General Jean Pierre Henry

Officer of the gendarmerie who pursued insurgents

Born: October 1, 1757

Place of Birth: Saint-Laurent, Meuse, France

Died: February 22, 1835

Place of Death: Verdun, France

Pronunciation:

Enlisting in the dragoons in 1778, Jean Pierre Henry wasn't commissioned until January of 1792 when he was promoted to sous-lieutenant. Serving in the Army of the Moselle, he was promoted to lieutenant in May of 1793 and then that November he was taken prisoner at Blieskastel. Once released, Henry joined the Army of the Sambre and Meuse which he remained with through much of 1797. In April of 1797 he fought at Altenkirchen where he was wounded by a shot to the cheek. Four months later he was promoted to capitaine. In 1799 Henry joined the Army of Switzerland and that June he was wounded by a shot to the shoulder near Zurich.

After peace was obtained, in 1801 Henry joined the gendarmerie and in 1802 he was promoted to chef d'escadrons. He served on the campaigns in Prussia in 1806 and Poland in 1807. In 1808 he was sent to Spain where he was promoted to major colonel. Henry next went to Germany to serve during the Danube campaign of 1809 and during that campaign he was named a Baron of the Empire. Afterwards he returned to France where he was named a colonel of the Gendarmerie of the Imperial Guard in 1810. In 1811 Henry served under Lemarois in a mobile column sent to search for insurgents. The next year he was promoted to général de brigade and named a Commander of the Legion of Honor. In January of 1813 Henry was ordered to direct the mobile columns in the Sarthe and Mayenne. He served in Germany during the campaigns of 1813 and then in November he was sent to pursue insurgents in Belgium. In 1814 he served in France and in July of 1815 after the Hundred Days he retired.

Bibliography

Six, Georges. Dictionnaire Biographique des Généraux & Amiraux Français de la Révolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814). 2 vols. Paris: Gaston Saffroy, 2003.

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Updated February 2018