Pierre François Joseph Durutte
Encyclopedia
Pierre François Joseph Durutte (13 July 1767 – 18 April 1827) joined the French army at the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars
. Rapidly promoted for feats of bravery under fire at Jemappes
in 1792 and Hondschoote in 1793, he found himself appointed to serve as a staff officer. He distinguished himself during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland
in 1799 and received promotion to general officer. During the successful 1800 campaign he fought in Jean Victor Marie Moreau
's army. Promoted again in 1803, his career then stalled because of his association with the banished Moreau and his unwillingness to see Napoleon Bonaparte as emperor.
After several years of garrison duty, Durutte was sent to a combat command in Italy in 1809. During the War of the Fifth Coalition
he led his division in action at the Piave
, Tarvis
, Sankt Michael
, Raab
, and Wagram
. He led a division in Russia in 1812 and managed to bring the unit back to western Germany intact. He fought in the War of the Sixth Coalition
in 1813, defended Metz
in 1814, and led a division at Waterloo
in 1815. Durutte is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
.
, he obtained an excellent education as a youth. He enlisted in the 3rd Nord Volunteer Battalion in 1792 after the outbreak of the French Revolution
. He fought at the Battle of Jemappes
on 6 November 1792 was appointed lieutenant
. For notable courage in the storming of a Dutch fort at Klundert
from 1 to 4 March 1793, Durutte became a captain. He was offered the rank of adjutant general, but hesitated to accept because he felt that he did not merit the promotion. During the Battle of Hondschoote on 6 to 8 September 1793, he served as the chief of staff
to one of the divisions. He was later chief of staff to Jean Le Michaud d'Arçon.
In 1795 he became chief of staff to Jean Victor Marie Moreau
who commanded the Army of the North. He later served under Joseph Souham
in Holland. On 19 September 1799, he led the advance-guard in Herman Willem Daendels
' division at the Battle of Bergen
. For his battlefield exploits, he became a general of brigade on 26 September 1799. He also fought in Guillaume Marie Anne Brune
's victory at the Battle of Castricum
on 6 October. Again serving under Moreau, he participated in the Battle of Messkirch
on 5 May 1800 and the Battle of Biberach
four days later. On 3 December at the Battle of Hohenlinden, he led a brigade in Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen's division. Led by Durutte, Decaen's troops arrived on the field late in the morning. But they quickly pitched into the fighting and drove back the Austrians of Johann Sigismund Riesch
's left column. After the peace, he assumed command of the Department of Lys.
on 11 December 1803 and a commander of the Légion on 9 June 1804. His former relationship with Moreau, who was exiled from France, then caused trouble. When asked to put his signature on a document agreeing with Napoleon's appointment as emperor of France, Durutte remained true to his republican beliefs and refused to sign. When his officers also offered to join him in defiance, he dissuaded them so their careers would not be ruined. After this incident, apparently no one wanted to have anything to do with him except Marshal
Louis-Nicolas Davout, who gave him command of the island of Elba
. He remained in this isolated post for three years.
His fortunes improved in 1809 when he was given command of a combat division in Italy under Eugène de Beauharnais
. His troops included the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the 22nd Light Infantry Regiment, four battalions each of the 23rd and 62nd Line Infantry Regiments, and a foot artillery company consisting of four 6-pound cannons and two 6-inch howitzers. He missed the Battle of Sacile
in mid-April. After the Battle of Caldiero
at the end of April, Eugène launched a pursuit of Archduke John's retreating army. While the rest of his troops chased John, Eugène directed Durutte on a southerly route to first relieve the siege of Venice
and then to rejoin the main army on the Piave River.
On 8 May 1809, Durutte's division was present at the Battle of Piave River
as part of Paul Grenier
's corps. Instead of four battalions of the 62nd, his division's order of battle included two battalions each of the 60th and 62nd Line Infantry Regiments. During the battle the river rose dramatically and only half of his division was able to get into the fighting, where they fought in the center under Jacques MacDonald. On 17 May, Durutte led his division at the Battle of Tarvis
. That morning his troops stormed the Malborghetto Fort from the west while Michel Marie Pacthod's division attacked from the east. Both divisions were under the direction of Grenier. After a brief but heroic resistance, the fort's defenders were overrun. Later that day, Durutte's soldiers moved east to Tarvisio
to confront Albert Gyulai
's entrenched troops. While Eugène sent Achille Fontanelli's Italians to turn the Austrian flank, Grenier's two divisions mounted a frontal assault. Gyulai's men fled after suffering heavy losses.
