Marshal Claude Victor Perrin

Victor originally joined the army in 1781, but left it in 1791, only to rejoin it soon thereafter with a battalion of volunteers. Nicknamed "le beau soleil" for his sunny, friendly nature, Victor could also display quite the temper.

Victor was appointed captain-general of Lousiana in 1801, but he never crossed the Atlantic to take up the position.

For his past accomplishments and his exemplary performance at the Battle of Friedland, the Emperor made Victor a marshal after Friedland.

While the Battle of Montereau in 1814 was a French victory, it could have been more of a success had Victor arrived much sooner. Napoleon was angry with Victor's late arrival, and promptly replaced him with General Gérard. Hurt by this decision, Victor angrily told Napoleon that he would not leave and had not forgotten how to use a musket, implying that he was more than willing to fight at any rank for the defense of France. Impressed by Victor's outburst, Napoleon gave him a new command in the Imperial Guard, where he would be more directly under Napoleon's command.

Victor did not rejoin Napoleon during the Hundred Days, instead going into exile with Louix XVIII. Napoleon removed him from the list of marshals for this, but in Louis XVIII's court he retained his title. Victor voted for death at the trial of Marshal Ney.

Sources:

Chandler, David G. Napoleon's Marshals. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987.

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.

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