General Louis Partouneaux

Partouneaux was captured at the Battle of Novi, and exchanged a year later for Austrian General Zach.

Only ten days before the Battle of the Berezina, Partouneaux requested to be relieved of command because of his failing health. This was denied, most likely because the hardships of the retreat were taking their toll on everyone, not just Partouneaux. During the Battle of the Berezina, Partouneaux was part of Victor's corps and on one night was ordered to fall back and rejoin the main force. Unfortunately, he lost contact with the corps, and as his division came to an unmarked intersection, he decided to take the wrong road. Gradually realizing they were lost, he ordered his division to halt, and with his staff rode out to scout the area and attempt to get their bearings. Suddenly a Russian cavalry force surprised him and his staff and took them all prisoner. Not knowing that their general had been captured, his division patiently waited for his return, until it began to come under attack. Without the core leadership, the division continued to attempt to hold its ground until the attacks grew to be too much, and then most of the division surrendered. When the Emperor learned of this, he was enraged, and Partoneaux never again held an active command.

Sources:

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

Marbot, Marcellis de. The Memoirs of Baron de Marbot. Trans. A. Butler. London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1892.

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