Joseph Souham

Joseph, Count Souham (April 30 1760 - April 28 1837) was a French general, born at Lubersac.

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April 30 - 1760 - April 28 - 1837

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He served in the Royal French army as a private from 1782 to 1790. In 1792 he was elected commandant of a volunteer battalion, and by 1793 he had risen to the rank of general of division. In 1794 Souham won the Battle of Tourcoing. He served under Charles Pichegru in Holland (1795), but in 1799 he fell into disgrace on suspicion of being concerned in Royalist intrigues. He was reinstated in 1800 and served under Jean Moreau in the Danube campaign of that year. During the Consulate he appears to have been involved in conspiracies and was suspected with his old commanders Moreau and Pichegru to have participated in the plot of Georges Cadoudal. In 1809 he was put back on active duty and was send to Spain where he took a notable part in Gouvion St Cyr's operations in Catalonia. The actions at Vich in which he was wounded won him the title of count. In 1812 Marshal Massena declined the command of Marshal Marmont's army which had just been defeated at the Battle of Salamanca but recommended Souham for the job. Souham by skilful manoeuvres drove the English under Wellington back from Burgos and regained the ground lost at Salamanca. In 1813 he distinguished himself again at the Battle of Lützen (1813) and at the Battle of Leipzig where he was wounded. At the fall of the First Empire he deserted the emperor and was well received by Louis XVIII, who gave him high commands. These honors Souham lost at the return of Napoleon and were regained once more after the Second Restoration. He retired in 1832, and died on the 28 April 1837.

Related Topics:
1782 - 1790 - 1792 - 1793 - 1794 - Battle of Tourcoing - Charles Pichegru - 1795 - 1799 - 1800 - Jean Moreau - Georges Cadoudal - 1809 - Gouvion St Cyr - Catalonia - 1812 - Marshal Massena - Marshal Marmont - Battle of Salamanca - Wellington - Burgos - 1813 - Battle of Lützen (1813) - Battle of Leipzig - Louis XVIII - 1832 - 28 April - 1837

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