Pierre Belon Lapisse
Encyclopedia
Pierre Belon Lapisse, Baron de Sainte-Hélène (25 November 1762 – 30 July 1809) enlisted in the French Army during the reign of Louis XVI and fought in the American Revolutionary War
. Appointed an officer at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars
, he rose in rank to become a general officer by 1799. In 1805 and 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars
, he led a brigade in the Grande Armée at Jena, Czarnowo
, Golymin
, and Eylau
. The year 1807 found him commanding a division in the thick of the action at Friedland
.
In 1808, Napoleon ennobled Lapisse and transferred him to Spain to fight in the Peninsular War
. Lapisse led his division at Espinosa
during the Peninsular War
. Detailed to lead one of three columns that were invade Portugal, he was completely outmaneuvered. He surprised and defeated a British infantry division in the Casa de Salinas action, but was mortally wounded the following day during heavy fighting at Talavera. Lapisse is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
.
s in 1762, Lapisse became a French soldier in 1778. From 1780 to 1783, he fought against the British Army in America under the command of the Marquis de Lafayette. In 1784 he attained the rank of sergeant. In December 1789 after the French Revolution broke out, he became a lieutenant in a Corsican unit. He saw military service in Italy.
After distinguishing himself while fighting with Nicolas Soult (later Marshal
) in the Stockach
campaign, Lapisse was appointed General of Brigade
on 19 October 1799. After this he served in Italy again.
Pierre Augereau's VII Corps during the Ulm Campaign
in 1805. At the Battle of Jena on 14 October 1806, he led a brigade in Jacques Desjardin
's 1st Division. The unit included four battalions of the 16th Light Infantry Regiment. He fought at the Battle of Golymin
and was promoted to General of Division a few days later on 30 December 1806. In February 1807, he led his brigade at the Battle of Eylau
where the VII Corps suffered very heavy losses. Ordered to attack the Russian left flank, Augereau's men soon disappeared into a blizzard. Losing their sense of direction, the formation instead attacked the enemy center, protected by a 70-gun battery. Crushed by artillery fire and ridden down by Russian cavalry the survivors fled. The shattered corps was later broken up and its units redistributed throughout the army. At the Battle of Friedland
, Lapisse commanded the 2nd Division in Marshal Claude Perrin Victor's I Corps
. The division included two battalions each of the 16th Light, 8th Line, 45th Line, and 54th Line Infantry Regiments.
The I Corps was soon called to Spain after the Battle of Bailen
. Lapisse fought at the Battle of Espinosa
on 10 and 11 November 1808. The division included the same regiments as at Friedland, only with three battalions each. On the first day, Joaquín Blake y Joyes
's Spanish army held its ground, repelling Victor's attacks. After his previous unsuccessful attacks Blake's center and right, Victor decided to try assaulting the Spanish left flank on the second day. Lapisse's division formed the French right flank. The drive broke the Spanish left and rolled up Blake's line, inflicting 3,000 casualties and capturing six guns. French losses were 1,100 killed and wounded.
At this time King Joseph Bonaparte
detached Lapisse's division from I Corps which was campaigning in Extremadura
. Despite Victor's pleas to return his 2nd Division, the king obstinately refused. Instead, Napoleon planned on launching an invasion of Portugal from three directions, with Nicolas Soult and 20,000 men overunning the north, Lapisse with 9,000 troops advancing from the east, and Victor pushing in from the south. Robert Thomas Wilson
's aggressive use of his 1,200 Portuguese regular troops completely fooled Lapisse, who became convinced that he was outnumbered and halted his advance. Baffled by Wilson's maneuvers, he was withdrawn and ordered to rejoin Victor. On 14 May 1809 Victor and Lapisse brushed aside Colonel Mayne's Portuguese regulars and militia at Alcántara
in Extremadura. Lapisse's 2nd Division and a brigade of dragoons were engaged, a total of 9,500 soldiers and 12 guns. The heavily outnumbered Portuguese lost 250 men while French casualties were light. Lapisse's men sacked the town before rendezvousing with Victor at Mérida
. Two days before, the British army of Arthur Wellesley's
won a victory over Marshal Nicolas Soult's corps at the Second Battle of Porto and chased him out of Portugal. So ended the second unsuccessful French invasion of that nation.
