Jan Moro Talented French military leader Date of Birth: 14.02.1763 Country: France

Biography of Jean Victor Moreau

Jean Victor Moreau was a General of the First French Republic and the main opponent of Suvorov in the Italian Campaign. Born in 17, he joined the military at a young age. His father, a successful lawyer, tried to persuade him to leave the military and pursue a legal education, but the revolutionary wave pushed him back onto the military path.

During the formation of the National Republican Army, Moreau was elected commander of a battalion, which was part of the Northern Army. Within a year, Moreau was promoted to brigadier general, and later, to divisional general, replacing Scherer. It was in this rank that he faced Suvorov.

In a battle against Suvorov, Moreau was caught in doubt. He wondered if the Russians would launch their main attack at that location. He rode to the Grenier division, which was approaching the battle site, to inform them of his calculations. However, he was almost captured by the enemy. Despite this, he managed to escape and quickly ordered Grenier and Victor to take their positions. The French, reinforced by newly arrived battalions, immediately launched a counterattack.

The battle lasted for 12 hours, with the French stubbornly clinging to each line and eventually retreating, losing men, cannons, and banners. Suvorov could not help but acknowledge the skill of his opponent. Moreau achieved much in a short period of time, and his army avoided complete defeat.

However, it was not the defeat in that battle that defined Moreau's military career. The loss did not tarnish his reputation since he managed to preserve his army and later won a series of victories against the Austrians, culminating in a glorious triumph at Hohenlinden. From there, a direct path to Vienna was open, but Napoleon delayed giving the order. Rumors began to circulate that Napoleon, who was jealous of the growing fame of the most brilliant general of the republican army, simply did not want Moreau to achieve another victory. These rumors reached Moreau, and although he dismissed them, they left a mark in his memory, sometimes fading away but then reminding him of their existence.

After the victory at Hohenlinden, Moreau learned that General Bonaparte intended to become Emperor Napoleon. This offended Moreau's republican sentiments, and he refused to accept the Legion of Honor, which was bestowed on him. He distanced himself from politics, claiming that they were not suitable for conspiracies.

However, fate pushed Moreau into politics and conspiracies. It could be said that his love for his wife led him to conspire against Napoleon. But the vain beauty plotted against Bonaparte not out of an abundance of republican sentiments but because power and its accompanying benefits did not go to those she preferred. Moreau loved her unconditionally, but this feeling should not be given all-consuming significance. Moreau's ears were open, and he frequently heard people placing the victory at Hohenlinden above Napoleon's victory at Marengo - flatterers, what would life be like without you, but God, how insipid it would be. Moreau noticed that the regular patrons of the Tuileries Palace were becoming more ostentatious in their appearance. In response, he dressed simply, becoming an example of republican asceticism. He did not hold back his tongue, especially when he knew his words would be passed on to Napoleon. He referred to the Legion of Honor as the "order of the honorary saucepan," the ships intended for the invasion of England as "basins," and the famous Boulogne camp, where the advanced squads for the invasion were being trained, as the "bathing school."

Moreau's house gradually turned into the headquarters of all enemies of Bonaparte. However, Napoleon's police were much more resourceful than the former royal police. Moreau was arrested, and posters appeared on the streets of Paris proclaiming, "Innocent Moreau, the people's friend, the father of soldiers, in chains! The foreigner, the Corsican, became a usurper and a tyrant!" But the "tyrant" did not seek the blood of his general. Moreau was accused of conspiring against the government but was not guillotined or sent to hard labor. Instead, he was exiled.

Moreau set off for North America and lived in seclusion on the banks of the Delaware River for nearly ten years. In 1813, at the request of Russian Emperor Alexander I, the 50-year-old Moreau returned to Europe and the army. He fought in his final battle, the famous Battle of Dresden, where he lost both his legs.

While in exile on St. Helena, Napoleon told Count Las Cases, "I am saddened by Moreau's fame, who found death among the ranks of the enemy. If he had died for his country, I would have envied such a fate. He was blamed for his exile, but in the end, there were two of us, when only one was needed."

The French General Moreau was buried in the same city as the Russian military commander Suvorov - St. Petersburg.