General Pierre François Bauduin

Général de brigade who was killed at Waterloo

Born: January 25, 1768

Place of Birth: Liancourt, Somme, France

Died: June 18, 1815

Cause of Death: Killed in action

Place of Death: Waterloo, Belgium

Pronunciation:

The son of a farmer, Pierre François Bauduin joined the army during the Revolution as a sous-lieutenant in the 59th Infantry in 1792. He served in the Army of the Alps and the Army of Italy over the next few years, and he served at the Siege of Toulon in 1793. In 1795 Bauduin was promoted to lieutenant and in 1796 he was promoted to capitaine. In 1800 he joined the Army of the Reserve as General Herbin's aide-de-camp and during the campaign he distinguished himself at Montebello. Bauduin served a few days later at the Battle of Marengo where he was wounded by a shot to the left leg but he was promoted to chef de bataillon on the battlefield.

In 1803 Bauduin joined the 16th of the Line and then in 1805 he served on the sea as part of Admiral Villeneuve's squadron. In 1807 he rejoined the Grande Armée. Bauduin took part in the Danube campaign of 1809, serving at the Battle of Aspern-Essling in May. He then went on to serve at the Siege of Presbourg and in early July he was promoted to colonel of the 93rd of the Line. Six weeks later Bauduin was named a Baron of the Empire. In 1810 and 1811 he served in the Corps of Observation of Holland.

For the Russian campaign of 1812, Bauduin served in Ledru's division. In August he was named a Commander of the Legion of Honor and in September he served at the Battle of Borodino where a shot wounded his right arm. Bauduin survived the retreat and in March of 1813 he was promoted to général de brigade. However, due to his health he did not join the army and instead he was ordered to command the département of Pyrénées-Orientales. Bauduin was healthy enough to fight when France came under attack in 1814, and he first joined I Corps before then commanding a brigade in the Young Guard. He served throughout the campaign until Napoleon's abdication in April.

The restored Bourbons initially put Bauduin on non-activity but then they gave him a brigade to command and named him a Knight of Saint Louis. Nevertheless when Napoleon returned from exile in 1815 for the Hundred Days, Bauduin rallied to him. Bauduin was named commander of the 1st Brigade of Jérôme Bonaparte's division. He served at the Battle of Quatre-Bras on June 16th and then the Battle of Waterloo on the 18th. During the fighting at Waterloo, he was killed in an attack on Hougoumont.

Bibliography

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

External Links:

Monuments to Bauduin

Updated April 2018