629:
577:
pointed criticisms, which the undaunted Pelet carefully explained, defending both Masséna's and his own actions. By the end of the 3-hour interview, Napoleon's attitude changed to a friendlier one. Pelet was invited to return the next day and help
Napoleon compose the bulletin that would be released to the public. Pelet recommended to the emperor that the corps commanders be removed. Evidently, this advice was followed because the corps commanders were soon sent home and the Army of Portugal was reorganized into six independent divisions. Napoleon then promoted Pelet to
768:
88:
621:, Ricard's division and Ney's rear guard found themselves cut off by large Russian forces. The French tried to break through, but in the effort the 48th Line lost 550 out of 650 soldiers while Pelet was shot in the arm, right foot and left leg. In a meeting with Ney, Pelet advised the marshal to cross the frozen
404:
Placed on the army's inactive list, Pelet nevertheless worked in the military archives while publishing books and articles about the wars. In 1830, he was appointed director of the army staff school. Though nearly killed in an assassination attempt in 1835, he continued to publish military histories.
758:
committed in mass and assumed that many thousands of French guardsmen must be following in the wake of the first two battalions. The Old Guard battalions, joined by the survivors of Lobau's command and the Young Guard, swept their enemies out of
Plancenoit with 3,000 casualties. Later that evening,
753:
from the village. In this crisis, Pelet with the 1st
Battalion of the 2nd Guard Chasseur Regiment and Morand with the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Guard Grenadier Regiment attacked to recapture the village. As these elite troops advanced with leveled bayonets, the Prussian defenders panicked. Historian
576:
as his orders from Masséna required, despite being discouraged to do so. After waiting patiently for an entire day, he was finally allowed to see
Napoleon, who began by venting his anger at Pelet for the failed campaign in Portugal. After calming down a little, the emperor offered up a series of
501:
on 3 May 1809. Because his troops had accomplished little during the campaign, Masséna determined to seize the bridge at
Ebelsberg. In the ensuing bloodbath, the French lost 1,000 killed, 1,750 wounded and 800 captured. Austrian casualties numbered 1,000 killed, 1,000 wounded and 4,200 captured.
806:
in 1832 and later that year assumed command of the 2nd
Infantry Division. He preferred to immerse himself in his studies however. In 1835 he began to publish a series of maps for the General Staff. At the same time, he began an 11-volume history of the
564:
believed that after Sainte-Croix's death, Pelet was the only officer who could exert personal influence with Masséna. While the Army of
Portugal was in retreat on 23 March 1811, Pelet was ordered to return to
759:
the
Prussian reconquered the village house by house against desperate resistance. Pelet and 250 guard chasseurs fought their way out of the village with their eagle, fended off Prussian horsemen and escaped.
667:, Pelet commanded a brigade in Decouz's 2nd Young Guard Division in Ney's corps. There were 680 soldiers in the 5th Voltiguer Regiment and 633 men in the 6th Voltiguers. After Decouz was killed at the
521:
After several months of quiet, Napoleon appointed Masséna commander of the Army of
Portugal in mid-April 1810 and charged him to drive the British army from Portugal. The army included the
656:. The brigade consisted of two battalions each of the 9th and 10th Voltiguer Regiments. Pelet's brigade included two battalions each of the 9th, 10th and 12th Voltiguer Regiments at the
429:
and became a student at the
College of Science and Arts in his hometown. After graduation he enlisted in the army when he was 22 years old. In 1800, he was first appointed a
1358:
377:. Though Pelet was a relatively low-ranking officer, the marshal relied heavily on his advice during the unsuccessful 1810–1811 invasion of Portugal. Pelet fought in the
1343:
597:
who served as chief of staff of the right wing, asked Pelet to join his staff. Marchand and Pelet both had participated in the Portugal invasion. Pelet fought at the
28:
1363:
687:'s Old Guard Division on 14 February. At La Rothière the division counted 1,800 men, while at Champaubert there were 2,840 soldiers present for duty.
410:
775:
Pelet was placed on half pay in inactive status for three years, then he was appointed to the Royal General Staff through the efforts of Marshal
865:. Historian Frederick C. Schneid believed that Pelet and MacDonald were "extremely biased" against Eugène for political and personal reasons.
1256:
787:. Over the next two years he published 12 articles about the 1813 campaigns. He wrote an article about the campaign in Portugal in 1827.
