Antoine Joseph Santerre

Antoine Joseph Santerre (16 March 1752-6 February 1809) was a French Revolutionary.

Related Topics:
16 March - 1752 - 6 February - 1809 - French Revolution

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Born in Paris to a family of brewers, Santerre won great popularity in Faubourg St. Antoine because of his generosity. When the revolution erupted in 1789, he was given command of a battalion of the National Guard, and participated in the storming of the Bastille.

Related Topics:
Paris - Faubourg St. Antoine - 1789 - Bastille

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After the affair of the Champ de Mars (17 July, 1791) a warrant was issued for his arrest, and Santerre went into hiding. He emerged again the following year to lead the people of Faubourg St Antoine in the assault on the Tuileries. Nevertheless, he protected the royal family from mob violence and, on the 7 August of that year, even attempted to bring about a reconciliation between the monarchy and the people, only to have his efforts frustrated by Marie Antoinette.

Related Topics:
Champ de Mars - 17 July - 1791 - Tuileries - 7 August - Marie Antoinette

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Santerre was later made commander-in-chief of the National Guard. In that capacity, he proposed that everyone should live two days a week on potatoes and that everyone should hang their dogs in an effort to relieve the famine. He was also appointed by the Convention to serve as warder to Louis XVI. During that time, he did all that he could to his power to alleviate the king's imprisonment and eventually notified Louis that a death sentence had been passed against him. There are differing accounts of his conduct at the execution itself. According to some, he ordered a drum roll to drown out the king's voice. Santerre's family maintained, however, that he actually silenced the drums so that Louis could speak to the people, but that General J. F. Berruyer, who was in command of the execution, ordered the drums to beat so as to drown out the king's final words.

Related Topics:
Potato - Dog - Convention - Louis XVI - Drum - J. F. Berruyer

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On 23 October, Santerre was appointed marchal de camp, and he was subsequently promoted to general of a division. In May 1793 he was temporarily replaced as commander of the National Guard in Paris, so that he might take command of a force which he had organized to operate in La Vendé. He was not as successful as a military commander in the field, and his first military operation saw the defeat of the Republican forces at Saumur. After the battle, reports circulated that Santerre had even been killed, and the royalists even composed a humorous epitaph about his death. Nor was Santerre popular among the sans-culottes he commanded. Wounded soldiers returning to Paris reported that he was living in Oriental luxury, and complained that their defeat was due either to his treason or his incompetence. Some demanded that he be relived of his command or even sent to the guillotine. On the other hand, Santerre was not in supreme command, and not considered responsible for the outcome of the war. In fact, Santerre succeeded in distinguishing himself in various other operations.

Related Topics:
23 October - 1793 - La Vendé - Saumur - Sans-culottes - Guillotine

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In October, Santerre returned to Paris, where his popularity in the Faubourg St Antoine was undiminished. Nevertheless, his report on this expedition, in which he drew attention to the plight of the Republican army in the Vendé, aroused suspicion. Accused of being a royalist, he was imprisoned until the fall of Robespierre. Upon his release, he resigned his command and attempted to return to business, but his brewery was ruined. He died in poverty in Paris on the 6 February 1809.

Related Topics:
Robespierre - Brewery

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