Pierre David de Colbert-Chabanais
Encyclopedia
Pierre David Édouard de Colbert-Chabanais (Paris, 18 October 1774–1853) was a general of the French Revolutionary Wars
and Napoleonic Wars
, noted for his unbreakable loyalty to Napoleon I
.
line, he was the son of the comte de Colbert, a rich landowner. On 23 August 1793, Pierre followed the traditional family route into the army, which was now the Republican army
, although he was suspicious of the French Revolution
. He fought in the 1793 campaigns in the armée du Rhin
, as a member of the bataillon de Paris, also known as the bataillon Guillaume-Tell after William Tell
. He moved to the 11th Hussar Regiment
, gaining promotion to maréchal-des-logis
in September 1793 and to sous-lieutenant the following month.
After three years in the armée du Rhin and in the armies suppressing the Vendean Revolt, he was dismissed by Lazare Hoche
in 1796. He left the 7th Hussars
to become a commissaire des guerres to the armée d'Orient, with the job of guaranteeing Bonaparte
's supply lines to Egypt. During that time Bonaparte took him under his wing.
, before finally rising to become aide de camp to Damas
. He then became adjudant-major
to the Mameluks and aide de camp to Junot
in 1803. He then followed Junot to become part of the armée des côtes
.
Colbert left Junot in 1805 and followed major général
Maréchal Berthier as his aide de camp. He assisted at , where he was wounded and made a chef d'escadron
. He fought bravely at and Pułtusk. In 1807 he was made a colonel and head of his old regiment, the 7th Hussars. This unit was now part of Lassalle's brigade, nicknamed the "infernal" brigade due to its passion. Napoleon made him a knight of the Légion d'honneur
in 1808 and baron de Chabanais et de l'Empire in 1809
Colbert was promoted to général de brigade on 9 March 1809 and put under the orders of Oudinot. He won glory at the Battle of Raab
by charging and defeating Ott
's hussars, cutting several squadrons of the enemy Hungarian cavalry to pieces and nearly coming to the aid of the 9th Hussar Regiment
, which the Austrians were on the point of overwhelming. At Colbert was shot in the head three times and was made a commander of the Légion d'honneur.
Attached to the Imperial Guard in 1811, he re-formed and commanded the 2e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers de la Garde impériale (better known as the Red Lancers
, they were also nicknamed the écrevisses or crayfish, after their red uniforms). He also led the brigade for the whole of the Russian campaign
under the orders of the duc d'Istrie
. He and the Lancers then bravely covered the Grande Armée's retreat. He was made a général de brigade in 1813 during the retreat back through Germany and at he broke and routed the Russians and cut them to pieces. On 25 November 1813 he was promoted to général de division.
, Champaubert
and Nangis
, but finally defected to the Bourbons, who made him a chevalier de Saint-Louis and commander of the lancers corps in the royal guard. On Napoleon's return
, general Colbert dithered until 23 March 1815. When Colbert came to the Tuileries, Napoleon said to him icily "General Colbert, I've been waiting for you for three days", but even so put him in command of his personal guard. Colbert was wounded fighting at and after the armée de la Loire was disbanded the Bourbons held a grudge against Colbert. He thus returned home, only for his loyalty to turn against him – in 1816 he was arrested without charge, held in the Prison de l'Abbaye
for two months and exiled on his release. In 1817, however, he was recalled.
in 1830, he was put in charge of disbanding the eight cavalry regiments of the former royal guard. In 1834, general Colbert became aide-de-camp to duc de Nemours, accompanying the prince to Africa and taking part in the first expedition to Constantine
in 1836. He was made a peer of France in 1838 and Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur
in 1839.
He was standing next to Louis Philippe I during Giuseppe Marco Fieschi
's assassination attempt and was wounded by Fieschi's gun. lHe died in 1853.
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 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...
, noted for his unbreakable loyalty to Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
.
Revolution
Born into a noble family descended from the prestigious ColbertColbert
Colbert is a common surname and rare given name of Old French and Old German origins; it was introduced to Britain by the Normans.Colbert most commonly refers to:*Stephen Colbert , American comedian and television show host...
line, he was the son of the comte de Colbert, a rich landowner. On 23 August 1793, Pierre followed the traditional family route into the army, which was now the Republican army
French Revolutionary Army
The French Revolutionary Army is the term used to refer to the military of France during the period between the fall of the ancien regime under Louis XVI in 1792 and the formation of the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary...
