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François Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers

Tomb of Desgraviers-Marceau in Koblenz

François Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers (March 1, 1769 – September 21, 1796) was a French general of the Revolutionary Wars.

Biography

Early life

Desgraviers was born at Chartres, Eure-et-Loir. His father served as a legal officer, and Marceau received an education for a legal career, but at the age of sixteen he enlisted in the regiment of Savoy-Carignan. Whilst on furlough in Paris, Marceau joined in the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 - after that event he took his discharge from the regular army and returned to Chartres, but the opposition of his family soon compelled him to seek new military employment. He became a drill instructor and later a Captain in the Eure-et-Loir départemental regiment of the National Guard.

In March 1792, Marceau was elected Lieutenant Colonel of one of the French Revolutionary Army battalions of the Eure-et-Loir. He took part in the defence of Verdun in 1792, and it was his troop that was ordered to bear the proposals of capitulation to the Prussian camp. The defenders' lack of morale provoked the anger of the revolutionary authorities, and Marceau was fortunate to find re-employment as a Captain in the regular service. However, early in 1793, he along with other officers under suspicion were arrested and spent some time in prison.

Vendée

On his release, Marceau hurried to take part in the defence of Saumur against the Vendéean Royalists, distinguishing himself at Saumur on 10 June 1793 by rescuing the representative Pierre Bourbotte from the hands of the insurgents. The National Convention voted him the thanks of the country and he received rapid promotion. His conduct at Chantonnay (September 5, 1793) won him the provisional rank of Brigadier General. On October 17, he bore a great part in the victory of Cholet, and on began his friendship with Jean Baptiste Kléber while on the field of battle.

Kléber was made a général de division, and Marceau confirmed as a Brigadier General. Marceau in turn became a général de division on November 10; then succeeded to the commander-in-chief ad interim, and, with Kléber, won important victories near Le Mans (December 12-13) and Savenay (23 December 1793).

Love affairs

In the wake of Le Mans, Marceau had rescued and protected a young Royalist lady, Angélique des Mesliers, with whom it has been supposed Marceau fell in love - however, even his help could not save her from the guillotine.

He and Kléber were only saved themselves from arrest and execution by the intervention of Bourbotte. Around this time Marceau became engaged to Agathe Leprêtre de Châteaugiron, but his constant military employment, his broken health and the opposition of both Auguste-Félicité Le Prestre de Châteaugiron and Marceau's devoted half-sister Emira, wife of the Republican politician Antoine Joseph Sergent, prevented the marriage.

Battles of 1795-1796

After spending the winter of 1793-1794 in Paris, Marceau accepted a command in the army under Jean-Baptiste Jourdan alongside Kléber and took part in the various battles near Charleroi. During the battle of Fleurus on 26 June 1794 he had a horse shot from under him. He distinguished himself at Jülich, at Aldenhoven and at Koblenz, where he stormed the enemy lines on 23 October.

He took part in the 1795-1796 campaign with the armies of the Sambre and Meuse, fighting on the Rhine and the Lahn and distinguishing himself alongside Kléber near Neuwied and Sulzbach.

Death

In 1796, Jourdan and Jean Victor Marie Moreau's invasion of Germany ended in disaster and Marceau's men covered Jourdan's retreat over the Rhine. Marceau fought in the desperate actions on the Lahn (16-18 September 1796) until at Altenkirchen on September 19, he received a mortal wound. He died two days later, aged only twenty-seven.

The Austrians competed with Marceau's own countrymen to honour to the dead general. His body was burned and the ashes placed under a pyramid in Koblenz designed by Kléber. They were transferred to the Panthéon in 1889.

Marceau was immortalized in Byron's "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage":

LVI

By Coblentz, on a rise of gentle ground,

There is a small and simple pyramid,

Crowning the summit of the verdant mound;

Beneath its base are heroes' ashes hid,

Our enemy's — but let not that forbid

Honour to Marceau! o'er whose early tomb

Tears, big tears, gush'd from the rough soldier's lid,

Lamenting and yet envying such a doom,

Falling for France, whose rights he battled to resume.