Durutte fought in the Battle of Sankt Michael
on 25 May. When French scouts detected Franz Jellacic
's Austrian division moving across his front, Eugène ordered Grenier to intercept it with the troops at hand. Grenier's first division under Jean Mathieu Seras arrived at Sankt Michael
around 10:00 am and mounted an attack, pinning Jellacic in position. When Durutte arrived after a forced march, he put François Valentin's brigade in the second line, Joseph Marie, Count Dessaix
's brigade in reserve, and two battalions of the 62nd Regiment on the south bank of the Mur River to envelop Jellacic's left flank. Seras' two brigades were told off to attack the Austrian right flank and center. In the face of this concentric attack Jellacic's force collapsed with very heavy losses.
On 14 June 1809, Durutte led his division in the Battle of Raab
. The 1st Brigade comprised one battalion of the 22nd Light, four battalions of the 23rd Line, and three battalions of the 60th Line Infantry Regiments. The 2nd Brigade had three battalions each of the 62nd and 103rd Line Infantry Regiments. Four squadrons of the 6th Chasseurs à Cheval and six 6-pound guns were attached. Archduke John deployed his army behind a stream, with a strongpoint in the center at the Kis-Megyer Farm. Eugène sent forward two infantry divisions, with Seras on the right and Durutte on the left. Arranged in two lines of battalion columns, the divisions advanced in echelon, with Seras leading. From the first, rough terrain caused problems and Durutte's division struck the Austrian line first. Seras finally got into action but proved unable to seize Kis-Megyar. Eugène put in Philippe Eustache Louis Severoli's division on Durutte's left to keep the attack rolling. At this time an Austrian counterattack broke Durutte's division and the first line of Severoli's. Eugène helped rally Durutte's men while sending in Pacthod's division as reinforcements. By this time Emmanuel Grouchy's cavalry had overwhelmed John's left flank and Kis-Megyar had fallen, causing John to order a withdrawal.
On the first day of the Battle of Wagram
, 5 July 1809, Durutte's division participated in the unsuccessful evening attack on the Russbach line and was routed along with the rest of Eugène's attacking force. On the second day, MacDonald assaulted the Austrian center with three divisions. When this attack stalled, Napoleon ordered Eugène to send in his last two divisions. Accordingly, Pacthod was committed on MacDonald's right, while Durutte was committed on his left, where he engaged the Austrians of Johann Kollowrat
's III Armeekorps. Durutte's men overcame the opposition and captured the village of Breitenlee. For his efforts at Wagram, he was honored with the Order of the Iron Crown
on 17 July 1809. He was appointed Baron of the Empire on 15 August 1809.
, Durutte took command of the 32nd Infantry Division in Marshal Pierre Augereau's XI Corps
in November 1812. Detached to Jean Reynier
's VII Saxon Corps, his troops fought against Fabian Gottlieb von Osten-Sacken's Russians at the Battle of Wolkowysk from 14 to 16 November. During the battle, his division repelled repeated enemy attacks on the Wolkowysk bridge. After hearing of the destruction of the Grande Armée, Durutte withdrew to Kalisz
in the Duchy of Warsaw
, where he fended off a pursuing column of Russians. Later he fell back to Glogau in the Kingdom of Prussia
and from there he brought his division back to Jena
where he joined Eugène with 3,000 veterans on 1 April 1813.
Still in Reynier's VII Corps, Durutte led the 32nd Division at the Battle of Bautzen
on 20 and 21 May 1813. He fought at the Battle of Grossbeeren
on 23 August. On this occasion, his division was made up of the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the 131st, 132nd, and 133rd Line Infantry Regiments, the 1st Battalion of the 35th Light Infantry Regiment, the 4th Battalion of the 36th Light Infantry Regiment, and the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Wurzburg
Infantry Regiment. He led his troops at the Battle of Dennewitz
on 6 September. At the battle, Marie Jean Baptiste Urbain Devaux's brigade included the 35th Light, 131st Line, and 132nd Line Infantry Regiments. Antoine Anatole Gedeon Jarry's brigade consisted of 36th Light, 133rd Line, and Wurzburg Infantry Regiments. He fought at the Battle of Leipzig
from 16 to 19 October. The organization of the 32nd Division was similar to the earlier battles, except that each regiment had only one battalion.
During the retreat to France, Durutte led his troops in a clash at Freiburg
on 21 October. He fought at the Battle of Hanau
on 30 and 31 October under Marshal Auguste Marmont
's command. In 1814 he was given command of the fortress of Metz
which resisted a blockade until the end of the war. At one point, Napoleon heard a rumor that Metz had fallen. He asked an aide-de-camp
who commanded the garrison. When told it was Durutte, he replied, "I have never done anything good for that man. Metz is always ours." (Napoleon was becoming convinced that generals on whom he had showered favors were not performing well, while those who had yet to prove themselves could be counted on.) Upon the return of King Louis XVIII
, Durutte recognized the new sovereign and was given command of the 3rd Division and made a Chevalier of the Order of Saint Louis
on 27 June. He was made a Grand Officer of the Légion d'Honneur on 23 August and received a gold sword from the mayor of Metz.
