General Jean-Joseph-François-Léonard Damarzit de Laroche Sahuguet

Cavalry general of noble birth who served in Italy

Born: October 12, 1756

Place of Birth: Brive, Corrèze, France

Died: December 26, 1802

Cause of Death: Illness

Place of Death: Scarborough, Tobago

Arc de Triomphe: SAHUGUET on the west pillar

Pronunciation:

Of noble birth, Jean-Joseph-François-Léonard Damarzit de Laroche Sahuguet was a career cavalry soldier who initially joined the army in 1773. He was promoted to sous-lieutenant in 1776 and then capitaine in 1778. With the arrival of the Revolution, Sahuguet was appointed a lieutenant colonel of the 14th Dragoons in 1791 and the following year he was promoted to colonel of the same unit. Just a few months later Sahuguet received another promotion, this time to maréchal de camp. In 1793 he served in the Army of the Western Pyrenees and that March he and his men seized Vielle and Foy. That November Sahuguet was suspended from command due to his nobility and two months later he was arrested.

Sahuguet returned to the army in May of 1795 and he was promoted to général de division a month later. After being sent to command the 20th military division at Périgeux, in 1796 he was designated for the Army of the Rhine but instead he went to the Army of Italy that June. That August Sahuguet took command of Sérurier's division after both Sérurier and Fiorella fell ill, and he directed the blockade of Mantua and seized the bridge at Governolo. The next month he was repulsed at La Favorite and then fought at Saint-Georges before returning to the siege of Mantua. Over the next months Sahuguet was placed in charge of various cities and areas until the conclusion of the campaign in 1797.

In 1801 Sahuguet was named commander of the troops embarking on Admiral Ganteaume's fleet to relieve the French troops trapped in Egypt. Ultimately the expedition failed to reach Egypt and returned to France. In 1802 Sahuguet was named Captain General of Tobago and he sailed for his new post that year. After arriving in Tobago, he caught yellow fever and died later that year.

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 December 2014