Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau

Donatien -Marie- Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau ( * April 7, 1755 Paris, † October 20, 1813 in Leipzig, fallen) was a French general.

Donatien -Marie- Joseph de Vimeur was the son of Marshal Jean -Baptiste de Rochambeau ( * July 1, 1725 Vendôme † May 10, 1807 Thoré -la- Rochette ) and Jeanne Thérèse Tellez d' Acosta.

He took under the command of his father's part in the military expedition to North America in July 1792 and received command in the French West Indian colonies.

He submitted to Santo Domingo the rebels, drove in Martinique the royalists, including the English, and also freed Guadeloupe and St. Lucia, but was compelled by the English under General Grey in Fort Royal to surrender in March 1794.

In 1796 he was again sent by the Direktorialregierung to San Domingo for the suppression of the rebellion, yet was his force too small for the task. In 1802 he went with Leclerc for the third time to San Domingo to there restore the full sovereignty of France and re-establish slavery. The campaign began with great success and the leader of the locals, the black General Toussaint L' Ouverture was captured and deported to France. Thus, the fighting was not over, especially since the news of the re-introduction of slavery, the native mulattoes and blacks mustered more against France. As Leclerc died of yellow fever in November 1802 Rochambeau took over the supreme command.

In vain attempted to subdue by outrageous atrocities, the colored population of the island Rochambeau. The yellow fever weakened the French forces soon so much that Rochambeau had to surrender after the lost on November 18, 1803 Battle of vertieres with the remnants of his troops, the black general Jean -Jacques Dessalines. Dessalines then proclaimed the independence of Haiti, which was finally lost in order for France. On the way back to France Rochambeau fell into British captivity and was brought to England. In 1811 he was released as part of a prisoner exchange. In the campaign of 1813 he was given command of a division in the corps Lauristons. Rochambeau was wounded in the Battle of Leipzig on October 16, 1813 and died four days later.

From his marriage with Marie -Françoise de Harville, daughter of the Marquis de Trainel he left behind three children:

  • Augustine Eleonore (December 8, 1783 - ) married to Victor Merle, comte de La Gorce
  • Constance Theresa (November 27, 1784 - December 14, 1866 ), married to Alexandre de Valon by Boucheron, comte de Ambrugeac
  • Philippe -Auguste (January 26, 1787 - August 14, 1868 ), and later peer of France, married to Elisa Roque de Clausonnette

Honors

His name is inscribed on the eastern pillar of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in the 16th column.

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