Louis Nicolas d'Avout, nicknamed the Bald Eagle (May 10, 1770–June 1, 1823), Duke of Auerstaedt (Duc d'Auerstaedt)), Prince Eckmühl (prince d'Eckmühl), was a field marshal under Emperor Napoleon I and is regarded as one of the most brilliant generals in French military history.
Davout was a pivotal figure in Napoleon's army, from Austerlitz to Borodino. His defense of Hamburg from 1813 to 1814 is regarded as a masterpiece. Davout is regarded as a bold, competent, and capable military commander. The adversary refers to Davout as "The Iron Marshal" because he is a competent field marshal on the battlefield and is always exceedingly strict in the army. While his generals always obeyed, feared, and revered him, his forces were the best-maintained and disciplined of Emperor Napoleon's Grande Armée.
Biographie Davout
Nicolas Davout was born in Annoux, in the northeastern French department of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, in 1770. He recognized his desire to pursue a military career at a young age when he enrolled in the Royal Military School of Auxerre (École royale militaire d'Auxerre) and then the Royal Military School of Paris (École royale militaire de Paris), where Napoleon Bonaparte had also enrolled a year earlier. Davout graduated in 1788 and was commissioned as a non-commissioned officer in the elite royal cavalry regiment (Royal-Champagne Cavalerie).
French Revolution Period
A few years later, Davout was elevated to the position of battalion commander (chef de bataillon, which is French for "major") of the 3rd volunteer regiment Yonne, under Dumouriez's command of the Northern Corps (Armée du Nord). After that, he received a promotion to brigadier general (général de brigade) and served in the French army from 1793 to 1795 in the Moselle and Rhine regions, where Davout was renowned for his valor and bravery in battle.
In the Battle of Neerwinden, Nicolas Davout actually rose to the rank of legendary general. General Moreau gave him critical tasks to do, particularly on April 20, 1797, during the Rhine Campaign.
Egypt Campaign
During the Egypt Campaign, Davout fought alongside General Desaix, a rare army friend of his, during Napoleon Bonaparte's conquest of Egypt. Davout made a significant contribution to the French success in the Battle of Aboukir in 1799. After this battle, the French commander assigned General Lannes the task of taking down the Aboukir fortress. Wounded in battle, Lannes had to hand over command to Menou, and Menou gave Davout the task of commanding the main force that attacked the fortress. The French army under Davout's command compelled the garrison in the citadel to surrender on August 2, 1798.
Soon after his return to France, Davoult was ranked to the position of major general (général de division) in 1801, and Davout continued to aid in the French victory at the Battle of Marengo. Davout later married Miss Aimée Leclerc, the younger brother, and daughter-in-law of Pauline Bonaparte, and became a cousin of
Napoleon Bonaparte, the First Consul. Having recognized Davout's talent, Napoleon gave him the responsibility of leading his elite guard, and at his initial appointment in 1804, Davout was made one of Napoleon's field marshals.
Commander of III Corps
Nicolas Davout was appointed Commander of the III Corps of Napoleon's Army (
La Grande Armée) in 1805. While serving in this capacity, Davout consistently achieved significant victories and rose to the position of one of
Napoleon's top field commanders.
In 1805, Davout's men participated in two crucial battles: the Battle of Ulm and the
Battle of Austerlitz. At Austerlitz, Davout's III Corps decimated the force of the Coalition after a bloody two-day struggle.
At Auerstädt on October 14, 1806, Davout's III Corps alone destroyed a regular Prussian force headed by Friedrich Wilhelm III that was more than twice as large (63,000 men as opposed to Davout's 28,000 French troops). Davout's talent in this victory was made even more remarkable when he learned that Field Marshal Bernadotte had refused to use his forces to aid Davout's III Corps in battle.
The Fourth Coalition was dismantled by Napoleon's simultaneous triumph at the Battle of Jena on the same day. After winning at Auerstädt, Davout's III Corps became the first French corps to enter Berlin.
