General Jacques Ferrand

Army commander during the Revolution in 1793 and 1794

Born: November 14, 1746

Place of Birth: Ormoy, Haute-Saône, France

Died: September 30, 1804

Place of Death: Amance, France

Arc de Triomphe: FERRAND on the north pillar

Pronunciation:

A career soldier, Jacques Ferrand enlisted in the French infantry in 1765. In 1776 he was promoted to sergeant-major but he would not become an officer until the Revolution arrived. In April of 1791 Ferrand was promoted to sous-lieutenant and named a Knight of Saint Louis. Five months later he was promoted to lieutenant and then in 1792 he was promoted to capitaine and placed with the Army of the Ardennes. In March of 1793 Ferrand received a promotion to chef de bataillon and he later went on to serve with the Army of the North. That August he was promoted to général de brigade by the representatives of the people, having skipped the rank of chef de brigade. A month later Ferrand was appointed commander of Dunkirk and then promoted to général de division, having ascended the officer ranks in a little over two years. Shortly thereafter he took command of the Army of the Ardennes and remained in command until December when he was named commander of a division in the Army of the North.

In January of 1794 General Ferrand was named commander of the Army of the North and he held that position until General Pichegru's arrival in February. Once Pichegru had arrived, Ferrand retook command of a division in the Army of the North and later took command of a wing of the army. After the army was reorganized into the Army of the Sambre and Meuse in late June, Ferrand took command of a corps of 15,000 soldiers and invested Landrecies. Falling ill that July July, he was replaced in his command and then appointed commander at Brussels in August when he was well enough to return to duty.

In May of 1795 Ferrand joined the Army of the Rhine as commander of the 6th military division at Besançon. The following year he was relieved of command and briefly imprisoned before Carnot secured his release. Though a free man, Ferrand retired from the army and then decided to enter politics. In April of 1797 he was elected a deputy of Haute-Saône to the Council of Five Hundred but that September his election was annulled by the coup of 18 Fructidor that reorganized the government. In 1800 Ferrand returned to the army to command veterans in Franche-Comté and then in 1802 he retired again.

Please see the Appendix about the name FERRAND on the Arc de Triomphe.

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 February 2015