MenuGeneral Victor-Urbain Rémond
Born: July 15, 1773
Place of Birth: Domfront, Orne, France
Died: December 23, 1859
Place of Death: Parnes, France
Arc de Triomphe: RÉMOND, V. on the south pillar
Pronunciation:
The son of a land surveyor, Victor-Urbain Rémond volunteered to join the 5th Battalion of Orne in September of 1792. Over the next two years he served in the Army of the North and the Army of the Moselle and in December of 1793 he served at the relief of Landau. In February of 1794 Rémond was made a sous-lieutenant at the school of engineers and only four months later he served at the Battle of Fleurus . In March of 1795 he joined the Army of the Rhine and Moselle and he was promoted to lieutenant, and afterwards he went on to serve at the Siege of Mainz and the combats nears Worms near Frankenthal. That July Rémond was promoted to capitaine. In September of 1796 Rémond was taken prisoner near Kehl and he was held until April of 1797 when he was released. In 1798 he served with the Army of the England and then in March of 1799 he joined the Army of the Danube and served at Ostrach and Liptingen. At the end of the year Rémond joined the Army of the Rhine and he went on to serve in Bavaria and at the siege of Ulm. After peace was achieved in 1801, he served first at Marseille and then at Saint-Malo.
When in 1805 the Grande Armée turned east to confront the threat of Austria and Russia, Rémond served on the campaign with the Cavalry Reserve. He served at Ulm and Austerlitz in 1805 and then in 1806 during the war with Prussia he served at Jena and Lübeck. In early 1807 Rémond was promoted to chef de bataillon and he served at Bergfried, Hoff, and Eylau. Shortly thereafter he was named chief of staff of engineers of Marshal Soult's IV Corps. When the campaign resumed later that year, Rémond served at the Battle of Heilsberg where he was bruised by a shot. Later he caught a Prussian battalion fleeing towards Koenigsberg and took them prisoner.
In November of 1808 Rémond joined the II Corps of the Army of Spain under Marshal Soult. During the campaign that followed, he served at Burgos, Sahagun, Lugo, and Corunna . In March of 1809 Rémond served at the action of Oporto and then that August he was wounded in the foot during the fighting at bridge of Arzobispo after the Battle of Talavera . The latter half of 1810 was a busy time for Rémond, as he was detached on the Rio Tinto to cover the blockade of Cadiz, he joined the general staff of the Army of the South, served at Villagarcia, and won at Huelva. In February of 1811 he served at Gebora and then in June he won at Sierra de Ronda. That August Rémond commanded the advance guard at Rio Barbata, he won at Pinos del Rey, and he was promoted to général de brigade. The next month he joined the V Corps of the Army of the South and then in October he took command of the 1st Brigade of Girard's 1st Division in Estramadure. In 1812 Rémond joined Drouet d'Erlon's 5th Division and he served in Andalusia. The next year he commanded a brigade of Leval's 1st Division and he fought at Vittoria in June. Two months later he was wounded by a shot to shoulder at Zugara-Murdi. In December of 1813 Rémond was named a Baron of the Empire and he was put on leave due to his wounds.
After Napoleon's abdication in April of 1814 and the Bourbon Restoration, Rémond was named a Knight of Saint Louis but also put on non-activity. He was given a position in the 5th military division in January of 1815. After Napoleon's triumphant return from exile and resumption of power for the Hundred Days, Rémond was elected a deputy of Orne in the Chamber of Representatives. However in June of that year he left the chamber to join the Army of the North. On June 18th, Rémond received an order from Marshal Soult to take command of Girard's division since Girard had been mortally wounded at the Battle of Ligny. He temporarily took command of the division before returning to take his seat in the Chamber of Representatives. After the second Bourbon Restoration, Rémond was put on non-activity.
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Updated March 2017
© Nathan D. Jensen