During the Hundred Days
Durutte rallied to Napoleon. He was assigned to command the 4th Division of Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon
's I Corps
. Under his command were eight battalions of the 8th, 29th, 85th, and 95th Line Infantry Regiments. The 8th and 29th were commanded by Jean-Gaudens-Claude Pégot, while the 85th and 95th were led by Jean-Louis Brue. On 16 June 1815, his corps commander d'Erlon received conflicting orders from his wing commander Marshal Michel Ney
and one of Napoleon's aides, Charles de la Bédoyère
. After following de la Bédoyère's order to march to Ligny
, he then received Ney's order of recall. Having arrived near the field where the Battle of Ligny
was raging, d'Erlon decided to detach Durutte's division and Charles Claude Jacquinot's cavalry. As d'Erlon returned to Ney's wing with his other three infantry divisions, his only instruction to Durutte was to "be prudent". Jacquinot cleared the road of Prussian cavalry, but Durutte stopped at the village of Wagnelée, even as it became clear that the Prussians were retreating. Brigadier Brue, frustrated by his superior's inaction, insubordinately demanded that the division advance. But Durutte, overwhelmed by his responsibility, refused to budge and a great opportunity passed, one of several mischances for the French that day. As it happened, d'Erlon arrived too late to assist Ney in the Battle of Quatre Bras
.
At the Battle of Waterloo
on 18 June 1815, the 4th Division was posted on the extreme right flank of the army. Opposite Durutte's division were 3,400 Nassau
infantry from the brigade of Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar. These troops occupied, from Durutte's right to left, Chateau Frischermont, the hamlet of Smohain, La Haye farm, and Papelotte farm. Durutte sent the 2nd Brigade to attack these positions, supported three horse artillery batteries, two from Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud
's IV Cavalry Corps and one belonging to Jacquinot's division. Meanwhile, his 2,100-man 1st Brigade advanced in column of divisions by battalion. This meant that the brigade's four battalions were each deployed in a 3-deep line, one behind the other in a mass 200 yards (183 m) wide and 12 ranks deep. The 1st Brigade linked with the 3rd Division of Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet
on Durutte's left flank.
As Marcognet's division crested the ridge, the 2nd Scots Greys
Dragoons plowed into it and routed it. Emerging on the far side of Marcognet's shattered division, the Greys spotted Durutte's 1st Brigade and galloped toward it. The French closed ranks and the sides faced outward to receive cavalry. Coming on in dispersed order, the Greys were thoroughly repulsed and many saddles were emptied. Soon after, a so-far unengaged squadron of the 1st Royal Dragoons attacked the brigade as a disciplined body and smashed into its left flank, which was only 12-ranks deep. This time, the brigade collapsed in panic as the troops fled in every direction and numbers of them surrendered.
Meanwhile, Durutte supervised the attack of his 1,700-man 2nd Brigade on the extreme right. About 1:30 PM, he sent his troops into the little valley in front of Papelotte and La Haye, covered by 18 horse artillery pieces and Jacquinot's cavalry. The original skirmish line recoiled before enemy fire and Durutte quickly reinforced it with battalions in open order. He also sent a horse battery to take Smohain under point-blank fire. Two battalions soon overran Papelotte and victory seemed to be at hand. At this moment, Durutte rode back to the ridge and found to his dismay that the 1st Brigade was crushed and the ground to his left covered with rampaging British cavalry. With the Dutch-Belgian cavalry brigade of Charles Étienne de Ghigny advancing downhill toward them, he had the men of the 2nd Brigade execute a hasty retreat covered by one of Jacquinot's regiments. The brigade was able to withdraw behind a battalion square from the VI Corps
. These troops drove off de Ghigny's light horsemen with the help of a nearby artillery battery.
As the Prussian attack against the VI Corps gained momemtum, Georges Mouton, Comte de Lobau
ordered Durutte to capture the Smohain area. Accordingly, the embattled 4th Division commander attacked Smohain with the 2nd Brigade and his artillery, while sending the two and a half battalions that remained of the 1st Brigade against Papelotte. The French infantry overran the farm and immediately began to fortify it. At the close of the day, Karl Friedrich Franziskus von Steinmetz's brigade of Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten
's I Prussian Corps arrived at Smohain with 2,500 fresh infantry, followed by 3,300 cavalry. Attacking, they overcame the survivors of Durutte's division and burst through the angle of Napoleon's battle line. In the rout that followed, Durutte was chased by Prussian horsemen, receiving one saber slash that nearly cut off his left hand and a second blow that inflicted a severe head wound. After Waterloo, he retired to a property he owned near Ypres
in what is now Belgium
. He died there on 18 April 1827 after a prolonged illness.
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...
