David-Maurice-Joseph Mathieu de La Redorte

David-Maurice-Joseph Mathieu de Saint-Maurice de La Redorte or Maurice Mathieu (French pronunciation: [david mɔʁis ʒozɛf matjø sɛ̃ mɔʁis la ʁədɔʁt]; 20 February 1768 – 1 March 1833) was a French general during the Napoleonic Wars.

David-Maurice-Joseph Mathieu de La Redorte
General of Division David-Maurice-Joseph Mathieu de La Redorte
Born20 February 1768 (1768-02-20)
Saint-Affrique, Aveyron, France
Died1 March 1833 (1833-04) (aged 65)
Paris, France
AllegianceFrance France
Service / branchFrench Army
Years of service1783–1830
RankGeneral of Division
Battles / wars
AwardsLégion d'Honneur, 1804
Order of the Iron Crown, 1807
Order of Saint Louis, 1814
Other workCount of the Empire, 1810
Peer of France, 1819

Biography

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Mathieu was born into a French noble family and entered the French Royal Army as an Officer cadet in 1783. During the French Revolution he became an aide de camp to General Jean-Antoine Chapsal and subsequently served in several armies of the First French Republic. He was appointed a general of brigade in 1798 and fought against the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies that year and the next. During the campaign he was badly wounded in the right arm, was promoted to general of division and had to leave the field.

In the 1805 campaign, Mathieu was named to command the 2nd Division of the VII Corps under Marshal Pierre Augereau. From 1806 to 1807 he served King Joseph Napoleon in the puppet Napoleonic Kingdom of Naples. In 1808 he was appointed to command the 1st Division of the III Corps in Spain. He fought at Tudela in November. In 1809 he transferred to Marshal Michel Ney's VI Corps and was present at Alba de Tormes. From 1811 to 1813 he commanded a division in the Army of Catalonia, leading his troops at Fort Monjuich, Montserrat, Altafulla, and Tarragona.

Under King Louis XVIII of France he served as an inspector general. He switched allegiance to Napoleon during the Hundred Days but was soon restored to favor. In 1819 he became Count de La Redorte. After the July Revolution of 1830 he was sworn into the nobility but turned down an army post. He died in Paris in 1833.

Mce MATHIEU is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on Column 36.

References

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  • Broughton, Tony (2006). "Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815: MacDonald to Mayer". The Napoleon Series. Retrieved 12 October 2012.[permanent dead link]
  • Chandler, David G. (1966). The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York, NY: Macmillan.
  • Gates, David (2002). The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. London: Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-9730-6.
  • Glover, Michael (2001). The Peninsular War 1807-1814. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-141-39041-7.
  • Mullié, Charles (1852). Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 a 1850 (in French). Paris.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Oman, Charles (2010) [1902]. A History of the Peninsular War Volume I. La Vergne, Tenn.: Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-1432636821.
  • Oman, Charles (1996). A History of the Peninsular War Volume IV. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole. ISBN 1-85367-224-6.
  • Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.