, although he was suspicious of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. He fought in the 1793 campaigns in the armée du Rhin
Armée du Rhin
The Army of the Rhine is the overall name for one of the main French Revolutionary armies, that operated in the German theater along the River Rhine...
, as a member of the bataillon de Paris, also known as the bataillon Guillaume-Tell after William Tell
William Tell
William Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....
. He moved to the 11th Hussar Regiment
11th Hussar Regiment (France)
The 11th Hussar Regiment was a hussar regiment in the French Army. It was raised on 28 July 1793 from personnel of the 24th Mounted Chasseurs Regiment. An early member of the regiment was Pierre David de Colbert-Chabanais...
, gaining promotion to maréchal-des-logis
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in September 1793 and to sous-lieutenant the following month.
After three years in the armée du Rhin and in the armies suppressing the Vendean Revolt, he was dismissed by 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...
in 1796. He left the 7th Hussars
7th Hussar Regiment (France)
The 7th Hussar Regiment was a regiment of hussars in the French Army. Its most notable commanders were Pierre David de Colbert-Chabanais and Jean Baptiste Antoine Marcellin de Marbot....
to become a commissaire des guerres to the armée d'Orient, with the job of guaranteeing Bonaparte
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's supply lines to Egypt. During that time Bonaparte took him under his wing.
First Empire
Returning to the army after Egypt, he was wounded and made a captain in the 3rd Dragoon Regiment3rd Dragoon Regiment (France)
The 3rd Dragoon Regiment was a cavalry unit in the French Army. It was raised as an ordinary cavalry unit under the Ancien Régime in 1649 for the duc d'Enghien, son of the grand Condé. It was named the Bourbon-cavalerie from 1686 to 1776, when it was turned into a dragoon regiment under the name...
, before finally rising to become aide de camp to Damas
François-Étienne de Damas
-Life:Damas was born in Paris. Destined by his family for a career in architecture, instead he joined the National Guard on 14 July 1789 and served in the camp sous Paris in 1792. Damas's mathematical knowledge led général Meusnier of the engineers to choose him as his aide-de-camp on coming to...
. He then became adjudant-major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
to the Mameluks and aide de camp to Junot
Jean-Andoche Junot
Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st Duke of Abrantès was a French general during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:...
in 1803. He then followed Junot to become part of the armée des côtes
Armée des côtes
The Army of the Coasts was a French Revolutionary Army created in 1792. In April 1793 it was split into the armée des côtes de Cherbourg and armée des côtes de Brest, though the armée des côtes de l'Océan can be seen as its re-forming as a single unit....
.
Colbert left Junot in 1805 and followed major général
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Maréchal Berthier as his aide de camp. He assisted at , where he was wounded and made a chef d'escadron
Chef d'escadron
In the French armed forces , Chef d'escadron is the title of a commandant in the Artillery and Baggage Train Corps and in the Gendarmerie....
. He fought bravely at and Pułtusk. In 1807 he was made a colonel and head of his old regiment, the 7th Hussars. This unit was now part of Lassalle's brigade, nicknamed the "infernal" brigade due to its passion. Napoleon made him a knight of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The 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...
in 1808 and baron de Chabanais et de l'Empire in 1809
Colbert was promoted to général de brigade on 9 March 1809 and put under the orders of Oudinot. He won glory at the Battle of Raab
Battle of Raab
The Battle of Raab was fought on 14 June 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars, between Franco-Italian forces and Austrian-Hungarian forces. The battle was fought near Győr in Hungary and ended in a Franco-Italian victory...
by charging and defeating Ott
Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz
Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz joined the Austrian army and fought in the wars against the Kingdom of Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, and the First French Republic in the last half of the 18th century. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he rose in rank to general officer and twice campaigned against the...
's hussars, cutting several squadrons of the enemy Hungarian cavalry to pieces and nearly coming to the aid of the 9th Hussar Regiment
9th Hussar Regiment (France)
The 9th Hussar Regiment was a hussar regiment of the French Army.- History :The regiment's ancestry is drawn from two separate units, one originating in a squadron of the Hussards de la Liberté and the other in the Régiment des Guides.-Hussards de la Liberté:Its origins lay in the Hussards de la...
