Étienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Étienne Jacques Joseph Alexandre MacDonald, 1st duke of Taranto
(17 November 1765 – 25 September 1840) was a Marshal of France
and military leader during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
.
. His father, Neil MacEachen, later MacDonald, came from a Jacobite
family from Howbeg in South Uist
, in the west of Scotland
. He was a close relative of Flora MacDonald, who played a key role in the escape of Prince Charles Edward Stuart
after the failure of the 1745 Rising.
against the Kingdom of Prussia
. After it was disbanded, he received a commission in the regiment of Dillon. At the start of the French Revolution
, the regiment of Dillon remained loyal to the King, except for MacDonald, who was in love with Mlle Jacob, whose father was an enthusiastic revolutionary. After his marriage, he was appointed aide-de-camp to General Charles François Dumouriez
. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Jemappes
, and was promoted colonel in 1793.
He refused to desert to the Austria
ns with Dumouriez, and as a reward was made general of brigade, and appointed to command the leading brigade in Pichegru
's invasion of the Netherlands. His knowledge of the country proved useful, and he was instrumental in the capture of the Dutch fleet by French hussar
s. In 1797, having been made general of division, he served first in the army of the Rhine and later in that of Italy. When he reached Italy, the treaty of Campo Formio
had been signed, and Bonaparte had returned to France; but, under the direction of Berthier
, MacDonald occupied Rome
, of which he was made governor, and then in conjunction with Championnet
he defeated General Mack, and took the Kingdom of Naples
, which became known as the Parthenopaean Republic
.
When Suvorov
invaded northern Italy, and was undoing the conquests of Bonaparte, MacDonald moved northwards. With 36,000 men he attacked Suvorov's 22,000 men at the Trebbia
. After three days' fighting, receiving no help from Moreau
, he was utterly defeated and fled to Genoa
. Later he was made governor of Versailles, and acquiesced, even if he did not participate, in the events of the 18 Brumaire
.
In 1800, he received command of the army in the Helvetic Republic
, maintaining communications between the armies of Germany
and of Italy. He carried out his orders diligently, and in the winter of 1800-1801, he was ordered to march over the Splügen Pass
at the head of the Army of the Grisons
. This achievement is described by Mathieu Dumas
, his chief of staff, and is as noteworthy as Bonaparte's passage of the St Bernard before the Battle of Marengo, although MacDonald did not fight a battle. On his return to Paris, MacDonald married the widow of General Joubert
, and was appointed French ambassador to Denmark
. Returning in 1805, he was associated with Moreau and thus incurred the dislike of Napoleon, who did not include him in his first creation of marshals.
, viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy
and a corps commander. He led the army from Italy to join with Napoleon, and at Wagram
, led the attack which broke the Austrian centre and won the victory.
Napoleon made him a Marshal of France
on the field of battle, and soon after created him duke of Taranto
in the Kingdom of Naples.
In 1810, MacDonald served in Spain and in 1812, he commanded the left wing of the Grande Armée for the invasion of Russia. In 1813, after participating in the battles of Lützen
and Bautzen
, he was ordered to invade Silesia
, where Blücher
defeated him with great loss at Katzbach
. At the Battle of Nations in 1813, his force was pushed out at Liebertwolkwitz by Johann von Klenau
's IV Corps (Austrian); on a counter attack, his troops took the village back. Later that day, Klenau foiled his attempt to flank the Austrian main army, commanded by Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
. After the Battle of Leipzig
, he was ordered to cover the evacuation of Leipzig with Prince Poniatowski
. After the blowing up of the last bridge over the river, he managed to swim the Elster, but Poniatowski drowned. During the defensive campaign of 1814, MacDonald again distinguished himself. He was one of the marshals sent by Napoleon to take the notice of his abdication to Paris. When all were deserting Napoleon, MacDonald remained faithful. He was directed by Napoleon to give his adherence to the new régime, and was presented with the sabre of Murad Bey
for his fidelity.