On 27 July 1809, as Victor pursued Gregorio García de la Cuesta
's Spanish army, Arthur Wellesley's
British troops attempted to cover their retreat across the Alberche
River. Having successfully overseen the withdrawal of the Spanish infantry, Alexander Randoll Mackenzie's British 3rd Division pulled back to the west bank. However, unseen by the British, Lapisse's troops had crossed at a ford farther north and massed in the woods. Without warning, Lapisse launched his infantry at the 2nd Battalion of the 87th Foot and 1st Battalion of the 88th Foot of Rufane Shaw Donkin
's brigade. The two British battalions, together with the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Foot gave way in confusion. However, Wellesley quickly reached the scene and rallied the disordered 31st on the unbroken 1st Battalion of the 45th Foot of Mackenzie's brigade. Meanwhile, Donkin's troops sorted themselves out behind five companies of the 5th Battalion of the 60th Foot (Rifles). Mackenzie's division managed to fall back to the main line without further trouble, well-covered by the 14th Light Dragoons and the 1st Light Dragoons of the King's German Legion
(KGL). However, the Casa de Salinas action cost the British 447 casualties, including 70 killed, 284 wounded, and 93 missing. The 87th alone lost 198 casualties. Lapisse's losses are unknown but probably light.
The following day at the Battle of Talavera, Lapisse's 12-battalion division consisted of the same organization as at Espinosa. Together with the divisions of Horace François Bastien, baron Sébastiani
and Jean François Leval, Lapisse's troops advanced about 2:00 PM, covered by a heavy bombardment. Formed in battalion columns, the first line of battalions struck the 1st Guards Division. Riddled by a volley at 50 yards (46 m) range, the French broke and fled, pursued by the British and KGL infantry. After rallying on the second line battalions and their numerous artillery, the French counterattacked and overthrew their enemies. The Guards lost 600 men, one KGL brigade lost half its strength and Brigadier General
Ernst Langwerth was killed. The divisions of Sébastiani and Lapisse advanced into contact with the British line, into which Wellesley threw his reserves. Soon a terrific firefight raged. After losing 1,700 men and inflicting about the same number, the French fell back, their attack defeated. Lapisse was fatally wounded during the attack and died at Santa Olalla two days later. LAPISSE is engraved on Column 37 of the Arc de Triomphe
.
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Appointed an officer at the start 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...
, he rose in rank to become a general officer by 1799. In 1805 and 1806 during 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 led a brigade in the Grande Armée at Jena, Czarnowo
Battle of Czarnowo
The Battle of Czarnowo on the night of 23–24 December 1806 saw troops of the First French Empire under the eye of Emperor Napoleon I launch an evening assault crossing of the Wkra River against Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Ostermann-Tolstoy's defending Russian Empire forces...
, Golymin
Battle of Golymin
The Battle of Golymin took place on 26 December 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars at Gołymin, Poland, between around 17,000 Russian soldiers with 28 guns under Prince Golitsyn and 38,000 French soldiers under Marshal Murat. The Russian forces disengaged successfully from the superior French forces...
, and Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
. The year 1807 found him commanding a division in the thick of the action at 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...
.
In 1808, Napoleon ennobled Lapisse and transferred him to Spain to fight 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...
. Lapisse led his division at 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...
during 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...
. Detailed to lead one of three columns that were invade Portugal, he was completely outmaneuvered. He surprised and defeated a British infantry division in the Casa de Salinas action, but was mortally wounded the following day during heavy fighting at Talavera. Lapisse 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
Born into the family of a tapestry weaver in LyonLyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
s in 1762, Lapisse became a French soldier in 1778. From 1780 to 1783, he fought against the British Army in America under the command of the Marquis de Lafayette. In 1784 he attained the rank of sergeant. In December 1789 after the French Revolution broke out, he became a lieutenant in a Corsican unit. He saw military service in Italy.
After distinguishing himself while fighting with Nicolas Soult (later Marshal
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...