. Rapidly promoted for feats of bravery under fire at Jemappes
Battle of Jemappes
The Battle of Jemappes took place near the town of Jemappes in Hainaut, Belgium, near Mons. General Charles François Dumouriez, in command of the French Revolutionary Army, defeated the greatly outnumbered Austrian army of Field Marshal Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen and his second-in-command...
in 1792 and Hondschoote in 1793, he found himself appointed to serve as a staff officer. He distinguished himself during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland
Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland
The Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland refers to the campaign of 27 August to 19 November 1799 during the War of the Second Coalition, in which an expeditionary force of British and Russian troops invaded the North-Holland peninsula in the Batavian Republic...
in 1799 and received promotion to general officer. During the successful 1800 campaign he fought in Jean Victor Marie Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, but later became a rival and was banished to the United States.- Early life :Moreau was born at Morlaix in Brittany...
's army. Promoted again in 1803, his career then stalled because of his association with the banished Moreau and his unwillingness to see Napoleon Bonaparte as emperor.
After several years of garrison duty, Durutte was sent to a combat command in Italy in 1809. During 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...
he led his division in action at the Piave
Battle of Piave River (1809)
The Battle of Piave River was fought on 8 May 1809 between the Franco-Italian army under the command of Eugène de Beauharnais and an Austrian army led by Archduke John of Austria. The Austrian commander made a stand behind the Piave River but he suffered a defeat at the hands of his numerically...
, Tarvis
Battle of Tarvis (1809)
The Battle of Tarvis from 16 to 17 May 1809, the Storming of the Malborghetto Blockhouse from 15 to 17 May 1809, and the Storming of the Predil Blockhouse from 15 to 18 May saw the Franco-Italian army of Eugène de Beauharnais attacking Austrian Empire forces under Albert Gyulai...
, Sankt Michael
Battle of Sankt Michael
In the Battle of Sankt Michael on 25 May 1809, Paul Grenier's French corps crushed Franz Jellacic's Austrian division at Sankt Michael in Obersteiermark, Austria. The action occurred after the initial French victories during the War of the Fifth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars...
, 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...
, and 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...
. He led a division in Russia in 1812 and managed to bring the unit back to western Germany intact. He fought in 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...
in 1813, defended Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
in 1814, and led a division at Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
in 1815. Durutte 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 a well-to-do merchant family on 13 July 1767 in DouaiDouai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
, he obtained an excellent education as a youth. He enlisted in the 3rd Nord Volunteer Battalion in 1792 after the outbreak 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 at the Battle of Jemappes
Battle of Jemappes
The Battle of Jemappes took place near the town of Jemappes in Hainaut, Belgium, near Mons. General Charles François Dumouriez, in command of the French Revolutionary Army, defeated the greatly outnumbered Austrian army of Field Marshal Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen and his second-in-command...
on 6 November 1792 was appointed lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
. For notable courage in the storming of a Dutch fort at Klundert
Klundert
Klundert is a city in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located close to the Hollands Diep, about 3 km northwest of Zevenbergen. It received city rights in 1357....
from 1 to 4 March 1793, Durutte became a captain. He was offered the rank of adjutant general, but hesitated to accept because he felt that he did not merit the promotion. During the Battle of Hondschoote on 6 to 8 September 1793, he served as the chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
to one of the divisions. He was later chief of staff to Jean Le Michaud d'Arçon.
In 1795 he became chief of staff to Jean Victor Marie Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, but later became a rival and was banished to the United States.- Early life :Moreau was born at Morlaix in Brittany...
who commanded the Army of the North. He later served under Joseph Souham
Joseph Souham
Joseph Souham was a French general who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born at Lubersac and died at Versailles.-French revolutionary years:...
in Holland. On 19 September 1799, he led the advance-guard in Herman Willem Daendels
Herman Willem Daendels
Herman Willem Daendels was a Dutch politician who served as the 36th Governor General of the Dutch East Indies between 1808 and 1811....
' division at the Battle of Bergen
Battle of Bergen (1799)
The Battle of Bergen, also called the Battle of Bergen-Binnen, was fought on 19 September 1799, and resulted in a French-Dutch victory under General Brune and General Daendels against the Russians and British under the Duke of York who had landed in North Holland...
. For his battlefield exploits, he became a general of brigade on 26 September 1799. He also fought in Guillaume Marie Anne Brune
Guillaume Marie Anne Brune
Guillaume Marie Anne Brune, 1st Comte Brune was a French soldier and political figure who rose to Marshal of France....
