Louis Antoine Vimeux – Wikipedia
Baron Louis Antoine Vimeux , born the [ first ] In Amiens (Somme), died on In Metz (Moselle), is a French general of the Revolution and the first empire.
Family [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
Son of Charles Adrien Vimeux, Maître Charron, and Marie Marguerite Alet, baptized the same day at the Saint-Michel parish. He marries the in Laleu (Charente-Maritime) Marguerite-Charlotte Gaudin-Monlieu.
He is the brother of the sculptor Jacques-Firmin Vimeux, his youngest, born as mentioned in the dictionary of sculptors of the French school at XVIII It is century written by Stanislas Lami [ 2 ] . He essentially worked at the Cathedral of Amiens.
He is also the brother of Adrien-François Vimeux, parish priest of the Plessiez-Rozanvilliers church for which the sculptor worked, and Louise Vimeux, mother of General Charles de Vast-Vimeux.
Military career [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
He entered the military career in 1753.
In 1789, during the French Revolution, he was already 51 years old.
Less known than other illustrious generals of his time, because perhaps older, he is recognized as a man of experience, moderate without ever having been accused of “moderantism”, clairvoyant tactician and quick to execute command. It is known that his troops like those of Nicolas Haxo and Jacques Dutruy, by their prohibition, did not commit abuses on the population during the War of Vendée. Thus, after he succeeded Louis-Marie Turreau on May 18, 1794 as general-in-chief on this theater of operations, he destined on August 8 following his subordinate General Huché, guilty of having perpetrated massacres in Luçon en Luçon July [ 3 ] .
It is general brigade and general division the . According to his own writing of the 9 germinal of the year 8 ( ) addressed to the Minister of War, it is established that he commands the 22 It is Military division comprising five departments (Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, La Mayenne, Sarthe), Tours headquarters.
Reformed the , but he is still commander of arms of first re Class it Governor the LA Place de Luxembourg you At , date of the presentation of the fortress to the allies.
He died of a crisis of apoplexy in Metz the at the age of 76.
Summary of its service states [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
They are taken from his file from the Legion of Honor:
Engaged in the regiment of Amiens the As a soldier, made the first three Hanovre campaigns during the seven years war (1756-1763) and the last, promoted to the rank of sergeant . Back in France, employee as an instructor and then named standard-bearer of the regiment , he went to the Bassigny regiment following the duplication intervened on . Sub-Lieutenant de grenadiers le , it is made knight of Saint-Louis the , captain on , lieutenant-colonel the . The , he is assigned to the army of the Rhine, takes part in the siege of Mainz at the grade of colonel of the bodies 32 It is de Bassigny and 57 It is Beauvaisis infantry regiment.
The garrison of Mainz consisted of around 22,000 to 23,000 men of all weapons. A large part of the garrison is intended for the defense of Kastel and Khosteim, the entrenched camp and its forts as well as the village of Weisenau, the surplus is in reserve in the square. Vimeux at the time, alongside Jean-Baptiste Annibal Aubert du Bayet, Klinger Jean-Baptiste, Haxo Nicolas, Jean-Baptiste Kléber, the latter warranty that Louis Antoine Vimeux found during the War of Vendée.
Back in France following the blockade of Mainz, he was sent to Vendée as commander of the first re Mainz army brigade, he joined Jean-Baptiste Kléber. He was particularly noticed in Torfou in September where he rescued Kléber, and in Cholet in October.
Vimeux, brigadier general .
During this battle, Kléber sent generals to the generals Jean Baptiste Camille de Canclaux and Dubayet to request some reinforcement battalions organizing retirement and indicates that Antoine Merlin de Thionville had done so much on his side. Near Gétigné, the reinforcement arrives, Kléber then organizes his brigade now supported in battle, complaining of Beysser who had not given any signs of life for five hours of a most stubborn fight as it was and that we would have Still seen since the beginning of this war. Vimeux who commanded the reinforcement fell strongly on the enemy who, disconcerted, fled, prosecuted by the vanguard of Kléber followed by the troops of Vimeux. The Battle of Torfou will nevertheless remain a defeat of the Republicans against François-Athanase Charette de la Conrie with estimated 1,200 men who fell in battle against 200 in the other camp.