At Eylau and Friedland, Davout continued to show that he had leadership qualities. Following the Tilsit Treaty, Napoleon named Davout Grand Duke of Warsaw (grand duché de Varsovie) in 1807 and Duke of Auerstädt (duc d'Auerstaedt) a year later. Davout's III Corps once again played a significant role at the Battle of Eckmühl and the
Battle of Wagram during Napoleon's campaigns in 1809. After the
Battle of Wagram, as a reward for outstanding leadership, Napoleon awarded Davout the title Prince Eckmühl (prince d'Eckmühl). Additionally, the emperor charged Davout with assembling the Observation Legion near the Elbe River, which served as the main force when
Napoleon invades Russia in 1812.
Attack on Russia
Davout led the I Corps, an army of more than 70,000 soldiers, during the 1812 invasion of Russia. The I Corps defeated the Russians at the Battle of Mohilev before joining Napoleon's main army to advance Moscow. Davout then paid his last respects to a trustworthy general under his charge, Gudin, in Smolensk. Davout's horse was killed on the battlefield during the
Battle of Borodino (French: Moskowa).
When the French army fled from Moscow, the victorious Russian army pursued. At the Battle of Vyazma on November 3, 1812, they ferociously attacked Davout's legion. While attempting to save Davout, other French legions became embroiled in a bloody battle. Davout and Field Marshal Michel Ney ensured Napoleon's safe withdrawal to Western Europe without falling into the hands of the Russians.
In 1813, Davout was tasked with leading the French forces defending Hamburg, a city under siege by 80,000 Russian, Prussian, and Swedish allies with shoddy defenses. Davout's army surrendered only at the direct order of the new French king Louis XVIII, who ascended the throne after
Napoleon was forced to abdicate in April 1814.
Hundred Days
Following his return from Elba, Napoleon appointed Davout as France's Minister of War. Davout rebuilt and restructured the French army within three months of 1815. t was also because of his ability and the important position that Davout held that he did not follow Napoleon to fight in the
Battle of Waterloo but stayed in Paris to maintain a stable situation and protect the entire
French empire.
On July 3, 1815, Davout and Saint-Cloud signed an agreement to withdraw the French forces behind the Loire following Napoleon's decisive loss at Waterloo. On the 6th, the field marshal led the army to withdraw from Paris. Before leaving, he also stocked 50 million rifles at the fortress of Vincennes and ordered the defenders of this fortress not to leave it at all costs.
Post-Napoleon Career
No longer holding military power after the return of the Bourbon Dynasty, Davout still tried to protect Field Marshal Ney when he was tried for treason. However, Davout was unsuccessful, and Ney was sentenced to death.
King Louis XVIII restored Davout in 1818 after he had been stripped of all his positions and even had his portrait removed from the marshal's room at the Tuileries Palace. Davout was elected mayor of Savigny-sur-Orge in 1822 and 1823; his son held the position from 1843 to 1846.
Nicolas Davout died on June 1, 1823, of pulmonary tuberculosis. He was buried at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, alongside many of his fellow field marshals.
Davout was one of the
most loyal field marshals to Napoleon and was also considered one of the emperor's most capable generals. Additionally, the emperor lauded him for possessing two of a warrior's strongest traits: fortitude and compassion. Additionally, he was greatly skilled and well-versed in military letters, having been influenced by notable French generals Jean Charles and Chevalier Folard, as well as Swedish Kings Gustav II Adolf and Karl XII.
Davout was regarded as a general with steely discipline who always demanded that his soldiers adhere to his commands scrupulously. As a result, III Corps and later I Corps, led by Davout, consistently carried out their missions on the battlefield with greater consistency and accuracy than other Grand Army (
La Grande Armée) divisions. A noteworthy instance is Davout's outright prohibition of soldiers pillaging enemy villages and even the execution of offenders.
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