's victory at the Battle of Castricum
Battle of Castricum
The Battle of Castricum saw a Franco-Dutch force defeat an Anglo-Russian force near Castricum, Netherlands. The battle was fought during the War of the Second Coalition against Revolutionary France between French and Dutch forces under the command of General Guillaume Brune and Herman Willem...
on 6 October. Again serving under Moreau, he participated in the Battle of Messkirch
Battle of Messkirch
The Battle of Meßkirch was fought on 4 and 5 May 1800 and resulted the victory of French army against the Austrians.-Overview:On 25 April 1800 the French Armée d'Allemagne, under Jean Victor Marie Moreau, crossed the Rhine River at Kehl and Schaffhausen. The 1st Demi-Brigade, of the Corps led by...
on 5 May 1800 and the Battle of Biberach
Biberach
Biberach is the name of several locations in Germany.* Biberach an der Riss, a town in Upper Swabia* Biberach , which has Biberach an der Riss as its capital* Biberach, Baden, a municipality in the Ortenaukreis...
four days later. On 3 December at the Battle of Hohenlinden, he led a brigade in Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen's division. Led by Durutte, Decaen's troops arrived on the field late in the morning. But they quickly pitched into the fighting and drove back the Austrians of Johann Sigismund Riesch
Johann Sigismund Riesch
Johann Sigismund Graf von Riesch joined the army of Habsburg Austria as a cavalry officer and, during his career, fought against the Kingdom of Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, Revolutionary France, and Napoleon's French Empire...
's left column. After the peace, he assumed command of the Department of Lys.
Early Empire
On 27 August 1803, Durutte received promotion to general of division in spite of Napoleon Bonaparte's dislike of officers from Moreau's army. He became a member of the Légion d'HonneurLégion 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...
on 11 December 1803 and a commander of the Légion on 9 June 1804. His former relationship with Moreau, who was exiled from France, then caused trouble. When asked to put his signature on a document agreeing with Napoleon's appointment as emperor of France, Durutte remained true to his republican beliefs and refused to sign. When his officers also offered to join him in defiance, he dissuaded them so their careers would not be ruined. After this incident, apparently no one wanted to have anything to do with him except 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...
Louis-Nicolas Davout, who gave him command of the island of Elba
Elba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
. He remained in this isolated post for three years.
His fortunes improved in 1809 when he was given command of a combat division in Italy under Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
. His troops included the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the 22nd Light Infantry Regiment, four battalions each of the 23rd and 62nd Line Infantry Regiments, and a foot artillery company consisting of four 6-pound cannons and two 6-inch howitzers. He missed the Battle of Sacile
Battle of Sacile
The Battle of Sacile on 16 April 1809 and its companion Clash at Pordenone on 15 April saw an Austrian army commanded by Archduke John of Austria defeat a Franco-Italian army led by Eugène de Beauharnais and force it to retreat. Sacile proved to be the most notable victory of John's career...
in mid-April. After the Battle of Caldiero
Battle of Caldiero (1809)
In the Battle of Caldiero or Battle of Soave or Battle of Castelcerino from 27 to 30 April 1809, an Austrian army led by Archduke John of Austria defended against a Franco-Italian army headed by Eugène de Beauharnais, the Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy...
at the end of April, Eugène launched a pursuit of Archduke John's retreating army. While the rest of his troops chased John, Eugène directed Durutte on a southerly route to first relieve the siege of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and then to rejoin the main army on the Piave River.
On 8 May 1809, Durutte's division was present at the Battle of Piave River
Battle of Piave River (1809)
The Battle of Piave River was fought on 8 May 1809 between the Franco-Italian army under the command of Eugène de Beauharnais and an Austrian army led by Archduke John of Austria. The Austrian commander made a stand behind the Piave River but he suffered a defeat at the hands of his numerically...
as part of Paul Grenier
Paul Grenier
Paul Grenier joined the French royal army and rapidly rose to general officer rank during the French Revolutionary Wars. He led a division in the 1796-1797 campaign in southern Germany. During the 1800 campaign in the Electorate of Bavaria he was a wing commander...
's corps. Instead of four battalions of the 62nd, his division's order of battle included two battalions each of the 60th and 62nd Line Infantry Regiments. During the battle the river rose dramatically and only half of his division was able to get into the fighting, where they fought in the center under Jacques MacDonald. On 17 May, Durutte led his division at the Battle of Tarvis
Battle of Tarvis (1809)
The Battle of Tarvis from 16 to 17 May 1809, the Storming of the Malborghetto Blockhouse from 15 to 17 May 1809, and the Storming of the Predil Blockhouse from 15 to 18 May saw the Franco-Italian army of Eugène de Beauharnais attacking Austrian Empire forces under Albert Gyulai...
. That morning his troops stormed the Malborghetto Fort from the west while Michel Marie Pacthod's division attacked from the east. Both divisions were under the direction of Grenier. After a brief but heroic resistance, the fort's defenders were overrun. Later that day, Durutte's soldiers moved east to Tarvisio
Tarvisio
Tarvisio is a town in the Province of Udine, in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region in Italy...
to confront Albert Gyulai
Albert Gyulai
Albert Gyulai von Máros-Németh und Nádaska or Albert Gyulay, born 12 September 1766 – died 27 April 1835, a Hungarian, joined the army of Habsburg Austria and fought against Ottoman Turkey. He served against the First French Republic in the Flanders Campaign and on the Rhine...
's entrenched troops. While Eugène sent Achille Fontanelli's Italians to turn the Austrian flank, Grenier's two divisions mounted a frontal assault. Gyulai's men fled after suffering heavy losses.
