General Jacques-François Brun

Général de brigade who was killed at Caldiero

Born: January 11, 1762

Place of Birth: Arcey, Doubs, France

Died: October 31, 1805

Cause of Death: Killed in action

Place of Death: Caldiero, Italy

Pronunciation:

A career soldier, Jacques-François Brun began his military career by enlisting in 1783. The Revolution sparked new opportunities for enlisted soldiers and in August of 1792 he was elected a capitaine of the 9th Battalion of Volunteers of Doubs. Within a month Brun was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and for the next few years he served with the Army of the Rhine and later the Army of the Moselle. In November of 1793 he fought at the combat of Kaiserslautern, and then Brun's next big battle came in 1794 when he served at the Battle of Fleurus . With the reorganizing of the army, Brun was placed with the Army of the Sambre and Meuse and he went on to fight at Ourthe, Aldenhoven, and the Siege of Luxembourg. In September of 1795 Brun served during the crossing of the Rhine at Dusseldorf before fighting at Lahn and Limbourg. In 1796 he saw plenty of action, fighting at Altenkirchen, Wetzlar, and Friedberg and then receiving a promotion to chef de brigade.

During the fall of 1798, Brun was sent to the Army of Italy, and the next summer he distinguished himself at the Trebbia in June. Two months later he fought at the Battle of Novi , and then in November served at Fossano and Mondovi. Still serving with the Army of Italy in 1800, Brun served throughout the Siege of Genoa under General Masséna and received his share of wounds. On April 14th, he was hit by a ball to the right arm at the bridge of Sturla, and then on May 12th was wounded by a shot to the neck. His contributions were recognized though, for in May he was promoted to général de brigade. Brun finished out the year by commanding a brigade of infantry under General Suchet at Borghetto in December.

During the years of peace that followed, Brun was stationed with the French troops serving in the Cisalpine Republic. In 1804 he was honored, being named a Commander of the Legion of Honor. When war was declared in 1805, he continued to serve in Italy, taking command of the 1st Brigade of Verdier's division of the advance guard of the Army of Italy. That October he was serving at the Battle of Caldiero when he was killed by a shot.

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 October 2015