At the Restoration
, he was made a peer of France and knight grand cross of the royal order of St. Louis; he remained faithful to the new order during the Hundred Days
. In 1815, he became chancellor of the Legion of Honour, a post he held till 1831. In 1816, as major-general of the royal bodyguard, he took part in the debates of the Chamber of Peers, created under the Charter of 1814
, voting consistently as a moderate Liberal.
From 1830, he lived in retirement at his country place Courcellesle-Roi (Seine-et-Oise
), where he died.
In 1802, he married Felicite-Francoise de Montholon (d. 1804), the widow of General Joubert
, and had a daughter:
In 1821, he married Ernestine-Therese de Bourgoing (1789 – 1825) and had a son:
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
(17 November 1765 – 25 September 1840) was a Marshal of France
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...
and military leader during the French Revolutionary
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...
.
Family background
He was born in Sedan, Ardennes, FranceEarly Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
. His father, Neil MacEachen, later MacDonald, came from a Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
family from Howbeg in South Uist
South Uist
South Uist is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,818. There is a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found. The...
, in the west of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
. He was a close relative of Flora MacDonald, who played a key role in the escape of Prince Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
after the failure of the 1745 Rising.
Military life
In 1785, MacDonald joined the Irish legion raised to support the revolutionary party in the Dutch RepublicDutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
against 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...
. After it was disbanded, he received a commission in the regiment of Dillon. At the start 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...
, the regiment of Dillon remained loyal to the King, except for MacDonald, who was in love with Mlle Jacob, whose father was an enthusiastic revolutionary. After his marriage, he was appointed aide-de-camp to General Charles François Dumouriez
Charles François Dumouriez
Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. He shared the victory at Valmy with General François Christophe Kellermann, but later deserted the Revolutionary Army and became a royalist intriguer during the reign of Napoleon.-Early life:Dumouriez...
. He distinguished himself 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...
, and was promoted colonel in 1793.
He refused to desert to the Austria
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
ns with Dumouriez, and as a reward was made general of brigade, and appointed to command the leading brigade in Pichegru
Charles Pichegru
Jean-Charles Pichegru was a French general and political figure of the French Revolution and Revolutionary Wars.-Early life and career:...
's invasion of the Netherlands. His knowledge of the country proved useful, and he was instrumental in the capture of the Dutch fleet by French hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
s. In 1797, having been made general of division, he served first in the army of the Rhine and later in that of Italy. When he reached Italy, the treaty of Campo Formio
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 18 October 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of revolutionary France and the Austrian monarchy...
had been signed, and Bonaparte had returned to France; but, under the direction of Berthier
Louis Alexandre Berthier
Louis Alexandre Berthier, 1st Prince de Wagram, 1st Duc de Valangin, 1st Sovereign Prince de Neuchâtel , was a Marshal of France, Vice-Constable of France beginning in 1808, and Chief of Staff under Napoleon.-Early life:Alexandre was born at Versailles to Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Baptiste Berthier ,...
, MacDonald occupied Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, of which he was made governor, and then in conjunction with Championnet
Jean Étienne Championnet
Jean Étienne Vachier, called Championnet , French general, enlisted in the army at an early age and served in the Great Siege of Gibraltar....
he defeated General Mack, and took the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
, which became known as the Parthenopaean Republic
Parthenopaean Republic
The Parthenopean Republic was a French-supported republic in the territory of the Kingdom of Naples, formed during the French Revolutionary Wars after King Ferdinand IV fled before advancing French troops...
.
When Suvorov
Alexander Suvorov
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov , Count Suvorov of Rymnik, Prince in Italy, Count of the Holy Roman Empire , was the fourth and last generalissimo of the Russian Empire.One of the few great generals in history who never lost a battle along with the likes of Alexander...
invaded northern Italy, and was undoing the conquests of Bonaparte, MacDonald moved northwards. With 36,000 men he attacked Suvorov's 22,000 men at the Trebbia
Battle of Trebia (1799)
The Battle of Trebbia was fought on June 19, 1799 and resulted in the victory of the Austrians and Russians under Field Marshal Suvorov against the French under General Macdonald....
. After three days' fighting, receiving no help from 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...