Durutte fought in the Battle of Sankt Michael
Battle of Sankt Michael
In the Battle of Sankt Michael on 25 May 1809, Paul Grenier's French corps crushed Franz Jellacic's Austrian division at Sankt Michael in Obersteiermark, Austria. The action occurred after the initial French victories during the War of the Fifth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars...
on 25 May. When French scouts detected Franz Jellacic
Franz Jellacic
Baron Franjo Jelačić Bužimski , born 14 April 1746 – died 4 February 1810, was a Croatian nobleman, a member of the House of Jelačić...
's Austrian division moving across his front, Eugène ordered Grenier to intercept it with the troops at hand. Grenier's first division under Jean Mathieu Seras arrived at Sankt Michael
Sankt Michael in Obersteiermark
Sankt Michael in Obersteiermark is a municipality in the district of Leoben in Styria, Austria.-References:...
around 10:00 am and mounted an attack, pinning Jellacic in position. When Durutte arrived after a forced march, he put François Valentin's brigade in the second line, Joseph Marie, Count Dessaix
Joseph Marie, Count Dessaix
Joseph Marie, Count Dessaix was a French general.He was born at Thonon in Savoy...
's brigade in reserve, and two battalions of the 62nd Regiment on the south bank of the Mur River to envelop Jellacic's left flank. Seras' two brigades were told off to attack the Austrian right flank and center. In the face of this concentric attack Jellacic's force collapsed with very heavy losses.
On 14 June 1809, Durutte led his division in 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...
. The 1st Brigade comprised one battalion of the 22nd Light, four battalions of the 23rd Line, and three battalions of the 60th Line Infantry Regiments. The 2nd Brigade had three battalions each of the 62nd and 103rd Line Infantry Regiments. Four squadrons of the 6th Chasseurs à Cheval and six 6-pound guns were attached. Archduke John deployed his army behind a stream, with a strongpoint in the center at the Kis-Megyer Farm. Eugène sent forward two infantry divisions, with Seras on the right and Durutte on the left. Arranged in two lines of battalion columns, the divisions advanced in echelon, with Seras leading. From the first, rough terrain caused problems and Durutte's division struck the Austrian line first. Seras finally got into action but proved unable to seize Kis-Megyar. Eugène put in Philippe Eustache Louis Severoli's division on Durutte's left to keep the attack rolling. At this time an Austrian counterattack broke Durutte's division and the first line of Severoli's. Eugène helped rally Durutte's men while sending in Pacthod's division as reinforcements. By this time Emmanuel Grouchy's cavalry had overwhelmed John's left flank and Kis-Megyar had fallen, causing John to order a withdrawal.
On the first day of 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...
, 5 July 1809, Durutte's division participated in the unsuccessful evening attack on the Russbach line and was routed along with the rest of Eugène's attacking force. On the second day, MacDonald assaulted the Austrian center with three divisions. When this attack stalled, Napoleon ordered Eugène to send in his last two divisions. Accordingly, Pacthod was committed on MacDonald's right, while Durutte was committed on his left, where he engaged the Austrians of Johann Kollowrat
Johann Kollowrat
Kollowrat-Krakowsky, Johann Karl, Graf von joined the Austrian army, fought against the Kingdom of Prussia and Ottoman Turkey before being promoted to general officer rank. During combat against the French in the French Revolutionary Wars, he first became known as an artillery specialist...
's III Armeekorps. Durutte's men overcame the opposition and captured the village of Breitenlee. For his efforts at Wagram, he was honored with the Order of the Iron Crown
Order of the Iron Crown
The Imperial Order of the Iron Crown was established June 5, 1805 by Napoleon Bonaparte . It took its name from the ancient Iron Crown of Lombardy, a medieval jewel with an iron ring, forged from what was supposed to be a nail from the True Cross as a band on the inside. This crown also gave its...
on 17 July 1809. He was appointed Baron of the Empire on 15 August 1809.
Later Empire
After serving as governor of AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Durutte took command of the 32nd Infantry Division in Marshal Pierre Augereau's XI Corps
XI Corps (Grande Armée)
The XI Corps of the Grande Armée was the name of more than one French military unit that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1809 during the War of the Fifth Coalition, General of Division Auguste Marmont's Army of Dalmatia was renamed the XI Corps. Emperor Napoleon I held it in reserve at the...
in November 1812. Detached to Jean Reynier
Jean Reynier
Jean Louis Ebénézer Reynier rose in rank to become a French army general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He led a division under Napoleon Bonaparte in the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria...
's VII Saxon Corps, his troops fought against Fabian Gottlieb von Osten-Sacken's Russians at the Battle of Wolkowysk from 14 to 16 November. During the battle, his division repelled repeated enemy attacks on the Wolkowysk bridge. After hearing of the destruction of the Grande Armée, Durutte withdrew to Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
in the Duchy of Warsaw
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...
