General Joseph Antoine René Joubert

Infantry commander who served in many campaigns

Born: November 11, 1772

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

Died: April 23, 1843

Place of Death: Paris, France

Arc de Triomphe: JOUBERT, J. on the north pillar

Pronunciation:

The son of a merchant, Joseph Antoine René Joubert joined the 1st Battalion of Volunteers of Maine-et-Loire in September of 1791. A year later he served at the defense of Verdun and then in November of 1792 he served at the Battle of Jemappes . Joubert served with the Army of the North and in February of 1793 he served at the Siege of Maestricht. From May to July he served at the defense of Valenciennes and then in August he was sent to Lyon to serve against insurgents. Next Joubert served with the Army of the Alps where in February of 1794 he was promoted to sous-lieutenant and then lieutenant. In 1796 he served with the Army of Italy where he served as an aide-de-camp to General Joubert. During the campaign that year he served at Dego , Ceva, Mondovi, Lodi , Castiglione , Arcola , and then in January of 1797 at Rivoli . In October of 1797 Joubert received a promotion to capitaine in the 85th of the Line.

In 1798 Joubert joined the Army of the Orient and he sailed with them to Egypt. After arriving in Egypt, he served at Chebreiss and then the Battle of the Pyramids . In January of 1799 he joined the regiment of dromedaries. Next Joubert took part in the expedition to Syria and he served at the Siege of El-Arisch where he was wounded by two shots to the thighs. He went on to serve at the Siege of Jaffa and the Siege of Acre, and then once the army returned to Egypt he fought at the Battle of Abukir. Joubert remained in Egypt and in March of 1800 he served at the Battle of Heliopolis. In 1801 he became an aide-de-camp to General Lagrange and then later that year he returned to France with the Army of the Orient. At the end of the year he was promoted to chef de bataillon in the 64th of the Line.

In 1803 Joubert was sent to the camp of Wimereux to serve with the Army of the Coasts of the Ocean. When the army marched east in 1805, Joubert served with Marshal Lannes' V Corps. He served at Ulm in October and then he fought at the Battle of Austerlitz where he was grievously wounded by a cannonball to the left foot. In January of 1806 Joubert was promoted to colonel but he was not given command of a regiment. Instead he was placed with the 64th of the Line and he fought at the Battle of Jena in October of 1806.

In November of 1808 Joubert finally received command of a regiment, the 30th of the Line. He and his men joined Lacour's Brigade in Morand's Division in Germany. When Austria attacked Bavaria in 1809, Joubert served during the Danube campaign, fighting at Eckmühl and Aspern-Essling . That July he fought at the Battle of Wagram where he was wounded by a shot to the left leg. A month later Joubert received the title of Baron of the Empire.

In August of 1811 Joubert was promoted to général de brigade. For the campaign against Russia of 1812, he took command of the 2nd Brigade of Razout's 11th Division in Marshal Ney's III Corps. During the campaign he served at Smolensk , the Battle of Borodino, and the Battle of the Berezina, and he was named a Commander of the Legion of Honor. After surviving the retreat from Russia, Joubert joined Bonet's division in Marshal Marmont's VI Corps. He served at the Battle of Lützen and then in August he took command of the 2nd Brigade of Compans' 20th Division of VI Corps. With this division Joubert served at the Battle of Dresden, the Battle of Leipzig , and the Battle of Hanau.

At the end of 1813 Joubert joined Lagrange's division for the defense of France. Serving in Champagne, he fought at Brienne, La Rothière, Montmirail , Vauchamps , and Fère-Champenoise . The restored Bourbons named him a Knight of Saint Louis and gave him command of the département of Corrèze, and when Napoleon returned to power in 1815 for the Hundred Days Napoleon left Joubert in this position.

Bibliography

Updated August 2019