General Louis Bastoul

Général de brigade who was mortally wounded at Hohenlinden

Born: August 19, 1753

Place of Birth: Montolieu, Aude, France

Died: January 15, 1801

Cause of Death: Mortally wounded

Place of Death: Munich, Germany

Arc de Triomphe: BASTOUL on the north pillar

Pronunciation:

Louis Bastoul began his military career by enlisting in the regiment of Vivarais in 1773 at age nineteen. From that point in time it took him fourteen years to finally became a sergeant. After the Revolution arrived, Bastoul's promotions would come more quickly, for in September of 1791 he was elected a lieutenant colonel in the 2nd Battalion of Pas-de-Calais. Over the next two years he would serve with the Army of the North, and in September of 1793 he received a promotion to général de brigade.

In July of 1794 General Bastoul joined the Army of the Sambre and Meuse, and then in September he served under Schérer at the Battle of l'Ourthe. In 1795 he served under Grenier and Morlot before being tasked by Jourdan to ensure the safety of the bridge of Cologne for convoys. The following year Bastoul drove back the Austrian left at Uckerath in June, and then in August he joined Championnet's division. In 1797 he served in Grenier's 3rd Division for the crossing of the Rhine and attack on Hedersdorf. Bastoul finished the year by serving in the Army of Germany and then the Army of Mainz.

As the armies were reorganized in 1799, Bastoul served with the Army of the Danube which later became the Army of the Rhine. In April of 1800 he joined Leclerc's division and went on to distinguish himself in May during the fighting at Engen, Messkirch, and Biberach. That July Bastoul forced open the gates at Landshut before peace negotiations brought about a temporary ceasefire. When hostilities resumed that winter, he rejoined the army as part of Hardy's division. After Hardy was wounded at Ampfing, Bastoul took command of the division for the Battle of Hohenlinden. Towards the end of the day, he dismounted and led an attack but was badly wounded.¹ He was transported to Munich for medical treatment, but he finally succumbed to his wounds over a month later.

Notes

James R. Arnold, Marengo and Hohenlinden: Napoleon's Rise to Power, (Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 1999), 253.

Bibliography

Six, Georges. Dictionnaire Biographique des Généraux & Amiraux Français de la Révolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814). 2 vols. Paris: Gaston Saffroy, 2003.

Updated June 2014