General Pierre Charles Lochet

Général de brigade who was killed at Eylau

Born: February 4, 1767

Place of Birth: Châlons-sur-Marne, Marne, France

Died: February 8, 1807

Cause of Death: Killed in action

Place of Death: Eylau, Prussia

Arc de Triomphe: LOCHET on the north pillar

Pronunciation:

The son of a merchant, Pierre Charles Lochet first joined the military as a fusilier in the Queen's Regiment at age 17 in 1784. Five years later in June of 1789 he quit the service, only to return in September of 1791 when he joined the 2nd Battalion of Volunteers of Marne and was elected a capitaine. After serving at the camp of Givet, he went to the Army of the North in 1793 and was promoted to chef de bataillon in 1794. Later that year Lochet joined the Army of the West and then he eventually ended up with the Army of the Coasts of the Ocean where he was promoted to chef de brigade of the 94th of the Line in 1796.

In November of 1796 Lochet embarked on the ship Trajan as part of the expedition to Ireland led by General Hoche. Two years later he was appointed to the Army of England and that May he led his men in successfully repulsing the British at Ostend and taking 2000 prisoners. In 1799 Lochet joined the Army of the Danube and in 1800 he joined the Army of the Rhine. Serving in Molitor's brigade, Lochet fought at Messkirch and Memmingen that May, Feldkirch in July, and then at Kremsmunster in December.

Lochet's next major career advancement came in 1803 when he joined the Army of Hanover and he was promoted to général de brigade. In 1804 he was employed at the Camp of Bruges and named a Commander of the Legion of Honor. As the Grande Armée marched east in 1805 to confront the Third Coalition, Lochet assumed command of the 1st Brigade of Friant's division in III Corps. He served throughout the campaign that year and he fought at Austerlitz. The next year Lochet continued to serve in Friant's division and he fought at Auerstädt and Nasielsk. At the Battle of Eylau in February of 1807, Lochet was killed by a ball to the forehead.

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 April 2023