, where he fended off a pursuing column of Russians. Later he fell back to Glogau in the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and from there he brought his division back to Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
where he joined Eugène with 3,000 veterans on 1 April 1813.
Still in Reynier's VII Corps, Durutte led the 32nd Division at the Battle of 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...
on 20 and 21 May 1813. He fought at the Battle of Grossbeeren
Battle of Grossbeeren
In the Battles of Großbeeren and neighboring Blankenfield and Sputendorf an allied Prussian-Swedish army under Crown Prince Charles John - formerly Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte - defeated the French under Marshal Oudinot...
on 23 August. On this occasion, his division was made up of the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the 131st, 132nd, and 133rd Line Infantry Regiments, the 1st Battalion of the 35th Light Infantry Regiment, the 4th Battalion of the 36th Light Infantry Regiment, and the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Wurzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
Infantry Regiment. He led his troops at the Battle of Dennewitz
Battle of Dennewitz
The Battle of Dennewitz took place on 6 September 1813 between the forces of the First French Empire and an army of Prussians and Russians of the Sixth Coalition. It occurred in Dennewitz, a village of Germany, in the Prussian province of Brandenburg, near Jüterbog, 40 km. S.W...
on 6 September. At the battle, Marie Jean Baptiste Urbain Devaux's brigade included the 35th Light, 131st Line, and 132nd Line Infantry Regiments. Antoine Anatole Gedeon Jarry's brigade consisted of 36th Light, 133rd Line, and Wurzburg Infantry Regiments. He fought at the Battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
from 16 to 19 October. The organization of the 32nd Division was similar to the earlier battles, except that each regiment had only one battalion.
During the retreat to France, Durutte led his troops in a clash at Freiburg
Freyburg, Germany
Freyburg is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Unstrut, 9 km northwest of Hanseatic Naumburg, 63 km from Leipzig and 231 km from Berlin...
on 21 October. He fought at the Battle of Hanau
Battle of Hanau
The Battle of Hanau was fought on between Karl Philipp von Wrede’s Austro-Bavarian corps and Napoleon's retreating French during the War of the Sixth Coalition....
on 30 and 31 October under Marshal Auguste Marmont
Auguste Marmont
Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, 1st Duke of Ragusa was a French General, nobleman and Marshal of France.-Biography:...
's command. In 1814 he was given command of the fortress of Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
which resisted a blockade until the end of the war. At one point, Napoleon heard a rumor that Metz had fallen. He asked an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
who commanded the garrison. When told it was Durutte, he replied, "I have never done anything good for that man. Metz is always ours." (Napoleon was becoming convinced that generals on whom he had showered favors were not performing well, while those who had yet to prove themselves could be counted on.) Upon the return of 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...
, Durutte recognized the new sovereign and was given command of the 3rd Division and made a Chevalier of the Order of Saint Louis
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
on 27 June. He was made a Grand Officer of the Légion d'Honneur on 23 August and received a gold sword from the mayor of Metz.
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...
Durutte rallied to Napoleon. He was assigned to command the 4th Division of Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, comte d'Erlon was a marshal of France and a soldier in Napoleon's Army. D'Erlon notably commanded the I Corps of the Armée du Nord at the battle of Waterloo....
'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...
. Under his command were eight battalions of the 8th, 29th, 85th, and 95th Line Infantry Regiments. The 8th and 29th were commanded by Jean-Gaudens-Claude Pégot, while the 85th and 95th were led by Jean-Louis Brue. On 16 June 1815, his corps commander d'Erlon received conflicting orders from his wing commander Marshal Michel Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
and one of Napoleon's aides, Charles de la Bédoyère
Charles de la Bédoyère
Charles Angélique François Huchet, Comte de la Bédoyère was a French General during the reign of Emperor Napoleon I who was executed in 1815....
. After following de la Bédoyère's order to march to Ligny
Ligny
Ligny is a village in the municipality of Sombreffe . It is known as the site of the Battle of Ligny, when Napoleon defeated Blücher two days before the battle of Waterloo while Wellington and Marshal Ney were engaged at Quatre Bras...
, he then received Ney's order of recall. Having arrived near the field where the Battle of Ligny
Battle of Ligny
The Battle of Ligny was the last victory of the military career of Napoleon I. In this battle, French troops of the Armée du Nord under Napoleon's command, defeated a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher, near Ligny in present-day Belgium. The bulk of the Prussian army survived, however, and...
was raging, d'Erlon decided to detach Durutte's division and Charles Claude Jacquinot's cavalry. As d'Erlon returned to Ney's wing with his other three infantry divisions, his only instruction to Durutte was to "be prudent". Jacquinot cleared the road of Prussian cavalry, but Durutte stopped at the village of Wagnelée, even as it became clear that the Prussians were retreating. Brigadier Brue, frustrated by his superior's inaction, insubordinately demanded that the division advance. But Durutte, overwhelmed by his responsibility, refused to budge and a great opportunity passed, one of several mischances for the French that day. As it happened, d'Erlon arrived too late to assist Ney in the Battle of Quatre Bras
Battle of Quatre Bras
The Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
.
