Which French soldier’s name became the word for a strict disciplinarian
"1944, the division trained extensively in amphibious operations. Major General Gerhardt was a hard taskmaster, a strict disciplinarian and considered by many of his men to be a martinet, who often became upset at small things such as a soldier not having the chinstrap of his helmet buckled. One famous story has him admonishing a soldier on the day after D-Day for dropping peels from the orange he was eating on the ground. He was intolerant of any dirt or mud being on the trucks, and would make soldiers stop and clean a truck under almost any circumstance. Major General"
"stern disciplinarian, who exacted rigid and precise obedience from his troops, and consequently his corps was more trustworthy and exact in the performance of its duty than any other. For example, Davout forbade his troops from plundering enemy villages, a policy he would enforce by the use of the death penalty. Thus, in the early days of the Grande Armée, the III corps tended to be entrusted with the most difficult work. He was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the ablest of Napoleon's marshals. On the first restoration he retired into private life, openly displaying his hostility to"
"Robert Corbet Captain Robert Corbet RN (died 13 September 1810), often spelled Corbett, was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who was killed in action in highly controversial circumstances. Corbet was a strict disciplinarian, who regularly beat his men for the slightest infractions: so brutal was his regime that he provoked two mutinies, one simply at the rumour he was coming aboard a ship. These uprisings caused him to become even more vicious in his use of punishments and when he took his frigate HMS ""Africaine"" into action off Île Bourbon, his"
"World War I was Pierre Picault. However, French authorities recognised Lazare Ponticelli as the last poilu, as he was the last veteran whose service met the strict official criteria. Lazare Ponticelli died in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre on 12 March 2008, aged 110. Poilu Poilu (; ) is an informal term for a French World War I infantryman, meaning, literally, ""hairy one"". It is still widely used as a term of endearment for the French infantry of World War I. The word carries the sense of the infantryman's typically rustic, agricultural background. Beards and bushy moustaches were often worn. The poilu was"
"Lucien Poirier Lucien Poirier (1918 – 10 January 2013) was a general of the French Army and a theoretician of nuclear deterrence. Poirier began his military service at the beginning of World War II, after graduating from Special Military School of Saint-Cyr, and was imprisoned in Germany until 1945. After the war, Poirier continued in the military with the French Foreign Legion (beginning as a Captain) in conflicts in Indochina (First Indochina War) and Algeria (Algerian War). Poirier took part in the design of the French doctrine for use of nuclear weapons, the so-called ""weak-to-strong strategy"" (""statégie du faible au"
"""""Merde!"""" (""Shit!""). Nicolas Chauvin Nicolas Chauvin () is a legendary, possibly apocryphal French soldier and patriot who is supposed to have served in the First Army of the French Republic and subsequently in ""La Grande Armée"" of Napoleon. His name is the eponym of ""chauvinism"", originally a term for excessive nationalistic fervor, but later used to refer to any form of bigotry or bias (e.g., male chauvinism). According to the stories that developed about him, Chauvin was born in Rochefort, around 1780. He enlisted at age 18, and served honorably and well. He is said to have been wounded 17"
"of Metz. When Bazaine was later tried for treason, the name of Coffinières was often cited at his trial. Coffinières was captured and interned at Hamburg. Freed after the war, he left active duty in 1876 and retired in 1881. He died in 1887. By imperial decree of 2 November 1864, Coffinières was authorized to add ""de Nordeck"", a name from his family's maternal branch, to his last name. He was also Commander of the Legion of Honor. Grégoire Coffinières de Nordeck Grégoire Gaspard Félix Coffinières, later Coffinières de Nordeck (2 September 1811, Castelnaudary – 7 January 1887) was a"
"of military life. Jean-Roch Coignet, a captain of the Imperial Guard, claimed that this term was coined in the aftermath of severe hardships the unit encountered during the War of the Fourth Coalition. Some of the officers even did so in the presence of the Emperor, knowing that the Old Guard's reputation commanded enough respect with Napoleon to allow such openness. Such behavior was unique to the Old Guard and would have been severely punished were it engaged in by a member of any other unit. The Old Guard was disbanded by the victorious Sixth Coalition in 1814, along with"
