General Augustin Daniel Belliard

Chief of staff to Marshal Murat and others

Born: May 25, 1769

Place of Birth: Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée, France

Died: January 28, 1832

Cause of Death: Apoplexy

Place of Death: Brussels, Belgium

Arc de Triomphe: BELLIARD on the south pillar

Pronunciation:

The son of a prosecutor in the royal court of Fontenay, Augustin Daniel Belliard helped to form a company of young citizens in 1789 which two years later would become part of the National Guard. At the end of 1791 he was elected a capitaine the 1st Battalion of Volunteers of the Vendée. The next year Belliard joined Dumouriez's staff and he served at Valmy before distinguishing himself at Jemappes . In March of 1793 he was promoted to chef de bataillon and then he went on to fight at Neerwinden . That July Belliard was suspended from his position due to his association with Dumouriez who had defected a few months earlier. A little over a year later in August of 1794 Belliard was authorized to return to military service as a volunteer in the 3rd Chasseurs à Cheval and in 1795 he received a promotion to chef de brigade. In February of 1796 he was designated for the Army of Italy and in June he became Sérurier's chief of staff. Belliard fought at Castiglione , Saint-Georges, and Verona before being wounded at Caldiero. Nevertheless, he continued to serve and he distinguished himself at the bridge at Arcola where Napoleon Bonaparte promoted him to général de brigade on the battlefield. In January of 1797 Belliard joined Joubert's division and he served at Trente later that month and then in March he served at Lavis, Neumarkt, and Mittelwald.

Designated for the Army of England in early 1798, General Belliard instead seized Civita Vecchia and then traveled to Naples. Now designated for the Army of the Orient, he was given command of the 1st Brigade of Desaix's division. Belliard took part in the action on Malta where he took Fort Rohan. After disembarking in Egypt, Belliard fought at Alexandria and the Battle of the Pyramids . In 1799 he fought at Sediman, Assouan, Girgeh, Philé, Kous, Benouth, and Kosseir. He also defeated Murad Bey at Sapht-Rhachim, pushing that adversary to ask for peace. After Desaix left to return to France, Belliard joined Friant's division and in March of 1800 he fought at Héliopolis, Belbeis, and Korain. He continued to serve in combat, winning at Schouara and retaking Damietta but then being wounded in the stomach at Cairo. General Kléber promoted Belliard to général de division that April, and in June Belliard became governor of Cairo. In May of 1801 Belliard won at El-Zouameh and then he was besieged at Cairo by the Turks and British, eventually being forced to surrender in June but with honorable terms. Throughout his time in Egypt, Belliard had grown an interest in archaeology and assisted the scholars on the expedition, eventually publishing a history of the expedition.

Once back in France, Belliard was given command of the 24th military division at Brussels. When the Grande Armée marched east in 1805, Belliard was named chief of staff to Marshal Murat. In this position he distinguished himself at Wertingen in October and Amstetten in November. When Marshals Murat and Lannes daringly attempted to talk their way into possession of the valuable Tabor Bridge, Belliard accompanied them and participated in the successful ruse. After that success, Belliard went on to fight at Austerlitz.

For the campaign of 1806 against Prussia, Belliard continued to serve as Murat's chief of staff. In October he fought at Jena and Erfurt and then concluded the surrender of Prentzlow. Continuing on, in November he served at Lübeck and then in December he served at Golymin . In 1807 he fought at Eylau, and then when the campaign resumed in the summer, he fought at Heilsberg and Friedland.

In 1808 Belliard traveled to Spain, continuing as Murat's chief of staff. In August when Murat left to become King of Naples, Belliard did not follow him, instead becoming chief of staff to Marshal Jourdan. From December of 1808 to December of 1810 he served as the governor of Madrid. In the meantime he was named a Count of the Empire.

Belliard returned to France in late 1811, and when Murat rejoined the army to take command of the Cavalry Reserve for the campaign against Russia, Belliard resumed his position as Murat's chief of staff. During the campaign he served at Koukviaki, Ostrowno, Witebsk, Smolensk , and Borodino. The day after Borodino he was wounded in the leg by a ball near Mojaisk. Belliard survived the retreat and returned to France at the end of February of 1813. In June of 1813 he was attached to Marshal Berthier's staff and in October he fought at Leipzig where a ball shattered his left arm. Despite this wound, he fought at Hanau on October 30th.

During the defense of France of 1814, General Belliard fought at Montmirail Château-Thierry in February and at Laon in March. Next he was given command of two divisions of cavalry, and he served with them at Fère-Champenoise and Paris. When Paris was surrendered to the Allies, Belliard went to Napoleon to give him the bad news.

After Napoleon's abdication, Belliard was fairly well treated, becoming a Knight of Saint Louis, Peer of France, and inspector general of cuirassiers. He was also awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. In March of 1815 as Napoleon returned from Elba and began his triumphant march to Paris, Belliard accompanied King Louis XVIII to Beauvais and then returned to Paris. After he rallied to Napoleon, Napoleon then sent him as a special envoy to Murat in Italy. Belliard traveled to Italy, leaving France in April and arriving in May to meet with Murat. Murat's loss of the Battle of Tolentino changed the political situation and Belliard returned to France at the end of May. Once back in France he took command of the 3rd and 4th military divisions and a corps of the National Guard on the Moselle.

After Napoleon's second abdication, Belliard was arrested and imprisoned at l'Abbaye in November. He was finally released in June of 1816 and in 1819 he was reinstated as a Peer of France. In 1830 Belliard was sent to Austria to announce Louis Philippe's rise to power and in 1831 he began serving as ambassador to Brussels. He died there the following year.

Bibliography

External Links:

Monuments to Belliard

Updated September 2024