MenuGeneral Jean-Pierre de Jouffroy
Born: July 20, 1766
Place of Birth: Boulot, Haute-Saône, France
Died: September 30, 1846
Place of Death: Lille, France
Arc de Triomphe: JOUFFROY on the west pillar
Pronunciation:
Enlisting as a cannonier in the artillery regiment of La Fère in 1781, Jean-Pierre de Jouffroy was well experienced with artillery before the Revolution. In 1792 he served in the Army of the North, took part in the sieges of Namur and Maestricht, and was promoted to lieutenant. The next year Jouffroy commanded the artillery at the defense of Valenciennes where he was wounded twice during that siege. Later in 1793 he directed the artillery batteries during the Siege of Lyon and afterwards he was sent to the Army of the Western Pyrenees. In November of 1793 Jouffroy served at the Siege of Fontarabie where he was wounded. A promotion to capitaine came in February of 1794 and then in September of 1795 he joined the Army of the Coasts of Brest. In 1796 Jouffroy was designated as deputy director of the artillery of the expedition to Ireland. After the failure of that expedition, he continued to serve in the army and was promoted to chef de bataillon in June of 1797. Jouffroy next became deputy director of artillery at Belle-Isle-en-Mer where he served until March of 1800. At that time he was sent briefly to Corsica and then named deputy director of artillery at Landau.
In 1803 Jouffroy served in Holland and he was promoted to colonel and named director of artillery at Lille. When the campaign against the Third Coalition began in 1805, Jouffroy was named director of the artillery park of Marshal Davout's III Corps, a position he would hold for several years. He served on the campaign that fall and took part in the Battle of Austerlitz. In 1806 he continued to serve under Marshal Davout and he fought against the Prussians at the Battle of Auerstadt, and then in 1807 he served at the Battle of Eylau. In July of 1807 Jouffroy was recognized as a Commander of the Legion of Honor. He continued to command Davout's artillery park, and in 1809 he took part in the Danube campaign against Austria and he fought at the Battle of Wagram . At the end of the year Jouffroy was named a Baron of the Empire.
In 1811 Jouffroy was promoted to général de brigade and then in 1812 he became director of the artillery park of Marshal Davout's I Corps. He served throughout the campaign against Russia of that year, serving at Borodino, Krasnoe, and the Berezina. Having survived the retreat from Russia, Jouffroy took command of the artillery formed at Wesel in April of 1813. That June he served briefly with I Corps before joining his familiar commander Marshal Davout and taking command of the artillery of XIII Corps and the defense of Hamburg. Jouffroy served at Hamburg until after Napoleon's abdication in April of 1814, and after returning to France he took command of the artillery school at Douai and was named a Knight of Saint Louis. When Napoleon returned from exile to assume power during the Hundred Days of 1815, Napoleon employed Jouffroy in the defense of Paris. After Napoleon's second abdication, Jouffroy retired in October of 1815.
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Updated August 2016
© Nathan D. Jensen