, he was utterly defeated and fled to Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
. Later he was made governor of Versailles, and acquiesced, even if he did not participate, in the events of the 18 Brumaire
18 Brumaire
The coup of 18 Brumaire was the coup d'état by which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate...
.
In 1800, he received command of the army in the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
, maintaining communications between the armies of Germany
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...
and of Italy. He carried out his orders diligently, and in the winter of 1800-1801, he was ordered to march over the Splügen Pass
Splügen Pass
The Splügen Pass is a high mountain pass which marks the boundary between the Lepontine and Rhaetian Alps....
at the head of the Army of the Grisons
Army of the Grisons
The Army of the Grisons was a field army of the French Revolutionary Army. Its commander-in-chief from 5 October 1800 to 1 April 1801 was Etienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre Macdonald, during which time it operated as the hinge between the Army of Italy under Brune and the Army of the Rhine under...
. This achievement is described by Mathieu Dumas
Guillaume Mathieu, comte Dumas
Guillaume Mathieu, comte Dumas was a French general.-Biography:Born in Montpellier, France of a noble family, he joined the French army in 1773 and entered upon active service in 1780, as aide-de-camp to Rochambeau in the American Revolutionary War. He had a share in all the principal engagements...
, his chief of staff, and is as noteworthy as Bonaparte's passage of the St Bernard before the Battle of Marengo, although MacDonald did not fight a battle. On his return to Paris, MacDonald married the widow of General Joubert
Barthélemy Catherine Joubert
Barthélemy Catherine Joubert was a French general. He joined the royal French army in 1784 and rose rapidly in rank during the French Revolutionary Wars. Napoleon Bonaparte recognized his talents and gave him increased responsibilities...
, and was appointed French ambassador to Denmark
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including the originally Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
. Returning in 1805, he was associated with Moreau and thus incurred the dislike of Napoleon, who did not include him in his first creation of marshals.
Under Napoleon
He remained without employment until 1809, but then Napoleon made him military adviser to Prince Eugène de BeauharnaisEugène 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...
, viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
and a corps commander. He led the army from Italy to join with Napoleon, and at 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...
, led the attack which broke the Austrian centre and won the victory.
Napoleon made him a Marshal of France
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...
on the field of battle, and soon after created him duke of Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
in the Kingdom of Naples.
In 1810, MacDonald served in Spain and in 1812, he commanded the left wing of the Grande Armée for the invasion of Russia. In 1813, after participating in the battles of Lützen
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...
and 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...
, he was ordered to invade Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
, where Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt , Graf , later elevated to Fürst von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall who led his army against Napoleon I at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig in 1813 and at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 with the Duke of Wellington.He is...
defeated him with great loss at Katzbach
Battle of Katzbach
The Battle of Katzbach on 26 August 1813, was an accidental engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the forces of the First French Empire under Marshal MacDonald and a Russo-Prussian army of the Sixth Coalition under Prussian Marshal Graf von Blücher...
. At the Battle of Nations in 1813, his force was pushed out at Liebertwolkwitz by Johann von Klenau
Johann von Klenau
Johann von Klenau , also called Johann Josef Cajetan von Klenau und Janowitz, the son of a Bohemian noble, was a field marshal in the Habsburg army...
's IV Corps (Austrian); on a counter attack, his troops took the village back. Later that day, Klenau foiled his attempt to flank the Austrian main army, commanded by Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg (April 18, 1771 – October 15, 1820) was an Austrian field marshal.- Life :...
. After 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...
, he was ordered to cover the evacuation of Leipzig with Prince Poniatowski
Józef Antoni Poniatowski
Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski was a Polish leader, general, minister of war and army chief, who became a Marshal of France.-Early Austrian years and war with Turkey:...
. After the blowing up of the last bridge over the river, he managed to swim the Elster, but Poniatowski drowned. During the defensive campaign of 1814, MacDonald again distinguished himself. He was one of the marshals sent by Napoleon to take the notice of his abdication to Paris. When all were deserting Napoleon, MacDonald remained faithful. He was directed by Napoleon to give his adherence to the new régime, and was presented with the sabre of Murad Bey
Murad Bey
Murad Bey was an Egyptian Mamluk chieftain , cavalry commander and joint ruler of Egypt with Ibrahim Bey. He was of Georgian origin having been born in Tbilisi....
for his fidelity.
