Jacques-Pierre-Louis Puthod
Encyclopedia
Jacques-Pierre-Louis-Marie-Joseph Puthod, Viscount
, (born 28 September 1769 in Bâgé-le-Châtel
, died 31 March 1837 in Libourne
) was a French soldier of the French Revolutionary Wars
who rose to the rank of General and who subsequently took part to the Napoleonic Wars
, rising to the top military rank of General of Division.
, rising to rank of Sub-Lieutenant
in the Gendarmes-Dauphin company two years later. He then fought in the defense of Lille
in 1792, before being sent to serve in the "Army of the Rhine". While serving in the "Army of Italy"
, he knew sudden advancement when General Jacques MacDonald named him Brigadier General
on 17 July 1799. Puthod later distinguished himself at the passage of the Danube
and at the Battle of Höchstädt
.
brigade. In 1808, with the outbreak of the Peninsular War
, Puthod was sent to Spain, where he led his troops very well at the battle of Espinosa
, becoming a General of Division before the end of that year. Called to serve in the War of the Fifth Coalition
against Austria
, Puthod was noted for his behaviour at the battle of Wagram
and was subsequently assigned to the command of military divisions throughout France. A Baron of the Empire in 1810, he was recalled to active service in 1813 for the War of the Sixth Coalition
, serving with distinction at battles such as Möckern
, Bautzen
or Katzbach
, after which he was taken prisoner
on 29 August. Following Napoleon's abdication
, Puthod enjoyed the favours of the Bourbon Restoration
, with Louis XVIII creating him a Viscount
of France.
The name PUTHOD is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris
.
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
, (born 28 September 1769 in Bâgé-le-Châtel
Bâgé-le-Châtel
Bâgé-le-Châtel is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-History:The name of Bâgé-le-Châtel comes from a Gallo-Roman villa belonging to a certain Balgiasius....
, died 31 March 1837 in Libourne
Libourne
Libourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.-Geography:...
) was a French soldier 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...
who rose to the rank of General and who subsequently took part to 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...
, rising to the top military rank of General of Division.
Revolutionary Wars
Puthod enlisted as a volunteer in the Couronne-Infanterie regiment in 1785, during the Ancien RégimeAncien Régime in France
The Ancien Régime refers primarily to the aristocratic, social and political system established in France from the 15th century to the 18th century under the late Valois and Bourbon dynasties...
, rising to rank of Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
in the Gendarmes-Dauphin company two years later. He then fought in the defense of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
in 1792, before being sent to serve in the "Army of the Rhine". While serving in the "Army of Italy"
Army of Italy (France)
The Army of Italy was a Field army of the French Army stationed on the Italian border and used for operations in Italy itself. Though it existed in some form in the 16th century through to the present, it is best known for its role during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic...
, he knew sudden advancement when General Jacques MacDonald named him Brigadier General
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...
on 17 July 1799. Puthod later distinguished himself at the passage of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and at the Battle of Höchstädt
Battle of Hochstadt (1800)
The Battle of Höchstädt was fought on 19 June 1800 on the North bank of the Danube near Höchstädt, and resulted in a French victory under General Jean Victor Marie Moreau against the Austrians under Baron Pál Kray. The Austrians were subsequently forced back into the fortress town of Ulm....
.
Napoleonic Wars and beyond
It took seven years before Puthod was given his next significant command, which came in 1807, when he was named at the helm of a BadenGrand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
brigade. In 1808, with the outbreak of 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...
, Puthod was sent to Spain, where he led his troops very well at the battle of Espinosa
Battle of Espinosa
The Battle of Espinosa was a battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought on November 10 and November 11, 1808 at the township of Espinosa de los Monteros in the Cantabrian Mountains...
, becoming a General of Division before the end of that year. Called to serve in 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...
against Austria
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
, Puthod was noted for his behaviour at the battle of Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
and was subsequently assigned to the command of military divisions throughout France. A Baron of the Empire in 1810, he was recalled to active service in 1813 for the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
, serving with distinction at battles such as Möckern
Battle of Möckern
The Battle of Möckern was a series of heavy clashes between allied Prusso-Russian troops and Napoleonic French forces south of Möckern. It occurred on 5 April 1813...
, Bautzen
Battle of Bautzen
In the Battle of Bautzen a combined Russian/Prussian army was pushed back by Napoleon, but escaped destruction, some sources claim, because Michel Ney failed to block their retreat...
or Katzbach
Battle of Katzbach
The Battle of Katzbach on 26 August 1813, was an accidental engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the forces of the First French Empire under Marshal MacDonald and a Russo-Prussian army of the Sixth Coalition under Prussian Marshal Graf von Blücher...
, after which he was taken prisoner
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
on 29 August. Following Napoleon's abdication
Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was an agreement established in Fontainebleau on 11 April 1814 between Napoleon Bonaparte and representatives from Austria, Hungary and Bohemia , as well as Russia and Prussia. The treaty was signed at Paris on 11 April by the plenipotentiaries of both sides, and...
, Puthod enjoyed the favours of the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
, with Louis XVIII creating him a Viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
of France.
The name PUTHOD 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 ....
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...
.
Sources
- Fierro, Alfredo; Palluel-Guillard, André; Tulard, Jean - "Histoire et Dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire”, Éditions Robert Laffont, ISBN 2-221-05858-5