"Nicolas Chauvin Nicolas Chauvin () is a legendary, possibly apocryphal French soldier and patriot who is supposed to have served in the First Army of the French Republic and subsequently in ""La Grande Armée"" of Napoleon. His name is the eponym of ""chauvinism"", originally a term for excessive nationalistic fervor, but later used to refer to any form of bigotry or bias (e.g., male chauvinism). According to the stories that developed about him, Chauvin was born in Rochefort, around 1780. He enlisted at age 18, and served honorably and well. He is said to have been wounded 17 times in"
"in Paris. Jean-Marie Dorsenne Jean-Marie-Pierre-François Doursenne, called Dorsenne, count Lepaige (b. 30 April 1773 in Ardres; † 24 July 1812 in Paris) was a French military commander of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He eventually became one of the senior commanders in the Imperial Guard. Dorsenne's military career began in 1791, when he joined the army as a volunteer. He quickly rose through the ranks of the ""Armée du Nord"" and became captain, subsequently joining the ""Armée du Rhin"" and then the ""Armée d’Italie"". With the Army of Italy at the crossing of the Tagliamento (16 March 1797), Dorsenne's heroic"
"Scott as ""The Duellists"" (1977). François Fournier-Sarlovèze François Louis Fournier-Sarlovèze (6 September 1773 Sarlat, France – 18 January 1827) was a French general of the Napoleonic Wars. He was known as ""the worst subject of the Grande Armée."" Born in Sarlat in 1773, his father owned a cabaret. In his youth, he received solid instruction by the monks of his hometown and became a clerk of the prosecutor. In 1791, he went to Paris and entered the army, and the following year became second lieutenant of the Ninth Dragoons. Posted to the Army of the Alps, he distinguished himself through"
"in the French army under Napoleon. He was most famous for a series of regimental duels held outside Madrid, Spain, in 1814. Italian soldiers from the 1st Regiment and French soldiers from the 32nd Regiment of the 3rd Division of the French Army quarreled. Within 40 minutes, Jean-Louis is reputed to have killed three Italian masters including the Florentine master, Giacomo Ferrari, and wounded 10 others with 27 thrusts. On another occasion, having been subject to repeated insults, he insisted in defending himself using only a training foil against a larger opponent armed with a rapier. Jean Louis adopted the"
"Bertrand du Guesclin Bertrand du Guesclin (c. 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed ""The Eagle of Brittany"" or ""The Black Dog of Brocéliande"", was a Breton knight and an important military commander in the French side during the Hundred Years' War. From 1370 to his death, he was Constable of France for King Charles V. Well known for his Fabian strategy, he took part in six pitched battles and won the four in which he held command. Bertrand du Guesclin was born at Motte-Broons near Dinan, in Brittany, first-born son of Robert du Guesclin and Jeanne de Malmaines. His date"
"Old Guard (France) The Old Guard () were the elite veteran elements of the Emperor Napoleon's Imperial Guard. As such it was the most prestigious formation in Napoleon's ""Grande Armée"". French soldiers often referred to Napoleon's Old Guard as ""the Immortals"". It is believed that Napoleon hand-selected members of his Old Guard based on physical traits, most notably above-average height. Their imposing stature was likely impressive to foes and allies alike. Awards as well as veterancy were also taken into consideration when selecting troops for the Old Guard. There were four regiments of Old Guard infantry: 1st and 2nd each"
"old guard"" can pejoratively refer to any outdated establishment in English as well. Old Guard (France) The Old Guard () were the elite veteran elements of the Emperor Napoleon's Imperial Guard. As such it was the most prestigious formation in Napoleon's ""Grande Armée"". French soldiers often referred to Napoleon's Old Guard as ""the Immortals"". It is believed that Napoleon hand-selected members of his Old Guard based on physical traits, most notably above-average height. Their imposing stature was likely impressive to foes and allies alike. Awards as well as veterancy were also taken into consideration when selecting troops for the Old"
"Louis-Nicolas Davout Louis-Nicolas d'Avout (10 May 17701 June 1823), better known as Davout, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, was a French general who was Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic era. His talent for war along with his reputation as a stern disciplinarian earned him the title ""The Iron Marshal"". He is ranked along with Masséna and Lannes as one of Napoleon's finest commanders. His loyalty and obedience to Napoleon were absolute. During his lifetime, Davout's name was commonly spelled ""Davoust"", which is how it appears on the Arc de Triomphe and in much of the"
