Napoleon, and given command of a division under General of Division Caffarelli
.
Vandermaesen served in Spain from March 1812, along with Bertrand Clausel, in charge of the Army of Northern Spain. With 4,000 men and 500 horses, Vandermaesen battled Mina
's guerillas, capturing his two artillery pieces.
Shortly after being made a count of Empire, Vandermaesen's 5th Division fought in the Battle of San Marcial
. In command of 10,000 men of the rearguard, he found that the Bidassoa River had risen too high for his soldiers to cross at the fords. The only bridge in the area was guarded by a company of British riflemen defending loopholed buildings while the gunpowder of the French was soaked by a heavy rain. While supervising the storming of the bridge at Vera in the early hours of September 1, 1813, Vandermaesen was killed by a gunshot in the side. Though the French suffered heavy casualties, the rest of the column escaped the trap due largely to a British error. His son was granted the title of baron soon afterwards.
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...
general of 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...
and the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. He was killed in action while leading his troops to safety after the Battle of San Marcial
Battle of San Marcial
At the Battle of San Marcial, 31 August 1813, the Spanish Army of Galicia under General Freire turned back MarshalNicolas Soult's last major offensive against Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's allied army.-Background:...
in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
.
French Revolution
Vandermaesen joined the Army in 1782 in the Touraine Regiment as a foot soldier, rising to lieutenant in 1792. He was employed as an instructor for the Jura battalion, then put in charge of the logistics, and eventually took command of the Jura battalion after a promotion to adjudant-major. He took part in the Battle of WissembourgBattle of Wissembourg (1793)
The Second Battle of Wissembourg from 6 December 1793 to 9 February 1794 saw an army of the First French Republic under General Lazare Hoche fight a series of clashes against an army of Austrians, Prussians, Bavarians, and Hessians led by General Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser. There were significant...
and in engagements in Haguenau
Haguenau
-Economy:The town has a well balanced economy. Centuries of troubled history in the buffer lands between France and Germany have bequeathed to Haguenau a rich historical and cultural heritage which supports a lively tourist trade. There is also a thriving light manufacturing sector centred on the...
, Vandenheim and Landau
Landau
Landau or Landau in der Pfalz is an autonomous city surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town , a long-standing cultural centre, and a market and shopping town, surrounded by vineyards and wine-growing villages of the...
. General Michaud gave him command of the grenadiers of the division and sent him to capture the town of Brumpt, where a violent engagement occurred; Vandermaesen was wounded by a gunshot in the leg.
In early 1794, he was promoted to chief of brigade (equivalent to a colonel), taking command of the 14th demi-brigade. He took part in fights at Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, and led the crossing of the Rhine at Spire. Vandermaesen's and Decaen's units captured Frankenthal
Frankenthal
Frankenthal is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.- History :Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, after the founder, as the Erkenbertruine — still stand today in the town...
. The 14th demi-brigade was renamed 62nd demi-brigade, and took part in the battles of Offenburg
Offenburg
Offenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city and the capital of the Ortenaukreis.Offenburg also houses University of Applied Sciences Offenburg...
, Rincken, Rastadt, Masch, Nerescheim, Geisenfeld, Neuboarg, Lesenfeld, and Biberach.
Besieged in Kehl
Kehl
Kehl is a town in southwestern Germany in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the river Rhine, directly opposite the French city of Strasbourg.-History:...
with the French Army, Vandermaesen conducted a number of sorties; under orders from Decaen, he retook advanced positions captured by the Austrians.
The French Army crossed the Rhine again but was soon recalled after peace talks occurred in Leoben
Leoben
Leoben is a Styrian city in central Austria, located by the Mur river. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial center and hosts the University of Leoben which specialises in mining...
