William Corbet
Encyclopedia
William Corbet was an Irish
soldier.
He was born in Ballythomas, County Cork
. In 1798, as a member of the United Irishmen, he was expelled from Trinity College Dublin with Robert Emmet
and others for treasonable activities, and went instead to Paris
. In September of the same year, he joined a French military force under Napper Tandy with the rank of Captain and sailed from Dunkirk with arms and ammunition for Ireland. The expedition had to turn back following the defeat of General Humbert
and arriving in Hamburg
they were handed over to the British authorities and taken to Ireland, where they were imprisoned in Kilmainham Jail.
Corbet escaped in 1803 and returned to France. He was appointed professor of English at the military college of St Cyr
. Later that year he became a Captain in the Irish Legion. Following the death of his brother Thomas (who was also in the Legion) in a duel with another officer, he was transferred to the 70th Regiment of the line, where he served in Massena
's expedition to Portugal, and distinguished himself in the retreat from Torres Vedras
and the battle of Sabugal
. After the battle of Salamanca
he was appointed chef de bataillon of the 47th regiment and served until 1813 when he was summoned to Germany to join the staff of Marshal Marmont
. He served at the battles of Lutzen
, Bautzen
, Dresden
and others and was made a commander of the Legion of Honour
. In December 1814, he was naturalised as a French citizen. In 1815, after the abdication of Napoleon he was promoted to colonel and chief of staff to General d'Aumont at Caen.
In the period of the Bourbon Restoration
, his friendship with the opposition leader, General Foy
, placed him under some suspicion, but in 1828 he was selected by Marshal Maison
to accompany him on and expedition against Ibrahim Pasha
in Morea
, Greece
. He acted to suppress anarchy and defeated local tribesmen who had assaulted the French garrisons. As a result of his evident abilities as a soldier and administrator he was appointed a member of the Order of Saint Louis
and of the Greek Order of the Redeemer
of Greece, and promoted to the rank of General.
In 1831 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief to the French forces in Greece. He returned to France the following year, where he was commander in the region of Calvados
and died at Saint Denis in 1842.
The Irish novelist Maria Edgeworth
based the main theme of her novel Ormond on Corbet's 1803 escape from Kilmainham.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
soldier.
He was born in Ballythomas, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
. In 1798, as a member of the United Irishmen, he was expelled from Trinity College Dublin with Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet was an Irish nationalist and Republican, orator and rebel leader born in Dublin, Ireland...
and others for treasonable activities, and went instead to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In September of the same year, he joined a French military force under Napper Tandy with the rank of Captain and sailed from Dunkirk with arms and ammunition for Ireland. The expedition had to turn back following the defeat of General Humbert
Jean Joseph Amable Humbert
General Jean Joseph Amable Humbert was a French soldier, a participant in the French Revolution, who led a failed invasion of Ireland to assist Irish rebels in 1798....
and arriving in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
they were handed over to the British authorities and taken to Ireland, where they were imprisoned in Kilmainham Jail.
Corbet escaped in 1803 and returned to France. He was appointed professor of English at the military college of St Cyr
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
. Later that year he became a Captain in the Irish Legion. Following the death of his brother Thomas (who was also in the Legion) in a duel with another officer, he was transferred to the 70th Regiment of the line, where he served in Massena
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
's expedition to Portugal, and distinguished himself in the retreat from Torres Vedras
Lines of Torres Vedras
The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, constructed by Sir Richard Fletcher, 1st Baronet and his Portuguese workers between...
and the battle of Sabugal
Sabugal
Sabugal is a city and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 822.7 km² and a total population of 14,222 inhabitants[in the municipality] and about 3.000 in the city....
. After the battle of Salamanca
Battle of Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
he was appointed chef de bataillon of the 47th regiment and served until 1813 when he was summoned to Germany to join the staff of Marshal Marmont
Auguste Marmont
Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, 1st Duke of Ragusa was a French General, nobleman and Marshal of France.-Biography:...
. He served at the battles of Lutzen
Battle of Lützen (1813)
In the Battle of Lützen , Napoleon I of France lured a combined Prussian and Russian force into a trap, halting the advances of the Sixth Coalition after his devastating losses in Russia. The Russian commander, Prince Peter Wittgenstein, attempting to undo Napoleon's capture of Leipzig, attacked...
, 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...
, Dresden
Battle of Dresden
The Battle of Dresden was fought on 26–27 August 1813 around Dresden, Germany, resulting in a French victory under Napoleon I against forces of the Sixth Coalition of Austrians, Russians and Prussians under Field Marshal Schwartzenberg. However, Napoleon's victory was not as complete as it could...
and others and was made a commander of the Legion of Honour
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 December 1814, he was naturalised as a French citizen. In 1815, after the abdication of Napoleon he was promoted to colonel and chief of staff to General d'Aumont at Caen.
In the period of the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
, his friendship with the opposition leader, General Foy
Maximilien Sebastien Foy
Maximilien Sébastien Foy was a French military leader, statesman and writer.-Revolution:He was born in Ham, Somme, and educated in the military school of La Fere, and made sub-lieutenant of artillery in 1792. He was present at the battles of Valmy and Jemappes, and in 1793 obtained a company, as...
, placed him under some suspicion, but in 1828 he was selected by Marshal Maison
Nicolas Joseph Maison
Nicolas Joseph Maison, 1er Marquis Maison was a Marshal of France and Minister of War.-French revolution and Napoléon:Maison was born at born in Épinay-sur-Seine, near Paris....
to accompany him on and expedition against Ibrahim Pasha
Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt
Ibrahim Pasha was the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Wāli and unrecognised Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. He served as a general in the Egyptian army that his father established during his reign, taking his first command of Egyptian forces was when he was merely a teenager...
in Morea
Morea
The Morea was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It also referred to a Byzantine province in the region, known as the Despotate of Morea.-Origins of the name:...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. He acted to suppress anarchy and defeated local tribesmen who had assaulted the French garrisons. As a result of his evident abilities as a soldier and administrator he was appointed a member 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...
and of the Greek Order of the Redeemer
Order of the Redeemer
The Order of the Redeemer , also known as the Order of the Savior, is an order of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the modern Greek state.- History :...
of Greece, and promoted to the rank of General.
In 1831 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief to the French forces in Greece. He returned to France the following year, where he was commander in the region of Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
and died at Saint Denis in 1842.
The Irish novelist Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth was a prolific Anglo-Irish writer of adults' and children's literature. She was one of the first realist writers in children's literature and was a significant figure in the evolution of the novel in Europe...
based the main theme of her novel Ormond on Corbet's 1803 escape from Kilmainham.