On the 18th in Bois-Grolleau, Vimeux and Marc Amand Élisée Scherb manage to face Jean-Nicolas Stofflet and Gaspard de Bernard de Marigny, by supporting the center formed of the Luçon column. He commands the right, his position is good, it only takes courage and firmness to stay there with advantage “.
“I must agree here that without the army of Mainz which makes prodigies of value, everything was lost. Kléber and Michel de Beaupuy have several horses killed under them and walking at the head of the columns, they compete in courage and dedication with the bravest ”.
“The column that forms the right of the army of Mainz (vimeux) and which was fighting in Bois-Grolleau, did not have in mind less than fifteen thousand royalists, who fought as heroes”
“The left of the Mayençais, who fight at the Treille (Haxo), took the Vendeans on the side which led by the moor of the Papinière and who arrive at the run by the road to the May”.
He is general of division on 14 ventôse of year 2 ( ).
The He took the chief command of the western army until the arrival of General Thomas Alexandre Dumas the . The , he is in La Rochelle.
During this period he was fighting against chouannerie but he also participated in the end of the infernal columns, he had the courage to stand up to Jean-Baptiste Carrier.
After the recall of Louis-Marie Turreau on May 13, 1794, Vimeux succeeded him at the head of the western army on May 18 [ 4 ] . He built 14 entrenched camps across the Vendée, but two of them, those of La Roullière and Fréligné, are taken by storm by the Vendéens on September 8 and 15 [ 5 ] . Vimeux quickly presents his resignation and left the Vendée from September 6 [ 6 ] . General Dumas succeeds him [ 6 ] .
General commander of twelfth It is And 22 It is Military divisions in 1797, he was found tracking the Chouans and struggling with difficulty, for lack of cavalry, against the bands of brigands, in particular those of Forestier and Renan.
A long troubled and bloody episode in which he will participate, taken between the duties of his command and his nature qualified as “sweet” by Jean-Baptiste Kléber (war in Vendée).
Army of England 1799.
: admitted to reform treatment.
As he himself pointed out in his suppliking admission to the Legion of Honor written by him on 16 Frimaire of the year 12 addressed to the first consul, he is still in service on that date, he accomplished 50 years and 8 months of service without interruption for France and the Republic.
In his historical memories we see that Louis Antoine Vimeux was in Amiens during the first troubles of the Revolution, he wrote “The people in insurrection take hold of the citadel and the arms which are there”, that this event has had Place in June, that he was responsible for organizing the national guard of this city, that Minister Jean-François-Aimé Dejean then captain of the employee employee in Amiens, was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the National Guard.
In addition to his military career, Louis Antoine Vimeux is also commander of the citizen militia of the city of Amiens.
In the deliberations of the municipal council, on the date of , he is voted unanimously that in consideration of the services of MM Vimeux, major of the citizen militia, he deserves all the recognition of the city, he is arrested that to give him testimony of his feelings, he would be made to him From a sword to the arms of the city, signed Boistel de Belloy. [first] .
- Hereditary baron appointment decree published ( Arch Nat BB/29/968 P 288.)
– cut at the first azure and gules, the azure with ten gold diamonds placed in an orle; The mouth to the sign of the barons taken from the army, the silver at the door of Citadel flanked by two crenellated walls of sand, masonry and open of the same; For delivered: the colors of the shield.
- Memories and newspapers of General Decaen, Kléber in Vendée
- Choudieu, LOC CIT, Barrucand edition, 446, Edition Quéruau-Lamerie, 80.
- Boutillier de Saint André, loc, cit, 196.
- H. Baguenier desormeaux, General Memoirs of General Kléber , ed. Country & terroirs T1 and 2, pages 101, 149, 158, 159, 167, 186, 191, 211, 218, 220, 356, 363, 433, 434, 436, 461.
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