Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme
| Dominique Joseph René Vandamme | |
|---|---|
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Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme
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| Born | 5 November 1770 Cassel, France |
| Died |
15 July 1830 (aged 59) Cassel |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of France Kingdom of the French French First Republic First French Empire Bourbon Restoration
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| Service/branch | French Army |
| Years of service | 1786–1815 1820–1825 |
| Rank | General of Division |
| Commands held |
I Corps III Corps |
| Battles/wars |
French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
| Awards | Legion of Honour (Grand Cross) |
General Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme, Count of Unseburg (5 November 1770, Cassel, Nord – 15 July 1830) was a French military officer, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was a dedicated career soldier with a reputation as an excellent division and corps commander. However he had a nasty disposition that alienated his colleagues; he publicly criticized Napoleon, who never appointed him marshal.
Vandamme enlisted in the army in 1786 and rapidly rose through the ranks. At the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793 he was a Brigadier General. He was court-martialled for looting and suspended. Reinstated, he fought at the on 25 March 1799, but disagreement with General Jean Moreau led to his being sent to occupation duties in Holland. At the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 he led his division, alongside Gen. St. Hilaire's, as part of Marshal Soult's IV Corps in the charge that captured the Pratzen Heights.
In 1806-7 his forces besieged Breslau, and after finally taking it he ordered the fortifications to be levelled. He was named Count of Unsebourg by Napoleon I after the Silesian campaign during the War of the Fourth Coalition. In the campaign of 1809, he led a small allied corps from Württemberg in the battles of Abensberg, Landshut, and Eckmühl.
Reportedly a brutal and violent soldier, renowned for insubordination and looting, Napoleon is said to have told him, "If I had two of you, the only solution would be to have one hang the other". Napoleon added that he would give Vandamme command of the vanguard were he (Napoleon) to launch a campaign against Lucifer in Hell.
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