606:
341:
and later was a politician and historian. He joined the French army in 1800 and became a topographic engineer. He joined the staff of
1319:
1297:
1278:
1234:
1215:
742:
two days later, Pelet's regiment initially was part of the reserve, but he was later ordered to take his 1st Battalion and defend
393:, he led troops in the 1813 and 1814 campaigns, including a brief stint as acting division commander. He led a regiment of the
750:
688:
485:
on 28–30 October 1805 where he was hit by a musket ball in the head. He recovered and served on Masséna's staff during the
808:
723:
502:
About 1,000 wounded soldiers from both sides were incinerated when the town burned. Pelet earned an elevation in rank to
628:
530:
546:
830:
in 1837. He became president of the General Staff's consulting committee in 1841. He was secretly sent to advise King
755:
145:
614:
27:
831:
526:
522:
223:
157:
133:
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206:
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138:
1338:
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357:
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167:
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541:
would be insubordinate. However, the French emperor was insistent. At this time, Pelet became Masséna's first
233:
691:
was the official commander of the 2nd Young Guard Division during this time. Pelet fought at the battles of
664:
553:
189:
874:
779:. From 1821 to 1830 he was again put in inactive status. During this time he worked in the archives at the
812:
731:
708:
442:
258:
1190:
858:
857:
as commander of the Army of Italy in 1809. Their low opinion of Eugène influenced later writers such as
846:. Up to the moment of his death on 20 December 1858, his mental and physical abilities remained intact.
676:
594:
453:
450:
238:
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in 1801 and worked as a topographic engineer for the next four years. During this period he went with
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on 27 September 1810. On 12 October Sainte-Croix was killed by a British cannonball. Historian
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in 1807 but was not involved in any fighting. He was wounded in the brutal fighting at the
1244:
862:
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735:
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ordered Masséna to take command of the Army of Portugal, Pelet went with him as his first
338:
333:
275:
177:
726:
and was assigned to the Royal Chasseurs. Nevertheless, he rallied to Napoleon during the
671:
on 29 January, Pelet became acting commander of the division. He led the division in the
569:
to report on the campaign and explain why Masséna removed Ney from command of VI Corps.
827:
704:
660:
on 16–19 October. In that action, Decouz's 2-brigade division numbered 4,731 soldiers.
490:
311:
253:
184:
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River. This recommendation was followed and Ney escaped the trap with 900 survivors.
434:
1266:
842:
and the Academy of Science. He advised Napoleon III on military matters during the
835:
754:
David Hamilton-Williams explained that the Prussians were accustomed to seeing the
727:
684:
561:
503:
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373:
352:
in 1805. He served in southern Italy in 1806 and Poland in 1807. He was wounded at
270:
556:
after a lucky French hit blew up the main powder magazine. He was present at the
1307:
843:
767:
457:
533:. Massena tried to decline the office, believing that corps commanders Marshal
743:
730:
and became commander of the 2nd Guard Foot Chasseurs, an 1,100-strong unit in
644:'s VI Corps and later with François Rouget's 4th Young Guard Division. At the
534:
382:
802:
and the General Staff School. He took part in the French intervention in the
605:. After Borodino, he was assigned to lead the 48th Line Infantry Regiment in
811:
which would take 15 years to complete. In July 1835 he was badly wounded by
510:
on 21–22 May 1809. He occupied Windmill Island on 2 July which preceded the
1227:
The French Campaign in Portugal 1810-1811: An Account by Jean Jacques Pelet
834:
in 1849. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1850. After Emperor
640:
on 12 April 1813. In that year's campaign, Pelet first served with Marshal
573:
430:
422:
50:
622:
578:
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and elected to the French Assembly. He was appointed director of the
652:'s 3rd Young Guard Division in the I Young Guard Corps under Marshal
494:
426:
92:
87:
54:
1191:"French Infantry Regiments and the Colonels who Led Them: 1791-1815"
749:
The Prussians succeeded in driving the Young Guard and the corps of
581:. Another source gave the date of his promotion as 12 October 1812.
766:
627:
566:
337:; 15 July 1777 – 20 December 1858) became a French general in the
74:
838:
seized power in December 1851, Pelet became a member of the
409:
he engaged in diplomacy and politics. Pelet is one of the
1208:
Waterloo - New Perspectives: The Great Battle Reappraised
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617:; after Smolensk Ricard was under Ney's command. At the
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asked him to serve on his staff and he was appointed an
1273:. Vol. 3. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole.
