Jean-Baptiste Bessières

Jean-Baptiste Bessières was born at Prayssac, in the Lot, on 6 August 1768. A soldier in 1792, he served under Bonaparte in Italy and Egypt. At Acre, he was wounded. At Aboukir, he charged with Murat at the head of the guides. In 1804, Napoleon appointed him marshal and colonel general of the Imperial Guard cavalry — the horse chasseurs and horse grenadiers. Bessières embodied the ideal soldier: brave, discreet, loyal, without political ambition. He commanded the Guard cavalry at Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau — where his charges helped stabilise the front —, Friedland. Duke of Istria in 1809. In Spain, he defeated the Spaniards at Medina de Rioseco. In 1812, he covered the flank during the Russian campaign; his squadrons were committed sparingly — the Emperor preserved his reserve.

On 1 May 1813, the Grand Army prepared to face the Coalition at Lützen. Bessières was carrying out a reconnaissance near the village of Rippach, in Saxony. A stray cannonball — or an isolated shot — struck him in the chest. He died instantly. He was forty-four. The news reached Napoleon at the bivouac. The Emperor, who rarely wept, broke down in tears. He dictated to Berthier: « Bessières lived like Bayard, he died like Turenne. » The Grand Army bulletin announced the loss in mournful terms. The Guard officers went into mourning.

His death came at the worst moment. The 1813 German campaign would be marked by indecisive battles — Lützen, Bautzen, Leipzig. Bessières would have been invaluable for coordinating the cavalry and supporting the army corps. Napoleon found no equal successor. The marshal had known how to remain in the shadows while being indispensable: a rare type among the Marshals of the Empire, many of whom sought glory and titles. Bessières, for his part, asked only to serve.

Bessières entered Napoleonic history in 1796. A sub-lieutenant in Bonaparte's guides, he followed the general to Italy then Egypt. At Acre, in 1799, he was wounded during the assaults against the walls defended by the Turks and Sidney Smith's British. At Aboukir, he charged with Murat at the head of the guides — one of the most famous cavalry charges of the Revolutionary Wars. Bonaparte noticed him: discreet, brave, without jealousy towards other officers. In 1804, when Napoleon constituted the Imperial Guard, Bessières was the obvious choice for the cavalry.

The marshal embodied a rare ideal: the soldier who sought neither titles nor independent commands. He remained in the Emperor's shadow, always within reach. At Eylau, in February 1807, his squadrons charged through the snow to plug the breach opened by the Russians; the counter-attack saved an army corps threatened with encirclement. At Wagram, in 1809, he covered the manoeuvres of Masséna and Davout. Napoleon granted him total trust — and Bessières returned it with unwavering loyalty. This symbiosis explains the shock of his death: at Rippach, the Emperor lost more than a lieutenant; he lost a brother-in-arms.