Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle
Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle ( born May 10, 1775 in Metz, Moselle, † July 6, 1809 at the Battle of Wagram ) was a French cavalry general during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Better known he is today under the name " The Hussar General ." He is considered the greatest general of light cavalry of his time.
Childhood and youth
Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle was born on 10 May 1775 in Metz. His parents, Pierre Nicolas de Lasalle d' Augny, an officer of the royal French army, and Suzanne Dupuy de la Gaule, belonged to the lesser nobility.
Showed early his military interest. At the age of eleven he became a lieutenant of the reserve of infantry Régiment d' Alsace.
During the Revolution he was on May 25, 1791 Lieutenant 24e Régiment in de cavalry ( 24 Kavallarieregiment ). Until then, it was a privilege of the nobility to become an officer. But this was abolished by the 1792 revolution. Since he was of noble birth, he lost his command. But he remained loyal to France and traveled to Paris, where he joined the Section des Piques battalion, which belonged to the National Guard. In 1793 he voluntarily resigned the Armée du Nord at the 23e Régiment de Chasseurs à Cheval ( Mounted Hunters ). The fact that he at the top of some Chasseurs attack an enemy battery during a battle and took General of the Army became aware of him and wanted to make him an officer, but Lasalle refused, saying it would dissociate these carriage of his men.
Italian campaign
On March 10, 1795 Lasalle received the rank of lieutenant again and was adjutant of General Francois -Christophe Kellermann. On May 6, 1795 he joined the army in Italy and was appointed on 7 November 1796 captain. During the Battle of Vicenza on 17 December 1796, he attacked the head of 18 horsemen of 100 Austrian hussars and beat them to flight.
Since he was scouting behind the Austrian lines for Napoleon and was able to provide him with information, it was made by him on January 6, 1797 the leader of a squadron.
Egyptian campaign
After the Italian campaign was finished, Lasalle joined the Eastern Army. With it, he took part in the Battle of the Pyramids on July 21, 1798. There he cut the Mamluks from the retreat. For this he was appointed by Napoleon the leader of the 22e Demi- Brigade de Chasseurs à Cheval. Then he moved with Louis Charles Antoine Desaix with and fought on 11 August 1798 in the Battle of Salalieh. In the battle of Rémedieh he saved General Louis -Nicolas Davout. Shortly after, he attacked the leader of the Mamluks, Osman Bey and forced the enemy to flee. Then he was still struggling with Samanhout and Gehmi and was eventually sent to Lower Egypt, where he secured communication.