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Victor Moreau 1763-1813
For and Against Napoleon Bonaparte
Jean-Victor-Marie Moreau was a
bright and successful French general.
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Image Above
Jean-Victor
Moreau, Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st Battalion
D'Ile-et-Vilaine, in 1792
Oil on canvas by
François Bouchot, 1835
Versailles |
Moreau was born at Morlaix, also known as Ville de Bretagne
or oyster city, in France. Morlaix is located roughly 130
ferry miles (200 km) south of Plymouth, UK.
He fought under
Dumouriez in the Army
of the North during the
French
Revolutionary Wars.
In 1793, Dumouriez switched
sides and decided to henceforth help out the Austrians.
In March 1794,
General Jean-Charles Pichegru
was made commander of the Army of the North.
Among other
activities, Moreau was busy at the
Siege of Ypres, which immediately preceded the
Battle of Fleurus,
and its consequent capture. Here is the picture:
Capture of
Ypres — June 17, 1794
Oil on canvas by Henri
Felix Emmanuel Philippoteaux
Versailles
Moreau became Pichegru's
successor in March 1795, while Pichegru moved on to lead the
armies of the Rhine and Moselle.
Pichegru quit his job in March
1796, and Moreau was made commander of the armies of the
Rhine and Moselle on March 14, 1796. He entered Germany by
crossing the Rhine River on June 24, 1796. Here is the
picture:
Crossing the Rhine River at Kehl — June 24, 1796
Oil on canvas by Nicolas Toussaint Charlet
Versailles
In April 1799, Moreau was
appointed commander of the Army of Italy.
On November 9, 1799, Napoleon
catapulted himself to power via coup d'état. Soon after,
Moreau was made commander of the Army of the Rhine and the
troops in the
Helvetic Republic.
Moreau's next big success was
the decisive victory over Austria, led by the
Archduke
John, at the
Battle of Hohenlinden on December 3, 1800.
Here is the picture:
Battle of
Hohenlinden — December 3, 1800
Oil on canvas by
Frédéric Henri Schopin
Versailles
And here is the map that
illustrates Moreau's campaigns:
1788-1815
Seats of War
Click map to enlarge.
Moreau then joined
forces with Pichegru, the common goal being the
overthrow of Bonaparte. He was arrested on
February 5, 1804, and later emigrated to the
United States.
Back in Europe in
1813, Moreau lived to fight another day.
The
Battle of Dresden,
which was part of the
Napoleonic Wars
and fought on August 26 and 27, 1813, would be
his final curtain. He was wounded in action and
died shortly thereafter.
General Jean-Victor Moreau
Oil on canvas by
François Gérard
Versailles
And here is The Life and
Campaigns of Victor Moreau which you can read online and
free thanks to openlibrary.org:
The Life and Campaigns of Victor
Moreau
Click to read
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