 |
Jean LevalCount (5.4.1814), divisional general (30.7.1799)
Date of Birth: 18.04.1762
Country:  France |
Content:
- Early Life and Military Beginnings
- Military Career: Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
- Command Assignments and Campaigns
- Leadership in the Peninsular Campaign
- Later Career and Legacy
Jean François Leval: A Distinguished General of the French Revolution and Empire
Early Life and Military Beginnings
Jean François Leval was born on April 18, 1762, in Paris. He enlisted as a soldier in the Poitier Infantry Regiment on December 11, 1779, which later became the 25th Infantry Regiment. He fought in America from 1781 to 1783, earning distinction for his bravery at the Battle of Pensacola.
Military Career: Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
In July 1789, Leval became a sergeant in the National Guard. He was promoted to sergeant-major and sub-lieutenant on December 30, 1789, and to lieutenant on December 30, 1790. He commanded the 1st Battalion of Parisian volunteers from July 27, 1791.
Leval's military reputation soared during the French Revolutionary Wars. He became commander of the 99th Infantry Regiment on March 12, 1793, and distinguished himself in the Ardennes campaign. He was promoted to brigadier general on October 2, 1793, and fought in the Battle of Fleurus under General Jean-Baptiste Kléber.
From 1799, Leval served in the Mainz army and was appointed commander of the 4th Division of General Louis Henri Loison's corps on March 21, 1800. He participó in the Battle of Landau before resigning his command and retiring in September 1800.
Command Assignments and Campaigns
In 1803, Leval was appointed commander of the 5th Military District in Strasbourg. He was tasked with organizing the arrest of the Duke of Elchingen in March 1804. From January 24, 1806, he commanded a division under Marshal François Kellermann on the Rhine.
Leval joined the Grande Armée under Marshal Soult, commanding the 2nd Division of the 4th Corps on July 16, 1806. He distinguished himself at the battles of Jena and Lübeck. He served as governor of Thorn from December 7, 1806, until returning to Thorn on May 15, 1807.
In January 1808, Leval became commander of the 14th Military District. He was appointed commander of a German-dominated division in Metz on August 18, 1808, and fought in Spain from September 7, 1808, under Marshal Lefebvre.
Leadership in the Peninsular Campaign
Leval's division fought in the battles of Durango, Guéna, and Valmaceda. In March 1809, his division was placed under the command of Marshal Nicolas Charles Oudinot. He fought successfully at Meza d'Ibor and Modelina.
From May 1809, Leval served in General Horace Sebastiani's corps and distinguished himself in the battles of Talavera, Almaraz, and Ocaña. In 1810, he fought under Marshal Claude Victor in Cadiz.
On April 11, 1811, Leval replaced Sebastiani as commander of the 4th Corps of the Army of Spain, which became the Army of Andalusia in July 1811. He won the Battle of Chiclana (Juardiaro) on November 26, 1811, and defeated General Francisco Ballesteros at San Roque on November 28. He besieged the fortress of Tarifa and forced its surrender on January 4, 1812.
Later Career and Legacy
After the abdication of Napoleon in 1814, Leval served as general inspector of infantry in the 21st and 22nd Military Districts. He retired on September 1, 1814. He briefly returned to service under Napoleon during the Hundred Days, serving as governor of Dunkirk from May 11, 1815.
After the Bourbon Restoration, Leval was arrested but later released. He served again as general inspector of infantry in the 5th and 6th Military Districts from 1817 to 1818. Leval retired from active service on January 1, 1819.
Jean François Leval died in Paris on August 7, 1834. His distinguished military career included service in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. He was recognized for his bravery, leadership, and contributions to the French military.
