Louis Gabriel Suchet
| Louis Gabriel Suchet | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Born |
2 March 1770 Lyon, France |
| Died |
3 January 1826 (aged 55) near Marseilles, France |
| Allegiance |
 France
|
| Service/branch | army |
| Years of service | 1792–1815 |
| Rank | Général de division |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Marshal of France |
| Other work | author |
Louis-Gabriel Suchet (2 March 1770 – 3 January 1826), Duke of Albufera (French: Duc d'Albuféra), was a Marshal of France and one of Napoleon's most brilliant generals.
Suchet was born to a silk manufacturer in Lyon. He originally intended to follow his father's business but, serving as a volunteer in the cavalry of the National Guard at Lyon, he displayed abilities which secured rapid military promotions.
In 1793, he was serving as a battalion chief (chef de bataillon) when he captured the British general Charles O'Hara at Toulon. During the 1796 Italian campaign, he was severely wounded at Cerea on 11 October. In October 1797, he was promoted to command of a half-brigade (demi-brigade). His services in the Tyrol under Joubert that year and in Switzerland under Brune over the next were recognized by his promotion to the rank of brigadier general (général de brigade). He took no part in the Egyptian campaign but was made Brune's chief of staff in August and restored the efficiency and discipline of the army in Italy. In July 1799, he was promoted to division general (général de division) and made Joubert's chief of staff in Italy. In 1800, he was named second-in-command to Masséna. His dexterous resistance to the superior forces of the Austrians with the left wing of Masséna's army, when the right and centre were shut up in Genoa, not only prevented the invasion of France from this direction but contributed to the success of Napoleon's crossing the Alps, which culminated in the battle of Marengo on 14 June. He took a prominent part in the rest of the Italian campaign up to the armistice of Treviso.
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