Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud

Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud

Armand-Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud (August 20, 1801-September 29, 1854) was a French soldier and Marshal of France during the 19th century. He served as French Minister of War until the Crimean War when he became Commander-in-chief of the army of the East.

Biography

Born in Paris, he entered the army in 1817, but after ten years of garrison service, he still held only the lowest commissioned grade. He then resigned, led a life of adventure in several lands and returned to the army at the age of thirty as a sub-lieutenant. He took part in the suppression of the "Vendée émeute", and was for a time on the staff of General (Marshal) Bugeaud. However, his debts and the scandals of his private life compelled him to go to Algeria as a captain in the French Foreign Legion. There he distinguished himself on numerous occasions, and after twelve years had risen to the rank of "maréchal de camp" (major general).

In 1848 Saint Arnaud commanded a brigade during the revolution in Paris. On his return to Africa, possibly because Louis Napoleon considered him a suitable military head of a potential "coup d'état", an expedition took place into Little Kabylia, in which Saint Arnaud showed his prowess as a commander-in-chief and provided his superiors with the pretext for bringing him home as a general of division (July 1851).

He succeeded Marshal Magnan as minister of war and superintended the military operations of the "coup d'état" of December 2, 1851, which placed Louis Napoleon on the throne as Napoleon III. A year later he became a Marshal of France and a senator, remaining at the head of the war office till 1854, when he set out to command the French forces in the Crimean War, alongside his British colleague Lord Raglan. He died on board ship, shortly after commanding at the Battle of the Alma (20 September 1854). His body, returned to France, lies buried in Les Invalides.

Legacy

The town of St Arnaud, Victoria, Australia was named after Jaques and has a commemorative statue of him in the towns botanical gardens on Napier Street. Another town located in Algeria, was called Saint Arnaud under French rule, currently, its name is El Eulma. The Saint Arnaud Range and the nearby locality of Saint Arnaud in New Zealand both derive their name from him.

Further reading

*"Lettres du Maréchal de Saint Arnaud" (Paris, 1855; 2nd edition with memoire by Sainte-Beuve, 1858).

References

*1911


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  • Saint-Arnaud — (spr. Sängt Arnoh), Jacques Leroy de S. A., geb. 1796 in der Gascogne, studirte in Paris, ohne etwas zu lernen, u. trat 1816 als Unterlieutenant in die Gardes du corps ein, erhielt aber schon nach wenigen Jahren den Abschied u. trieb sich… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Saint-Arnaud — (spr. ßängt arnō), Jacques Leroy de, Marschall von Frankreich, geb. 20. Aug. 1796 in Bordeaux, gest. 29. Sept. 1854, trat 1815 als exaltierter Royalist in die Leibgarde Ludwigs XVIII., nahm 1822–30 am griechischen Freiheitskampf teil. 1837 ward… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Saint-Arnaud — (spr. ßängtarnoh), Jacques Leroy de, franz. Marschall, geb. 20. Aug. 1796 zu Bordeaux, unterstützte als Kriegsminister 1851 den Staatsstreich Napoleons, 1852 Marschall, im Krimkriege Befehlshaber der franz. Armee, erkrankte nach der Schlacht an… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

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