General Jean-Louis-Ebénézer Reynier

Reynier was a talented officer of Swiss origin who was occasionally accused of being difficult to work with. Sometime during his many years as a French officer he married the daughter of the prefect of the Eure departement.

Originally a civil engineer, Reynier volunteered to become a gunner when the Revolution needed soldiers in September of 1792. Less than a month into his career as a gunner he was ordered to help work on the fortifications of Saint-Denis, but less than a month after that he was serving as a captain in the Army of the North. After serving at Jemappes, the siege of Maestricht, and Neerwinden, in September of 1793 he was promoted to chef de bataillon. In early 1794 Reynier was promoted to chef de brigade and became chief of staff of Souham's division.

That June Reynier was promoted to general de brigade, but he refused the promotion, insisting he was too young to be a general at age 23. While the promotion was delayed, it did not last long for in January of the next year he was promoted to general de brigade and this time it stuck. After serving as chief of staff of the Army of the North for a few months, he took command of a brigade in July of 1795. The next year he became the chief of staff to Moreau in the Army of the Rhine and Moselle and received a promotion to general de division.

General Reynier spent the next few years with the expedition to Egypt, initially commanding a division of the army. In June of 1798, he seized the isle of Gozzo, and in the following months he served at the Battle of the Pyramids, was victorious over the mamelukes at El-Khanka, and was appointed Governor of the province of Charquieh. In 1799 he took part in the expedition to Syria where he seized the fort of El-Arisch. The next year he fought at Héliopolis, Belbeis, and Koran, and took part in putting down the revolt of Cairo. After commanding the right at Canope in 1801, he became openly hostile to the French commander in chief General Menou, who had taken charge after Kléber's unfortunate assassination. Having little regard for Menou's abilities, Reynier was frequently arguing with him and expressing his discontent to other officers, and Menou responded by charging Reynier with treason and ordering General Destaing to arrest him in Alexandria.

Reynier returned to France on the ship Le Lodi later in the year, and upon returning to Paris he published a letter criticizing Menou and denouncing his command. Even though the charges against him were dropped, Reynier ended up in a duel with Destaing, probably over the fact that Destaing had arrested him back in Egypt. After Reynier killed Destaing in the duel, Napoleon banished him from Paris for having killed a fellow general, but his talents were too good to permanently discharge him.

In 1803, Reynier was back in command, taking charge of the troops stationed at Toulon. In 1804 he took command of the 2nd Division of the Corps of Observation of Naples under Gouvion-Saint Cyr, and the next year fought at Pescara and was victorious at Castelfranco over the Austrians commanded by the Prince of Rohan. In January of 1806 Reynier took command of the right wing of the Army of Naples under Masséna and the II Corps of the same army. Ordered to conquer Calabria, he was vicotorious at Campo Tenese, but then overcome at Santa-Eufémia. Masséna arrived to take command of the army in July, and then Reynier took command of the French army in Calabria in January of 1807. That May he was victorious at Mileto, and the following month he seized Cotrone. During the campaigning in Calabria Reynier received the honor of being made a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, and in February of 1808 Maurice Mathieu arrived to replace him.

Named the Minister of War and the Navy of the Kingdom of Naples, and the commander in chief of the Army of Naples, Reynier had clearly proven his abilities. After a year fulfilling those positions, he rejoined the Grande Armée in Austria during the Danube campaign and in July took charge of the isle of Lobau. After the Emperor dismissed Marshal Bernadotte from command during the Battle of Wagram, Reynier was chosen to replace Bernadotte in command of the Saxon Corps.

In October, Reynier traveled to Paris to take command of a division that was preparing to join the Army of Spain. Once he arrived in Spain, he replaced Heudelet as commander of the II Corps of the Army of Spain, which in a few months time would become the II Corps of the Army of Portugal under Masséna. Contributing to many of the battles of the campaign, he covered the siege of Ciudad-Rodrigo, commanded the left at the Battle of Busaco, was victorious at Sobral, commanded the left in front of the lines of Torres-Vedras, fought at Santarem, fought off the English at Sabugal, and commanded the right wing at Fuentes de Onoro. Despite setbacks experienced by the French, Reynier was rewarded for his efforts by being made a Count of the Empire, a Grand Dignitary of the Order of Two Sicilies, and a Commander of the Order of Saint Henry of Saxony. Next he was given command of the 2nd Army of Portugal under Marmont's overall command until he returned to France in January of 1812 to prepare for the Russian campaign.

Taking command of the VII Saxon Corps, Reynier led them into Russia where he was victorious at Gorodechtna. In the fierce fighting of the retreat, he was beaten at Lapenitza in November, but three days later victorious at Wolkowisk. In February of 1813, he was overcome at Kalisz and retired to Glogau. Now leading the Saxons in Germany, he fought at Bautzen, Dresden, Reichenbach, Gross-Beeren, and Dennewitz and in this time was rewarded with a Grand Cross of the Order of the Reunion. In September he occupied Dessau, and then the next month forced the Allies to raise the siege of Wittenberg before leading his corps to Leipzig to take part in the Battle of the Nations. Despite distinguishing himself during the fighting, the Saxons suddenly switched sides during the battle, and Reynier was easily taken prisoner due to his troops' treachery. The Russians, knowing his abilities and his Swiss birth, offered him a commission in their army, but Reynier refused and remained loyal to France.

The following February Reynier returned to France thanks to a prisoner exchange, but worn out by the constant campaigning, he fell ill and died shortly thereafter. During the desperate campaign of 1814, after Reynier's death, Napoleon took the time to write to General Clarke, "I am surprised that nothing has yet been done to honor the memory of General Reynier...a man who served well, who was an honest man, and whose death was a loss for France and for me."

Sources:

Elting, John R. Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grande Armee. USA: Da Capo Press, 1997.

Haythornthwaite, Philip J. Who Was Who in the Napoleonic Wars. London: Arms & Armour, 1998.

Six, Georges. Dictionnaire Biographique des Generaux & Amiraux Francais de la Revolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814). Paris: Gaston Saffroy, 2003.