, which the Austrians were on the point of overwhelming. At Colbert was shot in the head three times and was made a commander of the Légion d'honneur.
Attached to the Imperial Guard in 1811, he re-formed and commanded the 2e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers de la Garde impériale (better known as the Red Lancers
Red Lancers
The 2e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers de la Garde Impériale , also known as the Lanciers Rouges were a light cavalry regiment in Napoleon I's Imperial Guard.They were formed in 1810, after Holland merged with France, but their original purpose was to serve as hussars of the Dutch...
, they were also nicknamed the écrevisses or crayfish, after their red uniforms). He also led the brigade for the whole of the Russian campaign
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
under the orders of the duc d'Istrie
Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Jean-Baptiste Bessières, 1st Duc d' Istria was a Marshal of France of the Napoleonic Era. His younger brother, Bertrand, followed in his footsteps and eventually became a Divisional General...
. He and the Lancers then bravely covered the Grande Armée's retreat. He was made a général de brigade in 1813 during the retreat back through Germany and at he broke and routed the Russians and cut them to pieces. On 25 November 1813 he was promoted to général de division.
1815-1817
General Colbert fought bravely at MontmirailBattle of Montmirail
The Battle of Montmirail was a battle fought near Montmirail, France, during the Six Days Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought on February 11, 1814, and resulted in the victory of the French under Emperor Napoleon I over the Russians under General Fabian Wilhelm von Osten-Sacken and the...
, Champaubert
Champaubert
Champaubert is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France....
and Nangis
Nangis
Nangis is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * *...
, but finally defected to the Bourbons, who made him a chevalier de Saint-Louis and commander of the lancers corps in the royal guard. On Napoleon's return
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...
, general Colbert dithered until 23 March 1815. When Colbert came to the Tuileries, Napoleon said to him icily "General Colbert, I've been waiting for you for three days", but even so put him in command of his personal guard. Colbert was wounded fighting at and after the armée de la Loire was disbanded the Bourbons held a grudge against Colbert. He thus returned home, only for his loyalty to turn against him – in 1816 he was arrested without charge, held in the Prison de l'Abbaye
Prison de l'Abbaye
The prison de l’Abbaye was a Paris prison in use from 1522 to 1854. The final building was built by Gamard in 1631 and made up of three floors, flanked by two turrets and an échauguette...
for two months and exiled on his release. In 1817, however, he was recalled.
1826-1853
After ten years' inactivity, his military career only resumed in 1826. However, he had lost the brilliance he had shown during the Napoleonic Wars and instead became inspector general of cavalry and commander of a division of the camp de Lunéville. After the July RevolutionJuly Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
in 1830, he was put in charge of disbanding the eight cavalry regiments of the former royal guard. In 1834, general Colbert became aide-de-camp to duc de Nemours, accompanying the prince to Africa and taking part in the first expedition to Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
in 1836. He was made a peer of France in 1838 and Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The 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...
in 1839.
He was standing next to Louis Philippe I during Giuseppe Marco Fieschi
Giuseppe Marco Fieschi
Giuseppe Marco Fieschi was the chief conspirator in the attempt on the life of King Louis-Philippe of France in July 1835....
's assassination attempt and was wounded by Fieschi's gun. lHe died in 1853.
Coat of arms
D'or, à la couleuvre ondoyante en pal d'azur surmontée d'un lambel du second ; au canton des Barons militaires de l'Empire brochant.Sources
Marie-Nicolas Bouillet and Alexis Chassang (ed.), "Pierre David de Colbert-Chabanais" in Dictionnaire universel d’histoire et de géographie, 1878 "Pierre David de Colbert-Chabanais", in Charles Mullié, Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850, 1852 P Louis Lainé, http://books.google.fr/books?id=lSMIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA4-PA19&dq=Pierre+David+%C3%89douard+Chabanais&lr=#v=onepage&q=&f=trueArchives généalogiques et historiques de la noblesse de France, ou, Recueil de preuves, mémoires et notices généalogiques, servant à constater l'origine, la filiation, les alliances et lés illustrations religieuses, civiles et militaires de diverses maisons et familles nobles du royaume], 1830 ;- http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/commanders/c_colbert.html
- http://www.virtualarc.com/officers/colbert1/