Elie Frédéric Forey
Encyclopedia
Élie Frédéric Forey was a Marshal of France
.
.
He studied at the French military academy Saint-Cyr
and was commissioned a lieutenant in the 2nd Light Infantry Regiment in 1824. He served in the expedition against Algiers
in 1830. Promoted to captain in 1835, he was given the command of a battalion of chasseurs a pied (foot soldiers) in 1839. By the time of the Revolution of 1848, Forey had become a colonel (1844) and commanded his own regiment. Forey soon commanded a brigade and in 1852, and was promoted to général de division for having supported Napoléon III
in his Coup d'etat
During the Crimean War
, Forey commanded a division with which he served in the siege of Sebastopol. During the Franco-Austrian War
of 1859, Forey again commanded a division with which he saw action at the battles of Montebello
and Solferino
, where he distinguished himself in breaking the last Austrian positions near the village of Cavriana.
Having been made a senator after the end of the war, Forey was named commanding general of the French expeditionary corps to Mexico
in 1862. Forey - given the fullest civil and military powers - and his troops landed in September 1862 in Veracruz. In May 1863, his forces captured Puebla
after a protracted siege and then Mexico City
as well. For this, Forey received as his reward the marshal's baton. After having established a triumvirate to govern Mexico for Emperor Maximilian
, Forey handed over command of the expeditionary force to Bazaine
and returned to France were he was given command of the 2nd Corps, which he commanded until 1867 when after being struck by a blood clot in the brain, he was put on the non active list.
Forey died in Paris in 1872, having taken no part in the Franco-Prussian War
.
Marshal 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...
.
Biography
Elie Frédéric Forey was born in ParisParis
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...
.
He studied at the French military academy Saint-Cyr
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
and was commissioned a lieutenant in the 2nd Light Infantry Regiment in 1824. He served in the expedition against Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
in 1830. Promoted to captain in 1835, he was given the command of a battalion of chasseurs a pied (foot soldiers) in 1839. By the time of the Revolution of 1848, Forey had become a colonel (1844) and commanded his own regiment. Forey soon commanded a brigade and in 1852, and was promoted to général de division for having supported Napoléon III
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
in his Coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
During the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, Forey commanded a division with which he served in the siege of Sebastopol. During the Franco-Austrian War
Second Italian War of Independence
The Second War of Italian Independence, Franco-Austrian War, Austro-Sardinian War, or Austro-Piedmontese War , was fought by Napoleon III of France and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859...
of 1859, Forey again commanded a division with which he saw action at the battles of Montebello
Battle of Montebello (1859)
The Battle of Montebello was fought on May 20, 1859 at Montebello . It was a minor engagement of the Second Italian War of Independence, fought between Piedmontese cavalry and French infantry against Austrian troops. The Austrian defeat, despite the greater number, was another sign that Austrian...
and Solferino
Battle of Solferino
The Battle of Solferino, , was fought on June 24, 1859 and resulted in the victory of the allied French Army under Napoleon III and Sardinian Army under Victor Emmanuel II against the Austrian Army under Emperor Franz Joseph I; it was the last major battle in world...
, where he distinguished himself in breaking the last Austrian positions near the village of Cavriana.
Having been made a senator after the end of the war, Forey was named commanding general of the French expeditionary corps to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1862. Forey - given the fullest civil and military powers - and his troops landed in September 1862 in Veracruz. In May 1863, his forces captured Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
after a protracted siege and then Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
as well. For this, Forey received as his reward the marshal's baton. After having established a triumvirate to govern Mexico for Emperor Maximilian
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
, Forey handed over command of the expeditionary force to Bazaine
François Achille Bazaine
François Achille Bazaine was a French General and from 1864, a Marshal of France, who surrendered the last organized French army to the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian war. He was the first Marshal who had started as a legionnaire and like the great Marshals of the First Empire, he had risen...
and returned to France were he was given command of the 2nd Corps, which he commanded until 1867 when after being struck by a blood clot in the brain, he was put on the non active list.
Forey died in Paris in 1872, having taken no part in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
.
Decorations
- Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe 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...
- Knight (13 January 1837)
- Officer (6 August 1843)
- Commander (25 July 1849)
- Grand Officer (21 October 1854)
- Grand Cross (21 May 1859)
- Médaille militaireMédaille militaireThe Médaille militaire is a decoration of the French Republic which was first instituted in 1852.-History:The creator of the médaille was the emperor Napoléon III, who may have taken his inspiration in a medal issued by his father, Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland...
(13 January 1864) - Médaille Commémorative d'Italie (1859)
- Médaille Commémorative du Mexique (1867)
- Crimea MedalCrimea MedalThe Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units which fought in the Crimean War of 1854-56 against Russia....
(UK) - Commander of the Order of Saints Maurice and LazarusOrder of Saints Maurice and LazarusThe Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus is an order of chivalry awarded by the House of Savoy, the heads of which were formerly Kings of Italy...
(Sardinia)