Jean-Barthélemot Sorbier
Encyclopedia
Jean-Barthélemot Sorbier, count, (1762–1827), was a French general of the Napoleonic Wars
.
, Sorbier joined the Royal Artillery Corps in 1782 and was a part of the La Fère regiment, where he met Napoleon Bonaparte. A captain in 1792, Sorbier is involved in the French Revolutionary Wars
, taking part to the fighting in Northern France and on the Rhine. From September 1793 to April 1795, he was suspended, due to his aristocratic ascendancy. However, once he was reintegrated in the army, he was at once promoted to the rank of chef de brigade (colonel
) and again was a part of the French Army of the Rhine, playing a remarkable part in the battle of Neuwied
, on April 18, 1797. As a result, the commander-in-chief, general Lazare Hoche
immediately promoted him to brigadier general
on the field of battle. Three years later, in 1800, he became a general of division and general inspector of artillery.
, before taking the command of the artillery of the French 'Army of Italy'. In 1808, Napoleon I created Sorbier a count of the Empire
. In 1809, he played an active role in the War of the Fifth Coalition
, replacing general Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
as commander of the Guard artillery, then, in 1812, was a part of the second Grande Armée during the Russian campaign
, keeping his command of the Guard artillery. In 1813, Sorbier was named commander of the artillery of the Grande Armée, a command which he would retain during the 1814 campaign in France. During the Hundred Days
, he joined Napoleon and after the downfall of the Emperor, Sorbier was exiled and then placed on the retirement list by King Louis XVIII
.
under the Arc de Triomphe
, Eastern Pillar, 15th Column.
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...
.
Revolutionary Wars
An aristocrat of 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...
, Sorbier joined the Royal Artillery Corps in 1782 and was a part of the La Fère regiment, where he met Napoleon Bonaparte. A captain in 1792, Sorbier is involved in 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...
, taking part to the fighting in Northern France and on the Rhine. From September 1793 to April 1795, he was suspended, due to his aristocratic ascendancy. However, once he was reintegrated in the army, he was at once promoted to the rank of chef de brigade (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...
) and again was a part of the French Army of the Rhine, playing a remarkable part in the battle of Neuwied
Battle of Neuwied (1797)
The Battle of Neuwied was fought on April 18, 1797. It resulted in the victory of French under General Louis Lazare Hoche against Austrians under General Franz von Werneck...
, on April 18, 1797. As a result, the commander-in-chief, general Lazare Hoche
Lazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche was a French soldier who rose to be general of the Revolutionary army.Born of poor parents near Versailles, he enlisted at sixteen as a private soldier in the Gardes Françaises...
immediately promoted him to 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 the field of battle. Three years later, in 1800, he became a general of division and general inspector of artillery.
Napoleonic Wars
In 1805, he was a part of the first Grande Armée and was present at the battle of AusterlitzBattle 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...
, before taking the command of the artillery of the French 'Army of Italy'. In 1808, Napoleon I created Sorbier a count of the Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
. In 1809, he played an active role 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...
, replacing general Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière, also Count de Lariboisière, was a general of artillery of the First French Empire. He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and died of fatigue at Königsberg in East Prussia on 21 December 1812, during the Grand Army's retreat from...
as commander of the Guard artillery, then, in 1812, was a part of the second Grande Armée during the Russian campaign
Russian Campaign
The Russian campaign may refer to:* the Russian Campaign of Napoleon in 1812 * the World War II on the Eastern Front * The Russian Campaign, a strategic board wargame of the World War II on the Eastern Front 1941-1945....
, keeping his command of the Guard artillery. In 1813, Sorbier was named commander of the artillery of the Grande Armée, a command which he would retain during the 1814 campaign in France. During the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, he joined Napoleon and after the downfall of the Emperor, Sorbier was exiled and then placed on the retirement list by King Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
.
Recognition
The name SORBIER is inscribedNames 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 ....
under 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...
, Eastern Pillar, 15th Column.
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