"was passed on to Lieutenant-colonel Pierre Langlais. Jules Gaucher Jules Gaucher (13 September 1905 – 13 March 1954) was a French Army officer noted for his command of Foreign Legion troops in Indochina. Described as a ""burly, hard-drinking veteran of years of jungle fighting, with a nose like an axe-blade and a mouth like its cut"", Gaucher was a popular commander among the Legion, known as 'the Old Man' to his troops. He was killed at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Gaucher graduated from the French military academy at Saint-Cyr in 1929 and was commissioned as a"
"is immortal. Our enemies will fall in their turn, and liberty will survive them all!"" On 24 March 1794, five carts full of condemned Hébertists were taken to the guillotine, Charles-Philippe Ronsin among them. Ronsin stayed true to his words in prison: as Thomas Carlyle relates the event, he alone among the Hébertists went to the scaffold with an ""air of defiance,"" still maintaining a steely ""eye of command."" Within a week of his death, Ronsin's army (""l'Armée Révolutionnaire de Paris"") was disbanded. Charles-Philippe Ronsin Charles-Philippe Ronsin (1 December 1751 – 24 March 1794) was a French general of the"
"Raymond-Gaspard de Bonardi de Saint-Sulpice Raymond-Gaspard de Bonardi comte de Saint-Sulpice (23 October 1761 - 20 June 1835) was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, noted for his actions as a heavy cavalry commander and who became a Peer of France towards the end of his life. A nobleman by birth, Saint-Sulpice joins the army as a sublieutenant in 1777, becoming a lieutenant-colonel in 1792 in the Army of the Alps. He is then suspended, from September 1793 to May 1795, because of his aristocratic ascendance. Despite the proclamation of the French Consulate, the career"
"Jules Gaucher Jules Gaucher (13 September 1905 – 13 March 1954) was a French Army officer noted for his command of Foreign Legion troops in Indochina. Described as a ""burly, hard-drinking veteran of years of jungle fighting, with a nose like an axe-blade and a mouth like its cut"", Gaucher was a popular commander among the Legion, known as 'the Old Man' to his troops. He was killed at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Gaucher graduated from the French military academy at Saint-Cyr in 1929 and was commissioned as a Sous-lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant). He was posted to"
"the abbé, Alexis Ollivier, could not remain passive. Jean Chouan Jean Chouan was the nom de guerre of the Frenchman, Jean Cottereau, who was born at Saint-Berthevin, near Laval, in the department of Mayenne on 30 October 1757 and died 18 July 1794 at Olivet, also in Mayenne. He was a counter-revolutionary, an insurrectionist, and a staunch royalist. Of the four Cottereau brothers, — Jean, Pierre, François, and René, — Jean, the second-born, was the one called ""chouan"" (""the silent one"") by their father. Others say his nickname came from an imitation of the call of the tawny owl (the"
"Joseph Foullon de Doué Joseph-François Foullon de Doué, or Foulon de Doué (25 June 1715 – 22 July 1789), was a French politician and a Controller-General of Finances under Louis XVI. A deeply unpopular figure, he has the ignominious distinction of being the first recorded person to have been lynched ""à la lanterne"". Born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, Foullon served as Intendant-General of the Armies during the Seven Years' War, and as Intendant of the Army and Navy under Marshal de Belle-Isle. In 1771 he was appointed Intendant of Finances. In 1789, when Jacques Necker was dismissed, the reactionary Court party"
"command as colonel of the Regiment of French Guards, ""succeeding but not replacing"" the respected Duke de Brion. This elite unit of the Royal Military Household was permanently stationed in Paris and had many ties with the local population. Châtelet introduced ""Prussian"" codes of military discipline, which included harsh measures of physical punishment. At the same time he neglected to enforce greater professionalism amongst the aristocratic officer corps, who were often absent on leave and who left day-to-day administration of the regiment to its sergeants and corporals. As a result, morale amongst the rank and file weakened in the face"
"with his comrades on the battle field. His name is engraved on column 10 of the northern pillar of the Arc de Triomphe. Claude-Étienne Michel General Claude-Étienne Michel (3 October 1772 – 18 June 1815), an officer in Napoleon's army, was second in command of the Chasseur Division of the Guard and commander of its Brigade of Middle Guard. He may be the officer who uttered the words often attributed to Pierre Cambronne """"La Garde meurt et ne se rend pas"""" ""The Guard dies, and does not surrender"". He was born in Pointre in the Jura. He enlisted in the"
"for the cloak in its reliquary was called a ""capellānus"", and, by extension, all clergymen who officiated in reliquaries, sanctuaries, or chapels were eventually called ""cappellāni"". This eventually gave ""chapelain"" in Old French and was borrowed into English. Saint Louis was the king who gave legal status to the military chaplains, since chaplains serving under their lord in the Crusades were the first to be militarized. In 1531, during the Battle of Kappel, the Swiss reformist Huldrych Zwingli became the very first Protestant military chaplain to be killed on the battlefield. The modern French ""Aumônerie militaire"" (military chaplaincy) was created"