Under the Bourbons
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...
, he was made a peer of France and knight grand cross of the royal order of St. Louis; he remained faithful to the new order 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...
. In 1815, he became chancellor of the Legion of Honour, a post he held till 1831. In 1816, as major-general of the royal bodyguard, he took part in the debates of the Chamber of Peers, created under the Charter of 1814
Charter of 1814
The French Charter of 1814 was a constitution granted by King Louis XVIII of France shortly after his restoration. The Congress of Vienna demanded that Louis bring in a constitution of some form before he was restored. It guaranteed many of the rights that most other countries in western Europe had...
, voting consistently as a moderate Liberal.
From 1830, he lived in retirement at his country place Courcellesle-Roi (Seine-et-Oise
Seine-et-Oise
Seine-et-Oise was a département of France encompassing the western, northern, and southern parts of the metropolitan area of Paris. Its préfecture was Versailles and its official number was 78. Seine-et-Oise was abolished in 1968....
), where he died.
Personal life
In 1791, he married Marie-Constance Soral de Montloisir (d. 1797) and had 2 daughters:- Anne-Charlotte (1792 – 1870)
- Adele-Elisabeth (1794 – 1822)
In 1802, he married Felicite-Francoise de Montholon (d. 1804), the widow of General Joubert
Barthélemy Catherine Joubert
Barthélemy Catherine Joubert was a French general. He joined the royal French army in 1784 and rose rapidly in rank during the French Revolutionary Wars. Napoleon Bonaparte recognized his talents and gave him increased responsibilities...
, and had a daughter:
- Alexandrine-Aimee (1803 – 1869)
In 1821, he married Ernestine-Therese de Bourgoing (1789 – 1825) and had a son:
- Louis-Marie (1824 – 1881)
Scottish Legacy
On 30 April 2010 a plaque was unveiled to the memory of Marshal of France Jacques MacDonald on the Outer Hebridean island of South Uist, the familial home of MacDonald. MacDonald had visited South Uist in 1825 in order to find out more about his family roots.Summation
Of him, the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1911 says:MacDonald had none of that military genius that distinguished DavoutLouis Nicolas DavoutLouis-Nicolas d'Avout , better known as Davout, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, was a Marshal of France during the Napoleonic Era. His prodigious talent for war along with his reputation as a stern disciplinarian, earned him the title "The Iron Marshal"...
, MassénaAndré MassénaAndré Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
and LannesJean LannesJean Lannes, 1st Duc de Montebello, was a Marshal of France. He was one of Napoleon's most daring and talented generals. Napoleon once commented on Lannes: "I found him a pygmy and left him a giant"...
, nor of that military science conspicuous in Marmont and St CyrLaurent, marquis de Gouvion Saint-CyrLaurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr was a French commander in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who rose to Marshal of France and Marquis...
, but nevertheless his campaign in Switzerland gives him a rank far superior to such mere generals of division as OudinotNicolas OudinotNicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Comte Oudinot, 1st Duc de Reggio , was a Marshal of France.-Early life:...
and DuPont. This capacity for independent command made Napoleon, in spite of his defeats at the TrebiaBattle of Trebia (1799)The Battle of Trebbia was fought on June 19, 1799 and resulted in the victory of the Austrians and Russians under Field Marshal Suvorov against the French under General Macdonald....
and the Battle of KatzbachBattle of KatzbachThe Battle of Katzbach on 26 August 1813, was an accidental engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the forces of the First French Empire under Marshal MacDonald and a Russo-Prussian army of the Sixth Coalition under Prussian Marshal Graf von Blücher...
, trust him with large commands till the end of his career. As a man, his character cannot be spoken of too highly; no stain of cruelty or faithlessness rests on him. http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Jacques_Etienne_Joseph_Alexandre_Macdonald