LVII

Brief, brave, and glorious was his young career, —

His mourners were two hosts, his friends and foes;

And fitly may the stranger lingering here

Pray for his gallant spirit's bright repose;

For he was Freedom's champion, one of those,

The few in number, who had not o'erstept

The charter to chastise which she bestows

On such as wield her weapons; he had kept

The whiteness of his soul, and thus men o'er him wept.

References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The 1911 Britannica, in turn, gives the following references:

• Maze, Le Général Marceau (1889)
• Parfait, Le Général Marceau (1892)
• T. C. Johnson, Marceau (London, 1896)

From LoveToKnow 1911

MARCEAU - DESGRAVIERS, FRANCOIS Severin (1769-1796), French general, was born at Chartres on the 1st of March 1769. His father was a law officer, and he was educated for a legal career, but at the age of sixteen he enlisted in the regiment of Savoy-Carignan. Whilst on furlough in Paris Marceau joined in the attack on the Bastille (July 14, 1789); after that event he took his discharge from the regular army and returned to Chartres, but the embarrassments of his family soon compelled him to seek fresh military enployment. He became drill instructor, and afterwards captain in the departmental (Eure-et-Loire) regiment of the National Guard. Early in March 1792 he was elected lieutenant-colonel of one of the battalions of the Eure-et-Loire; he took part in the defence of Verdun in 1792, and it fell to his lot to bear the proposals of capitulation to the Prussian camp. The spiritless conduct of the defenders excited the wrath of the revolutionary authorities, and Marceau was fortunate in escaping arrest and finding re-employment as a captain in the regular service. Early in 1793 he became with other officers "suspect," and was for some time imprisoned. On his release he hurried to take part in the defence of Saumur against the Vendean royalists, and distinguished himself at the combat of Saumur (June 10, 1793) by gallantly rescuing the representative Bourbotte from the hands of the insurgents. The Convention voted him the thanks of the country, and thenceforward his rise was rapid. His conduct at Chantonnay (Sept. 5) won him the provisional rank of general of brigade. On the 17th of October he bore a great part in the victory of Cholet, and on the field of this battle began his friendship with Kleber. For the victory of Cholet Kleber was made general of division and Marceau confirmed as general of brigade. Their advice was of the greatest value to the generals in command, and the military talents of each were the complement of the other's. Marceau, who became general of division (Nov. io), succeeded to the chief command ad interim, and with his friend won important victories near Le Mans (Dec. 12-13) and Savenay (Dec. 23). After the battle of Le Mans, Marceau rescued and protected a young Royalist lady, Angelique des Mesliers. It is often supposed that he was in love with his prisoner; but the help even of the commander-in-chief did not avail to save her from the guillotine (Jan. 22, 1 794). Marceau had already retired from the war, exhausted by the fatigues of the campaign, and he and Kleber were saved from arrest and execution only by the intervention of Bourbotte. Marceau became affianced about this time to Agathe Lepretre de Chateaugiron, but his constant military employment, his broken health, and the opposition of the comte de Chateaugiron on the one hand and of Marceau's devoted half-sister "Emira," wife of the Republican politician Sergent, on the other, prevented the realization of his hopes. After spending the winter of 1793-1794 in Paris he took a command in the army under Jourdan, in which Kleber also served. He took part in the various battles about Charleroi, and at the final victory of Fleurus (June 26, 1794) he had a horse shot under him. He distinguished himself again at Jiilich and at Aldenhoven, and stormed the lines of Coblenz on the 23rd of October. With the Army of the Sambre and Meuse he took his share in the campaign of 1795 on the Rhine and the Lahn, distinguishing himself particularly with Kleber in the fighting about Neuwied on the 18th and 19th of October, and at Sulzbach on the 17th of December. In the campaign of 1796 the famous invasion of Germany by the armies of Jourdan and Moreau ended in disaster, and Marceau's men covered Jourdan's retreat over the Rhine. He fought the desperate actions on the Lahn (Sept. 16 and 18), and at Altenkirchen on the 19th received a mortal wound, of which he died on the 21st, at the early age of twenty-seven. The Austrians vied with his own countrymen in doing honour to the dead general. His body was burned, and his ashes, which at the time were placed under a pyramid designed by Kleber, were transferred in 1889 to the Pantheon at Paris.

See Maze, Le General Marceau (1889); Parfait, Le General Marceau (1892); and T. C. Johnson, Marceau (London, 1896).

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