General Jacques Desjardin

Général de division who was mortally wounded at Eylau

Born: February 18, 1759

Place of Birth: Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France

Died: February 11, 1807

Cause of Death: Mortally wounded

Place of Death: Landsberg, Poland

Arc de Triomphe: DESJARDINS on the east pillar

Pronunciation:

The son of a carriage driver, Jacques Jardin, called Desjardin, first enlisted in the army in late 1776 at age 17. By 1788 he had only risen to become a sergeant, but when the French Revolution got underway he would rise quickly. In February of 1790 Desjardin became the chief instructor of the National Guard of Angers and in April of 1792 he became a lieutenant colonel in command of the 2nd Battalion of Volunteers of Maine-et-Loire. Sent to the Army of the North, that November he served at Jemappes and Namur. In 1793 Desjardin received a promotion to général de brigade and he served in Jacques Ferrand's division at Maubeuge. In March of 1794 he became commander of Maubeuge and he was promoted to général de division. The next month Desjardin seized Beaumont and linked up with the Army of Ardennes, and then in May he commanded the right wing of the Army of the North. Next Desjardin took command of the Army of Ardennes and he led it until the dissolution of that army in September. He was then given command of a division in the Army of the Sambre and Meuse.

In April of 1795 Desjardin commanded the 1st Division during the siege of Luxembourg until that city finally surrendered. Afterwards he took command of the 2nd Division of the Army of the North at Mons and then he became commander of Bruges. In 1796 Desjardin led his division into Belgium and later he rejoined the Army of the Sambre and Meuse. Late that year he took command of the 3rd Division of the Army of Batavia, with which he would remain until 1801. In December of 1799 and July of 1800 he temporarily commanded the Army of Batavia before returning to command of a division.

In 1804 General Desjardin was given command of the 1st Division of the camp of Brest and he became a Commander of the Legion of Honor. When in 1805 the Grande Armée marched east to confront the Third Coalition, his division became the 1st Division of Marshal Augereau's VII Corps. The following year he fought at Jena, Kolozomb, and Golymin . In 1807 Desjardin fought at the Battle of Eylau where he was mortally wounded and his division was wiped out.

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 August 2024