"Théophile Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne Théophile Malo Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne (23 November 1743 – 28 June 1800) was a French officer named by Napoleon ""first grenadier of France"". He was also a celtomaniac antiquarian who introduced the words ""dolmen"" and ""menhir"" into general archaeological usage. He was the son of a lawyer named Corret, and was certainly baptised and perhaps born at Carhaix-Plouguer in Brittany, though nearby Saint-Hernin where his father had a position is one of a number of other places in the area put forward as his place of birth. His desire for a military"
"Chasseur Chasseur ( ; ), a French term for ""hunter"", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry or light cavalry to denote troops trained for rapid action. This branch of the French Army originated during the War of the Austrian Succession when, in 1743, Jean Chrétien Fischer was authorized by the Marshal de Belle-Isle to raise a six hundred strong mixed force of infantry and cavalry. It was called Fischer's . During the remainder of the 18th century various types of light troops were employed within the French army, either as independent units or"
"Charles-Philippe Ronsin Charles-Philippe Ronsin (1 December 1751 – 24 March 1794) was a French general of the Revolutionary Army of the First French Republic, commanding the large Parisian division of ""l'Armée Révolutionnaire"". He was an extreme radical leader of the French Revolution, and one of the many followers of Jacques-René Hébert, known as the ""Hébertists."" Born in 1751 in Soissons, Aisne, a city northeast of Paris, Ronsin was son of a master cooper or barrel maker. At the age of seventeen, Charles-Philippe Ronsin joined the Parisian army. By 1772 he left the army with the position of corporal and soon"
"Antoine-Louis Decrest de Saint-Germain Antoine-Louis Decrest de Saint-Germain, Count de Saint-Germain and of the Empire (born 8 December 1761 in Paris, died 4 October 1835 in Neuilly) was a French soldier of the French Revolutionary Wars, who later rose to the top military rank of General of Division, taking part to the Napoleonic Wars as a commander of cavalry. Born in Paris on 8 December 1761, Antoine-Louis Decrest de Saint-Germain descended from a noble family of the Ancien Régime. In 1778, he joined the ""Lunéville"" gendarmerie, but was expelled from this arm in 1784 for indiscipline and transferred to the"
"Jean Martinet Jean Martinet (died 1672) was a French lieutenant-colonel and Inspector General, and one of the first great drill masters of modern times. Martinet served during the reign of Louis XIV and made way to French conquest in the Holy Roman Empire. He was a severe drillmaster, which made him unpopular among his troops. Martinet revolutionized the early modern army by instituting a standardized system capable of turning raw recruits into a disciplined fighting force, thereby eliminating the mercenaries and soldiers-of-fortune who had been the mainstays of earlier armies. He also introduced the bayonet into the French army and"
"Jean-Marie Dorsenne Jean-Marie-Pierre-François Doursenne, called Dorsenne, count Lepaige (b. 30 April 1773 in Ardres; † 24 July 1812 in Paris) was a French military commander of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He eventually became one of the senior commanders in the Imperial Guard. Dorsenne's military career began in 1791, when he joined the army as a volunteer. He quickly rose through the ranks of the ""Armée du Nord"" and became captain, subsequently joining the ""Armée du Rhin"" and then the ""Armée d’Italie"". With the Army of Italy at the crossing of the Tagliamento (16 March 1797), Dorsenne's heroic conduct was"
"Jean Chouan Jean Chouan was the nom de guerre of the Frenchman, Jean Cottereau, who was born at Saint-Berthevin, near Laval, in the department of Mayenne on 30 October 1757 and died 18 July 1794 at Olivet, also in Mayenne. He was a counter-revolutionary, an insurrectionist, and a staunch royalist. Of the four Cottereau brothers, — Jean, Pierre, François, and René, — Jean, the second-born, was the one called ""chouan"" (""the silent one"") by their father. Others say his nickname came from an imitation of the call of the tawny owl (the ""chouette hulotte"") he customarily used as a recognition"
"André Masséna André Masséna, 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling (born Andrea Massena; 16 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon, with the nickname ""l'Enfant chéri de la Victoire"" (""the Dear Child of Victory""). Many of Napoleon's generals were trained at the finest French and European military academies, but Masséna was among those who achieved greatness without the benefit of formal education. While those of noble rank acquired their education and promotions as a matter"