Johann Peter Beaulieu de Marconnay, also Jean Pierre Beaulieu de Marconnay, (26 October 1725 - 22 December 1819) fought in the Austrian army during Seven Years War and attained high command during the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1796, a young Napoleon Bonaparte won some of his first victories against an army led by Beaulieu.

Contents 1 Early career 2 French Revolutionary Wars 3 Retirement 4 References 4.1 Footnotes 4.2 External links

[edit] Early career

Born in Lathuy Castle, Jodoigne in the Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium) in 1725, Beaulieu joined the Austrian army in 1743 and fought in the War of the Austrian Succession. During the Seven Years War he served first as an infantry officer and later on the staff of Feldmarschall Leopold Daun. Beaulieu was wounded in the Battle of Kolin and also fought at the battles of Leuthen, Hochkirch, Maxen, and other actions. He received the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa in 1760. "As a young man, his bold and fiery character combined with his great energy and constant activity had made him well-suited to the military life."^[1]

Beaulieu married Marie-Louise Robert in 1763; in 1776 she died. He was artistically inclined. He designed improvements for several palaces, designed and laid out a formal garden, and collected art work. He became a General-Major in 1789 and helped crush a Belgian revolt against Austrian rule, though his only son was killed during the uprising.^[2] For his services, the Austrian army promoted him to Feldmarschal-Leutnant in 1790.^[3]

[edit] French Revolutionary Wars

In the years 1792-1795, Beaulieu served in the Belgian and Rhine campaigns against the French revolutionary armies. On April 28-29, 1792, he won one of the first engagements of the French Revolutionary Wars at Mons.^[4] He defeated the French in another clash at Harelbeke on June 23 and was present at the siege of Lille at the beginning of October. On November 6, Beaulieu commanded the Austrian left wing at the Battle of Jemappes.^[5] He led a force during the successful defense of Trier in December 1793. On June 26, 1794, he commanded the fifth column in the Battle of Fleurus.^[6] After Fleurus, Prince Josias of Coburg, who disliked Beaulieu, dismissed him. Around this time, he became proprietor (inhaber) of Infantry Regiment # 31, a Hungarian unit.^[7]

On 4 March 1796, Beaulieu was promoted to Feldzeugmeister (full general) and transferred to command the 32,000-strong Austrian army in northern Italy. He faced a French army with a newly-created commander, Napoleon Bonaparte. Together with a 17,000-man army from the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, Beaulieu's task was to defend the crest of the Ligurian Alps and the northern Appenines in order to keep the French armies from entering the Po River basin of northern Italy.^[8]

In the event, Bonaparte outmaneuvered Beaulieu during the Montenotte Campaign. After the Austrians were mauled in battles at Montenotte and Dego, Beaulieu watched from afar as the French knocked Sardinia out of the war at the Battle of Mondovì. Bonaparte's army then pursued the defeated Austrians across northern Italy, capturing Milan. After further defeats at the battles of Lodi and Borghetto in May, Beaulieu retreated north to the Tyrol. Before leaving the Po valley, he left a strong garrison in the fortress of Mantua. The Siege of Mantua would be the focus of many battles during the remainder of 1796.^[9]

[edit] Retirement

Beaulieu went into retirement after the 1796 campaign. In 1798, he became inhaber of a Walloon regiment.^[10] The Beaulieu Infantry Regiment # 58 served in the Danube theater during the War of the Third Coalition and War of the Fifth Coalition and in Italy during the War of the Sixth Coalition. Beaulieu died in Linz, Austria in 1819.

[edit] References

• Bowden, Scotty & Tarbox, Charlie. Armies on the Danube 1809. Arlington, Texas: Empire Games Press, 1980.
• Boycott-Brown, Martin. The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-304-35305-1
• Chandler, David. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Macmillan, 1979. ISBN 0-02-523670-9
• Fiebeger, G. J. The Campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte of 1796-1797. West Point, NY: US Military Academy Printing Office, 1911. Reprinted in Bonaparte in Italy Operational Studies Group wargame study folder.
• Pivka, Otto von. Armies of the Napoleonic Era. New York: Taplinger Publishing, 1979. ISBN 0-8008-5471-3
• Smith, Digby. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ Boycott-Brown, p 132
2. ^ Boycott-Brown, p 132-133
3. ^ Fiebeger, p 8
4. ^ Smith, p 21
5. ^ Smith, p 31
6. ^ Smith, p 87
7. ^ Boycott-Brown, p 133
8. ^ Fiebeger, p 5
9. ^ Chandler, p 265
10. ^ Pivka, p 84

[edit] External links

• Beaulieu by Digby Smith, compiled by Leopold Kudrna