. At this time, Vandermaesen relinquished the command of the 62nd demi-brigade and took that of the 53rd, in the vanguard of the Army of Danube. At Ostrach, he was sent on a reconnaissance, taking a hundred prisoners; the next day, superior forces threatening to cut him from the French main corps, he was forced to retreat. Vandermaesen forced his way back to the main body of the French troops, and was again shot in the leg. He was mentioned in the report of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Comte Jourdan , enlisted as a private in the French royal army and rose to command armies during the French Revolutionary Wars. Emperor Napoleon I of France named him a Marshal of France in 1804 and he also fought in the Napoleonic Wars. After 1815, he became reconciled...
about the affair, earning the rank of general of brigade
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.
After another crossing the Rhine under fire, Vandermaesen captured Brisach, and made a junction with the Army of Switzerland. He took part in engagements against Swiss insurgents before being sent back to the Rhine Army, under general Laroche. He among the last French units on the right bank of the Rhine, while defending Mannheim and Neckarau. Vandermaesen was put in charge of the defence of Neckarau, with 6,000 men. On the 2nd complementary day of An VII (18 September 1799), Prince Charles' 30,000 men stormed the town. In a 6-hour fight, Vandermaesen retreated in good order towards Mannheim. The city itself fell soon afterwards, however. Vandermaesen's retreat was cut off and he was taken prisoner.
Vandermaesen was exchanged on 5 January 1801 for General-Major Meczery, and returned to the Army in Salzburg.
Napoleonic Empire
After the Treaty of AmiensTreaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
, Decaen was made captain general of Eastern colonies, and Vandermaesen was chosen to second him. He embarked at Brest on 15 ventôse an XI (6 March 1803), bound for Pondicherry, but with another war with England breaking out, the French division diverted to Isle de France (Mauritius)
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. Vandermaesen was put in charge of the division, and was promoted in the Legion of Honour on 5 germinal an XII (26 March 1804); as second to the governor of Isle de France, he commanded the troops garrisoned there and in Isle Bourbon. After the Battle of Grand Port
Battle of Grand Port
The Battle of Grand Port was a naval battle between squadrons of frigates from the French Navy and the British Royal Navy. The battle was fought during 20–27 August 1810 over possession of the harbour of Grand Port on Île de France during the Napoleonic Wars...
, Vandermaesen returned to France, where he was received by Napoleon, and given command of a division under General of Division Caffarelli
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...
.
Vandermaesen served in Spain from March 1812, along with Bertrand Clausel, in charge of the Army of Northern Spain. With 4,000 men and 500 horses, Vandermaesen battled Mina
Francisco Espoz y Mina
Francisco Espoz y Mina was a Spanish guerrilla leader and general.He was born at Idocin in Navarre. His father, Juan Esteban Espoz y Mina, and his mother, Maria Teresa Hundain y Ardaiz, belonged to the class of yeomen. Mina remained working on the small family inheritance until 1808...
's guerillas, capturing his two artillery pieces.
Shortly after being made a count of Empire, Vandermaesen's 5th Division fought in the Battle of San Marcial
Battle of San Marcial
At the Battle of San Marcial, 31 August 1813, the Spanish Army of Galicia under General Freire turned back MarshalNicolas Soult's last major offensive against Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's allied army.-Background:...
. In command of 10,000 men of the rearguard, he found that the Bidassoa River had risen too high for his soldiers to cross at the fords. The only bridge in the area was guarded by a company of British riflemen defending loopholed buildings while the gunpowder of the French was soaked by a heavy rain. While supervising the storming of the bridge at Vera in the early hours of September 1, 1813, Vandermaesen was killed by a gunshot in the side. Though the French suffered heavy casualties, the rest of the column escaped the trap due largely to a British error. His son was granted the title of baron soon afterwards.
Sources and references
- Glover, Michael. The Peninsular War 1807-1814. London: Penguin, 2001. ISBN 0-141-39041-7
- Biographie des hommes remarquables du département de Seine-et-Oise, depuis le commencement de la Monarchie jusqu'à ce jour, M & H Daniel, 1832