Louis Emmanuel Rey
| Louis Emmanuel Rey | |
|---|---|
Louis Emmanuel Rey
|
|
| Born |
22 September 1768 Grenoble, France |
| Died |
18 June 1846 (aged 77) Paris, France |
| Allegiance |
 France
|
| Service/branch | Infantry |
| Years of service | 1784-1815 |
| Rank | General of Division |
| Battles/wars |
French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
| Awards |
Baron of the Empire Légion d'Honneur |
Louis Emmanuel Rey, born 22 September 1768, Grenoble – died 18 June 1846, Paris, joined the French royal army and won rapid promotion to general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He continued to serve the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. He fought in the Peninsular War and led a tenacious defense of San Sebastián, Spain in 1813. His is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe.
In 1784 at the age of 16, Rey joined the French royal army's Regiment de Monsieur, which became the 75th Line Infantry Regiment in 1791. Promoted to sergeant-major in 1791, he earned a lieutenant's commission in 1792. From that year, he served four years in the Army of the Alps with distinction and won promotion to general of brigade in 1796. For a time, he commanded a camp at Lyon that reorganized units passing from the Vendée to the Army of Italy.
When the Grande Armée left the shores of the English Channel to fight in the War of the Third Coalition, Rey was given command of the Camp de Boulogne from 1805 to 1808. In the latter year he was named a Baron of the Empire. He served as chief of staff in Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr's VII Corps in Catalonia beginning in August 1808. It is likely that he commanded a brigade at the Battle of Ocaña in November 1809. One source stated that Rey led 3,500 men in six battalions. It is probable that his brigade included three battalions each of the 12th Light and 43rd Line Infantry Regiments. At the Battle of Baza on 4 November 1810, he led a brigade from Horace Sebastiani de la Porta's 1st Division of the IV Corps consisting of one battalion of the 32nd Line Infantry Regiment and three battalions of the 58th Line. He fought at the Siege of Tarragona in 1811. Historian David G. Chandler noted that Rey was appointed governor of the fortress of San Sebastián in August 1811. Another source asserted that Rey was defeated by Francisco Ballesteros at Alhaurín el Grande on 14 April 1812. On this occasion he led a force of 3,000 men made up of three squadrons of the 21st Dragoon Regiment, two artillery pieces, and three battalions divided between the 43rd and 58th Line Infantry Regiments. French losses numbered 200 and included both guns.
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