) in the Stockach
Battle of Stockach (1799)
On 25 March 1799, French and Austrian armies fought for control of the geographically strategic Hegau region in present day Baden-Württemberg. The battle has been called by various names: First Battle of Stockach, the Battle by Stockach, and, in French chronicles, the Battle of Liptingen...
campaign, Lapisse was appointed 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...
on 19 October 1799. After this he served in Italy again.
Napoleonic Wars
Lapisse commanded a brigade 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...
Pierre Augereau's VII Corps during the Ulm Campaign
Ulm Campaign
The Ulm Campaign consisted of a series of French and Bavarian military maneuvers and battles to outflank and capture an Austrian army in 1805 during the War of the Third Coalition. It took place in the vicinity of and inside the Swabian city of Ulm...
in 1805. At the Battle of Jena on 14 October 1806, he led a brigade in Jacques Desjardin
Jacques Desjardin
Jacques Desjardin or Jacques Jardin or Jacques Desjardins; enlisted in the French royal army as a young man and eventually became a sergeant. During the first years of the French Revolutionary Wars he enjoyed very rapid promotion to the rank of general officer in the army of the First French...
's 1st Division. The unit included four battalions of the 16th Light Infantry Regiment. He fought at the Battle of Golymin
Battle of Golymin
The Battle of Golymin took place on 26 December 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars at Gołymin, Poland, between around 17,000 Russian soldiers with 28 guns under Prince Golitsyn and 38,000 French soldiers under Marshal Murat. The Russian forces disengaged successfully from the superior French forces...
and was promoted to General of Division a few days later on 30 December 1806. In February 1807, he led his brigade at the Battle of Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
where the VII Corps suffered very heavy losses. Ordered to attack the Russian left flank, Augereau's men soon disappeared into a blizzard. Losing their sense of direction, the formation instead attacked the enemy center, protected by a 70-gun battery. Crushed by artillery fire and ridden down by Russian cavalry the survivors fled. The shattered corps was later broken up and its units redistributed throughout the army. 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...
, Lapisse commanded the 2nd Division in Marshal Claude Perrin Victor's I Corps
I Corps (Grande Armée)
The I Corps of the Grande Armée was a military unit during the Napoleonic Wars. It were different troops in French service commanded by Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte in 1805 and 1806, General Claude Victor-Perrin in 1807 and Marshal Louis Nicolas Davout during the 1812 invasion of Russia.- Size...
. The division included two battalions each of the 16th Light, 8th Line, 45th Line, and 54th Line Infantry Regiments.
The I Corps was soon called to Spain after the Battle of Bailen
Battle of Bailén
The Battle of Bailén was contested in 1808 between the Spanish Army of Andalusia, led by Generals Francisco Castaños and Theodor von Reding, and the Imperial French Army's II corps d'observation de la Gironde under General Pierre Dupont de l'Étang...
. Lapisse fought 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...
on 10 and 11 November 1808. The division included the same regiments as at Friedland, only with three battalions each. On the first day, Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Joaquín Blake y Joyes was a Spanish military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Peninsular wars.-Early military career:...
's Spanish army held its ground, repelling Victor's attacks. After his previous unsuccessful attacks Blake's center and right, Victor decided to try assaulting the Spanish left flank on the second day. Lapisse's division formed the French right flank. The drive broke the Spanish left and rolled up Blake's line, inflicting 3,000 casualties and capturing six guns. French losses were 1,100 killed and wounded.
At this time King Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
detached Lapisse's division from I Corps which was campaigning in Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
. Despite Victor's pleas to return his 2nd Division, the king obstinately refused. Instead, Napoleon planned on launching an invasion of Portugal from three directions, with Nicolas Soult and 20,000 men overunning the north, Lapisse with 9,000 troops advancing from the east, and Victor pushing in from the south. Robert Thomas Wilson
Robert Thomas Wilson
General Sir Robert Thomas Wilson Kt was a British general and politician who served in Egypt, Prussia, and was seconded to the Imperial Russian Army in 1812. He sat as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Southwark from 1818 to 1831...
