Joseph Souham
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Joseph Souham | |
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| Born | 30 April 1760 Lubersac,France |
| Died | 28 April 1837(aged 76) Versailles,France |
| Allegiance | France |
| Service/ | French Army |
| Rank | Général de Division |
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Joseph, comte Souham(French pronunciation:[ʒozɛfswam];30 April 1760 – 28 April 1837) was a French general who fought in theFrench Revolutionary Warsand theNapoleonic Wars.He was born atLubersacand died atVersailles.After long service in the French Royal Army, he was elected to lead a volunteer battalion in 1792 during theFrench Revolution.He was promoted togeneral of divisionin September 1793 after playing a prominent role in thedefense of Dunkirk.In May 1794 with his commander absent, he took temporary command of theArmy of the Northand defeated the Coalition army atTourcoing.He led the covering forces at thesiege of Ypresand participated in the successful invasion of theDutch Republic.He spent many years in occupation duties in Holland and then his career suffered because of his association withPichegruandMoreau.Starting in 1809 he was employed in Spain during thePeninsular War,winning theBattle of Vichwhere he was wounded. When he was in army command again, he forcedWellington'sarmy to retreat atTordesillasin 1812 and became one of the few French generals to remain undefeated in the war. The following year he led a division atLützenand a corps atLeipzig.He remained loyal to the Bourbons during theHundred Days.
French revolutionary years[edit]
Souham served in the Royal French army as a private from 1782 to 1790. In 1792, having shown himself active in the cause of theRevolution,he was electedchef de bataillonof a volunteer battalion from theCorrèze.He served with his unit at theBattle of Jemappes.
By 1793, Souham had risen to the rank ofgénéral de divisionduring theFlanders Campaign.When his army commander,Jean-Charles Pichegrufell ill, Souham assumed army command and defeated the Allied army at theBattle of Tourcoingin May 1794. He served under Pichegru in Holland (1795), but in 1799 he fell into disgrace on suspicion of being involved in Royalist intrigues. He was reinstated in 1800 and served underJean Moreauin the Danube campaign of that year. During theFrench Consulatehe appears to have been involved in conspiracies and was suspected with his old commanders Moreau and Pichegru of participation in the plot ofGeorges Cadoudal.
Empire and later years[edit]
He was unemployed from 1800 to 1809. In the latter year a shortage of available experienced officers caused him to be put back on active duty. He was sent to Spain, where he took a notable part inGouvion St Cyr's operations inCatalonia.Theactions at Vicin which he was wounded won him the title ofcomte de l'empire.
WhenMarshal Marmonthad been wounded at theBattle of Salamancain 1812, MarshalAndré Masséna,who was unable to assume the post himself, recommended Souham for the post. The latter was thus pitted againstWellington,and by skilful maneuvers drove the allied general back fromBurgosand regained the ground lost atSalamanca.[1]In January 1813, he was recalled to France.
In 1813, he took command of a division in MarshalMichel Ney's III Corps. AtLützenhe greatly distinguished himself. Faced by the bulk of the combined Russian and Prussian armies, he bitterly defended the area around Gross-Gorschen. At theBattle of Leipzighe was wounded while leading III Corps.
After the fall of the First Empire he deserted the emperor and, having suffered for the Royalist cause, was well received byLouis XVIII,who gave him high commands. These honors Souham lost at the return of Napoleon and were regained once more after the Second Restoration. He retired in 1832, and died on 28 April 1837 in Versailles.
References[edit]
- ^Chisholm 1911,p. 436.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Souham, Joseph, Count".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 435.
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