Jacques Nicolas Bellavène

Jacques Nicolas Bellavène (20 October 1770, in Verdun – 8 February 1826, in Milly) was a French general. His name is engraved on the east side of the Arc de triomphe.

He entered the French army as a private in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment on 24 March 1791, rising to sous-lieutenant on 10 May 1792 and ordnance officer for his regiment on the staff of the armée du Rhin. On 19 May 1793 he was made an aide de camp, took 7 boxes from the enemy and captured the colonel Johann von Klenau. He was attached to the general staff on 29 vendémiaire year II.

On the night of 12-13 frimaire, having learned on a visit to the vanguard that the Austrian army defeated at Niederbronn was evacuating Haguenau, he marched on Haguenau with 50 dragoons, surprised the sentries guarding the gate, entered the city, stopped the enemy from looting it and took 400 prisoners. In recognition of that action he was made chief adjutant general of the battalion on the following 23 germinal. On 4 prairial, with two squadrons of chasseurs, he was commanded to capture the positions at Neunhoffen, then held by 1,500 Bavarians—he forced them to retire and took 200 prisoners. Promoted to adjudant-général colonel provisoire on 3 messidor the same year, he went to join the siege of Mainz where, on the night of 25-26 brumaire year III, he captured 600 men of the corps known as the Manteaux-Rouges, who were at Weisenau—this post was re-occupied on 26 brumaire and Bellavène surprised it the following night and captured 400 men. He was then confirmed as adjudant-général colonel on 25 prairial year III before taking part in the commission set up by general Moreau to plan a crossing of the Rhine. In prairial year IV this plan was presented to the general, who approved it, and it took place on 6 messidor. The same day Moreau, the commander-in-chief, made Bellavène a général de brigade.

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