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on 11 February. He was reassigned to lead a brigade in
572:
On arriving in Paris, Pelet insisted on seeing Emperor
921:
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894:
892:
890:
663:
On 25 January 1814 when the French army assembled at
632:
Fighting in Plancenoit during the Battle of Waterloo
648:on 26–27 August 1813, Pelet led the 2nd Brigade in
552:Pelet took part in the negotiations that ended the
307:
296:
126:
116:
108:
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37:
18:
1229:. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
1144:
1132:
849:In their published works, both Pelet and Marshal
718:After Napoleon's abdication, Pelet received the
549:was promoted to command a brigade of cavalry.
734:'s division. Pelet's guardsmen fought at the
8:
785:Mémoires sur la guerre de 1809, en Allemagne
1249:The End of Empire: Napoleon's 1814 Campaign
1271:A History of the Peninsular War Volume III
790:After the Bourbons were overthrown in the
506:12 days after Ebelsberg. He fought in the
26:
15:
1359:Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
1012:
819:in an assassination attempt against King
411:names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe
1344:French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
1103:
1091:
1079:
389:where he was wounded again. Promoted to
1292:. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers.
1290:Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805-1815
1210:. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
1173:
1161:
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997:
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886:
437:battalion and was later assigned to an
1251:. Solihull, UK: Helion & Company.
1067:
1055:
910:
877:at Florida State University Libraries
332:
7:
973:
514:on 5–6 July and also fought at the
783:(War Depot). In 1826 he published
421:Pelet was born on 15 July 1777 in
326:Jean-Jacques Germain Pelet-Clozeau
32:Jean-Jacques Germain Pelet-Clozeau
20:Jean-Jacques Germain Pelet-Clozeau
14:
1206:Hamilton-Williams, David (1994).
547:Charles Escorches de Sainte-Croix
1364:People of the Battle of Waterloo
1225:Horward, Donald D., ed. (1973).
853:criticized Napoleon's choice of
86:
794:of 1830, Pelet was promoted to
607:Étienne Pierre Sylvestre Ricard
334:[ʒɑ̃ʒakʒɛʁmɛ̃pəlɛklozo]
1288:Schneid, Frederick C. (2002).
751:Georges Mouton, Count de Lobau
689:Philibert Jean-Baptiste Curial
489:, after which he was promoted
1:
1312:The Napoleonic Wars Data Book
809:War of the Spanish Succession
381:, including during Marshal
146:War of the Fourth Coalition
1380:
832:Charles Albert of Sardinia
771:Fieschi's infernal machine
493:. He went with Masséna to
224:War of the Sixth Coalition
158:War of the Fifth Coalition
134:War of the Third Coalition
104:Engineers, Staff, Infantry
777:Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr
591:French invasion of Russia
379:French invasion of Russia
202:French invasion of Russia
25:
1189:Broughton, Tony (2001).
738:on 16 June 1815. At the
508:Battle of Aspern-Essling
264:Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube
168:Battle of Aspern-Essling
679:on 10 February and the
609:'s division in Marshal
545:when the previous one,
487:1806 invasion of Naples
387:epic retreat at Krasnoi
1145:Hamilton-Williams 1994
1133:Hamilton-Williams 1994
813:Giuseppe Marco Fieschi
772:
732:Charles Antoine Morand
633:
1314:. London: Greenhill.
1193:. The Napoleon Series
859:Francis Loraine Petre
855:Eugène de Beauharnais
770:
677:Battle of Champaubert
673:Battle of La Rothière
631:
595:Jean Gabriel Marchand
454:Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
445:. He was promoted to
330:French pronunciation:
234:Battle of La Rothière
109:Years of service
875:General Pelet Papers
746:from the Prussians.
720:Order of Saint-Louis
681:Battle of Montmirail
611:Louis-Nicolas Davout
481:Pelet fought in the
407:Second French Empire
301:Order of Saint-Louis
1027:, pp. 509–511.
1000:, pp. 497–505.
964:, pp. 176–180.
952:, pp. 121–129.