At the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
on 18 June 1815, the 4th Division was posted on the extreme right flank of the army. Opposite Durutte's division were 3,400 Nassau
Nassau (state)
Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire and later in the German Confederation. Its ruling dynasty, now extinct in male line, was the House of Nassau.-Origins:...
infantry from the brigade of Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar. These troops occupied, from Durutte's right to left, Chateau Frischermont, the hamlet of Smohain, La Haye farm, and Papelotte farm. Durutte sent the 2nd Brigade to attack these positions, supported three horse artillery batteries, two from Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud
Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud
Édouard Jean-Baptiste Milhaud was a French politician, Général de Division, and comte d'Empire.-French Revolutionary wars:...
's IV Cavalry Corps and one belonging to Jacquinot's division. Meanwhile, his 2,100-man 1st Brigade advanced in column of divisions by battalion. This meant that the brigade's four battalions were each deployed in a 3-deep line, one behind the other in a mass 200 yards (183 m) wide and 12 ranks deep. The 1st Brigade linked with the 3rd Division of Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet
Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet
Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet joined the French army in 1781 as an officer cadet and fought in the American Revolutionary War. During the French Revolutionary Wars he fought in the Army of the Rhine and was wounded at First and Second Wissembourg...
on Durutte's left flank.
As Marcognet's division crested the ridge, the 2nd Scots Greys
Scots Greys
The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers to form The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards ....
Dragoons plowed into it and routed it. Emerging on the far side of Marcognet's shattered division, the Greys spotted Durutte's 1st Brigade and galloped toward it. The French closed ranks and the sides faced outward to receive cavalry. Coming on in dispersed order, the Greys were thoroughly repulsed and many saddles were emptied. Soon after, a so-far unengaged squadron of the 1st Royal Dragoons attacked the brigade as a disciplined body and smashed into its left flank, which was only 12-ranks deep. This time, the brigade collapsed in panic as the troops fled in every direction and numbers of them surrendered.
Meanwhile, Durutte supervised the attack of his 1,700-man 2nd Brigade on the extreme right. About 1:30 PM, he sent his troops into the little valley in front of Papelotte and La Haye, covered by 18 horse artillery pieces and Jacquinot's cavalry. The original skirmish line recoiled before enemy fire and Durutte quickly reinforced it with battalions in open order. He also sent a horse battery to take Smohain under point-blank fire. Two battalions soon overran Papelotte and victory seemed to be at hand. At this moment, Durutte rode back to the ridge and found to his dismay that the 1st Brigade was crushed and the ground to his left covered with rampaging British cavalry. With the Dutch-Belgian cavalry brigade of Charles Étienne de Ghigny advancing downhill toward them, he had the men of the 2nd Brigade execute a hasty retreat covered by one of Jacquinot's regiments. The brigade was able to withdraw behind a battalion square from the VI Corps
VI Corps (Grande Armée)
The VI Corps of the Grande Armée was the name of a French military unit that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. It was formed at the Camp de Boulogne and assigned to Marshal Michel Ney. From 1805 through 1811, the army corps fought under Ney's command in the War of the Third Coalition, the War of...
. These troops drove off de Ghigny's light horsemen with the help of a nearby artillery battery.
As the Prussian attack against the VI Corps gained momemtum, Georges Mouton, Comte de Lobau
Georges Mouton
Georges Mouton, comte de Lobau was a French soldier and political figure who rose to the rank of Marshal of France.-Biography:Born in Phalsbourg, Lorraine, he enlisted in the French Revolutionary Army in 1792...
ordered Durutte to capture the Smohain area. Accordingly, the embattled 4th Division commander attacked Smohain with the 2nd Brigade and his artillery, while sending the two and a half battalions that remained of the 1st Brigade against Papelotte. The French infantry overran the farm and immediately began to fortify it. At the close of the day, Karl Friedrich Franziskus von Steinmetz's brigade of Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten
Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten
Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten was an officer in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars.Zieten was born in Dechtow in the Margraviate of Brandenburg; he was not related to the Frederician general Hans Joachim von Zieten.During the Waterloo Campaign of 1815, Lieutenant-General von Zieten...
's I Prussian Corps arrived at Smohain with 2,500 fresh infantry, followed by 3,300 cavalry. Attacking, they overcame the survivors of Durutte's division and burst through the angle of Napoleon's battle line. In the rout that followed, Durutte was chased by Prussian horsemen, receiving one saber slash that nearly cut off his left hand and a second blow that inflicted a severe head wound. After Waterloo, he retired to a property he owned near Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
in what is now Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. He died there on 18 April 1827 after a prolonged illness.