MenuGeneral Louis Anne Marie Gouré
Born: December 4, 1768
Place of Birth: Tonnerre, Yonne, France
Died: May 3, 1813
Cause of Death: Mortally wounded
Place of Death: Lutzen, Germany
Arc de Triomphe: GOURÉ on the east pillar
Pronunciation:
Like many others during the French Revolution, Louis Anne Marie Gouré, sometimes called Villemontée, joined the army as a volunteer. In September of 1791 he volunteered to join the 3rd Battalion of Yonne and before the week had passed he was a lieutenant. Gouré was sent to the Army of the North and it was there he began working with General Mortier. In 1794 he joined the Army of the Sambre and Meuse and in April of 1795 he was promoted to capitaine. In November of 1796 Gouré embarked at Brest on the ship Eole for the expedition to Ireland. With the failure of the expedition to land in Ireland, he disembarked in January at Brest. In 1798 Gouré was designated for the second expedition to Ireland and that July he embarked on the frigate Coquille. Unfortunately for him, his ship was caught by the British navy in October and after a naval battle he was taken prisoner. In March of 1799 Gouré returned to France on parole and in April of 1800 he became an aide-de-camp to Mortier.
In 1802 Gouré was promoted to chef de bataillon and in 1803 he followed Mortier to Hanover. The next year he was named an Officer of the Legion of Honor and in 1805 he served at the camp of Boulogne. As the Grande Armée marched east to confront the Third Coalition's forces, Gouré took part in the campaign. In July of 1806 Gouré was promoted to colonel and named premier aide-de-camp to Marshal Mortier. He continued to serve with Mortier and the Grande Armée in the following years and in 1808 he was named a Knight of the Order of Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria. That year Gouré also followed Mortier to Spain and in November of 1809 he distinguished himself at the Battle of Ocaña . Continuing to work with Mortier, in June of 1810 Gouré served as interim chief of staff of V Corps under Marshal Mortier. Two months later he was named a Knight of the Empire. In February of 1811 Gouré served at the Battle of the Gebora and afterwards he served at the Siege of Badajoz. That August he received a promotion to général de brigade and in October he returned to France to serve as chief of staff at the camp of Boulogne.
For the campaign against Russia of 1812, Gouré was named chief of staff to Marshal Ney's III Corps. He served in Russia and survived the retreat and in March of 1813 he was again named chief of staff of a newly rebuilt III Corps. In April Gouré was named a Baron of the Empire and in May he fought at the Battle of Lützen. During the battle he was mortally wounded by a shot to the lower abdomen and he died the next day.
Bibliography
Updated January 2020
© Nathan D. Jensen