's aggressive use of his 1,200 Portuguese regular troops completely fooled Lapisse, who became convinced that he was outnumbered and halted his advance. Baffled by Wilson's maneuvers, he was withdrawn and ordered to rejoin Victor. On 14 May 1809 Victor and Lapisse brushed aside Colonel Mayne's Portuguese regulars and militia at Alcántara
Alcántara
Alcántara is a municipality in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain, on the Tagus, near Portugal. The toponym is from the Arabic word al-QanTarah meaning "the bridge".-History:...
in Extremadura. Lapisse's 2nd Division and a brigade of dragoons were engaged, a total of 9,500 soldiers and 12 guns. The heavily outnumbered Portuguese lost 250 men while French casualties were light. Lapisse's men sacked the town before rendezvousing with Victor at Mérida
Mérida, Spain
Mérida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, western central Spain. It has a population of 57,127 . The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993.- Climate :...
. Two days before, the British army of Arthur Wellesley's
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
won a victory over Marshal Nicolas Soult's corps at the Second Battle of Porto and chased him out of Portugal. So ended the second unsuccessful French invasion of that nation.
On 27 July 1809, as Victor pursued Gregorio García de la Cuesta
Gregorio García de la Cuesta
Gregorio García de la Cuesta y Fernández de Celis was a prominent Spanish general of the Peninsular War.-Early career:Born in La Lastra, Cantabria, to a family of petty nobles, Cuesta entered military service in 1758 as a member of the Spanish Royal Guards Regiment. He saw several successes as a...
's Spanish army, Arthur Wellesley's
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
British troops attempted to cover their retreat across the Alberche
Alberche
The Alberche is a river in the provinces of Ávila, Madrid and Toledo, central Spain. It begins its course at 1,800 m in Fuente Alberche, San Martín de la Vega del Alberche municipal term, Ávila Province...
River. Having successfully overseen the withdrawal of the Spanish infantry, Alexander Randoll Mackenzie's British 3rd Division pulled back to the west bank. However, unseen by the British, Lapisse's troops had crossed at a ford farther north and massed in the woods. Without warning, Lapisse launched his infantry at the 2nd Battalion of the 87th Foot and 1st Battalion of the 88th Foot of Rufane Shaw Donkin
Rufane Shaw Donkin
Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin GCH KCB , was a British army officer of the Napoleonic era and later Member of Parliament.-Family:Rufane Donkin came of a military family and was the eldest child...
's brigade. The two British battalions, together with the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Foot gave way in confusion. However, Wellesley quickly reached the scene and rallied the disordered 31st on the unbroken 1st Battalion of the 45th Foot of Mackenzie's brigade. Meanwhile, Donkin's troops sorted themselves out behind five companies of the 5th Battalion of the 60th Foot (Rifles). Mackenzie's division managed to fall back to the main line without further trouble, well-covered by the 14th Light Dragoons and the 1st Light Dragoons of the King's German Legion
King's German Legion
The King's German Legion was a British Army unit of expatriate German personnel, 1803–16. The Legion achieved the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French during the Napoleonic Wars....
(KGL). However, the Casa de Salinas action cost the British 447 casualties, including 70 killed, 284 wounded, and 93 missing. The 87th alone lost 198 casualties. Lapisse's losses are unknown but probably light.
The following day at the Battle of Talavera, Lapisse's 12-battalion division consisted of the same organization as at Espinosa. Together with the divisions of Horace François Bastien, baron Sébastiani
Horace François Bastien, baron Sébastiani
Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta was a French soldier, diplomat, and politician, who served as Naval Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of State under the July Monarchy. Joining the French Revolutionary Army in his youth, he rose in its ranks and became a supporter...
and Jean François Leval, Lapisse's troops advanced about 2:00 PM, covered by a heavy bombardment. Formed in battalion columns, the first line of battalions struck the 1st Guards Division. Riddled by a volley at 50 yards (46 m) range, the French broke and fled, pursued by the British and KGL infantry. After rallying on the second line battalions and their numerous artillery, the French counterattacked and overthrew their enemies. The Guards lost 600 men, one KGL brigade lost half its strength and 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...
Ernst Langwerth was killed. The divisions of Sébastiani and Lapisse advanced into contact with the British line, into which Wellesley threw his reserves. Soon a terrific firefight raged. After losing 1,700 men and inflicting about the same number, the French fell back, their attack defeated. Lapisse was fatally wounded during the attack and died at Santa Olalla two days later. LAPISSE is engraved on Column 37 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...
.