724:Bourbon Restoration
699:in February and at
675:on 1 February, the
636:Pelet was promoted
599:Battles of Smolensk
499:Battle of Ebelsberg
460:. In 1805, Marshal
456:on a survey of the
348:and was wounded at
244:Battle of Montereau
163:Battle of Ebelsberg
804:Belgian Revolution
800:Dépôt de la guerre
796:lieutenant general
781:Dépôt de la guerre
773:
740:Battle of Waterloo
642:Auguste de Marmont
638:general of brigade
634:
539:Jean-Andoche Junot
483:Battle of Caldiero
288:Belgian Revolution
281:Battle of Waterloo
239:Six Days' Campaign
212:Battle of Borodino
207:Battle of Smolensk
151:Invasion of Naples
139:Battle of Caldiero
121:Lieutenant General
1258:978-1-909982-96-3
851:Jacques MacDonald
669:Battle of Brienne
665:Châlons-sur-Marne
658:Battle of Leipzig
646:Battle of Dresden
619:Battle of Krasnoi
558:Battle of Bussaco
447:second lieutenant
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249:Battle of Craonne
229:Battle of Brienne
217:Battle of Krasnoi
195:Battle of Bussaco
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821:Louis Philippe I
817:infernal machine
589:Before the 1812
554:Siege of Almeida
512:Battle of Wagram
468:within a month.
413:, on Column 19.
369:Emperor Napoleon
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317:Senate of France
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173:Battle of Wagram
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863:J. F. C. Fuller
826:Pelet became a
792:July Revolution
765:
736:Battle of Ligny
654:Nicolas Oudinot
587:
518:on 10–11 July.
516:Battle of Znaim
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472:Napoleonic Wars
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391:general officer
339:Napoleonic Wars
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308:Other work
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276:Battle of Ligny
259:Battle of Reims
178:Battle of Znaim
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1013:Broughton 2001
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63:
59:
56:
52:
40:
36:
29:
24:
17:
1311:
1308:Smith, Digby
1289:
1270:
1248:
1226:
1207:
1195:. Retrieved
1174:Schneid 2002
1169:
1162:Horward 1973
1140:
1128:
1121:Horward 1973
1099:
1087:
1075:
1063:
1051:
1044:Horward 1973
1025:Horward 1973
1020:
998:Horward 1973
993:
986:Horward 1973
981:
969:
962:Horward 1973
957:
950:Horward 1973
945:
940:, p. 5.
938:Horward 1973
933:
928:, p. 4.
926:Horward 1973
906:
901:, p. 3.
899:Horward 1973
848:
836:Napoleon III
825:
799:
789:
784:
780:
774:
763:Later career
748:
728:Hundred Days
717:
685:Louis Friant
662:
635:
588:
571:
562:Charles Oman
551:
543:aide-de-camp
542:
537:and General
520:
480:
466:aide-de-camp
441:unit in the
420:
417:Early career
403:
374:aide-de-camp
372:
366:
325:
324:
271:Hundred Days
127:Battles/wars
41:15 July 1777
1354:1858 deaths
1349:1777 births
844:Crimean War
1333:Categories
1183:References
1068:Smith 1998
1056:Smith 1998
911:Smith 1998
744:Plancenoit
715:in March.
535:Michel Ney
531:VIII Corps
405:Under the
383:Michel Ney
82:Allegiance
68:1858-12-21
45:1777-07-15
1269:(1996) .
974:Oman 1996
722:from the
697:Montereau
693:Vauchamps
615:III Corps
585:1812–1815
477:1805–1811
395:Old Guard
364:in 1809.
354:Ebelsberg
1310:(1998).
1247:(2015).
603:Borodino
574:Napoleon
527:VI Corps
523:II Corps
439:engineer
431:sergeant
423:Toulouse
399:Waterloo
350:Caldiero
99:Service/
77:, France
51:Toulouse
701:Craonne
623:Dnieper
579:colonel
491:captain
451:Marshal
343:Marshal
112:1800-18
66: (
43: (
1318:
1296:
1277:
1255:
1233:
1214:
840:Senate
495:Poland
433:in an
427:France
362:Wagram
319:, 1851
314:, 1837
303:, 1814
297:Awards
101:branch
93:France
55:France
1197:6 May
882:Notes
709:Reims
567:Paris
504:major
458:Tyrol
367:When
75:Paris
1316:ISBN
1294:ISBN
1275:ISBN
1253:ISBN
1231:ISBN
1212:ISBN
1199:2017
861:and
711:and
705:Laon
695:and
601:and
529:and
360:and
117:Rank
61:Died
38:Born
815:'s
613:'s
397:at
385:'s
1335::
1152:^
1111:^
1032:^
1005:^
918:^
889:^
823:.
707:,
703:,
593:,
525:,
425:,
401:.
53:,
1324:.
1302:.
1283:.
1261:.
1239:.
1220:.
1201:.
1015:.
328:(
70:)
47:)
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