General Blaise Duval de Hautmaret

General who served under Dumouriez in 1792 and spent much of his career in Montreuil

Born: September 4, 1739

Place of Birth: Abbeville, Somme, France

Died: January 17, 1803

Place of Death: Montreuil-sur-Mer, France

Arc de Triomphe: DUVAL on the north pillar

Pronunciation:

A career soldier, Blaise Duval de Hautmaret first joined the French army in 1758. Serving in Germany during the Seven Years War, he joined the volunteers of Soubise as a lieutenant of dragoons in March of 1762. Four years later Duval was promoted to capitaine in the legion of Soubise, and then in 1767 and 1768 he served in Corsica. A promotion to lieutenant colonel arrived for Duval in 1774, but two years later Duval left the legion of Soubise. In 1778 Duval was named a Knight of Saint Louis and the following year he was attached to the infantry with the 5th Chasseurs-Dragoons. In 1786 he was appointed lieutenant of the king at the citadel of Montreuil-sur-Mer.

After the upheaval surrounding the beginnings of the Revolution, in September of 1791 Duval became the lieutenant colonel of the 1st Battalion of Volunteers of the Somme. The following year he was promoted to colonel of the 6th Dragoons and then in August General Dumouriez promoted him to maréchal de camp and placed him in charge of the camp of Pont-sur-Sambre. The next month Duval served in Champagne under Dumouriez. Two months later he was assigned to the Army of Belgium under General Miranda, and in December he took command of Brussels.

In February of 1793 Duval was promoted to général de division and then the next month he took command at Lille before he was suspended. His suspension was short-lived as two months later he resumed a command, taking command of Arras, Péronne, Bapaume, Doullens, Saint-Pol, and Béthune. However, that September he was again suspended and he was not employed again for a number of years.

In 1797 General Duval returned to an active command when he was ordered to gather mobile columns along the coast of Montreuil to repel an English landing if necessary. He finished his career commanding a demi-brigade of veterans before his death in 1803.

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 April 2015