See also:

• JEAN

JEAN See also:

• BAPTISTE

BAPTISTE See also:

• JEAN BAPTISTE BESSITRES

BESSITRES  , See also:

• DUKE (corresponding to Fr. duc, Ital. duca, Ger. Herzog)

duke of See also:

• ISTRIA (Ger. Istrien)

Istria (1768-1813), See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French See also:

• MARSHAL (med. Lat. marescalcus, from O.H.Ger. marah, horse, and scalc, servant)

marshal, was See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born near See also:

• CAHORS

Cahors in 1768 . He served for a See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time in the " Constitutional Guard " of See also:

• LOUIS
• LOUIS (804–876)
• LOUIS (893–911)
• LOUIS, JOSEPH DOMINIQUE, BARON (1755-1837)
• LOUIS, or LEWIS (from the Frankish Chlodowich, Chlodwig, Latinized as Chlodowius, Lodhuwicus, Lodhuvicus, whence-in the Strassburg oath of 842-0. Fr. Lodhuwigs, then Chlovis, Loys and later Louis, whence Span. Luiz and—through the Angevin kings—Hungarian

Louis XVI. and as a non-commissioned officer took See also:

• PART

part in the See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

war against See also:

• SPAIN
• SPAIN (Espana)

Spain . In the See also:

• ARMY
• ARMY (from Fr. armee, Lat. armata)

Army of the Eastern See also:

• PYRENEES [Span. Pirineos, Fr. Pyrenees]

Pyrenees and in the Army of the Moselle he repeatedly distinguished himself for valour, and in 1796, as See also:

• CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

captain, he served in See also:

• BONAPARTE

Bonaparte's See also:

• ITALIAN

Italian See also:

• CAMPAIGN

campaign . At Roveredo his conduct brought him to his See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief's See also:

• NOTICE

notice, and after Rivoli he was sent to See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France to deliver the captured See also:

• COLOURS, MILITARY

colours to the See also:

• DIRECTORY

Directory . Hastening back to the front, he accompanied See also:

• NAPOLEON

Napoleon in the invasion of See also:

• STYRIA (German, Steiermark or Steyermark)

Styria in command of the " Guides," who formed the See also:

• NUCLEUS (Lat. for the kernal of a nut, nux, the stone of fruit)

nucleus of the later Consular and Imperial Guard . As chef de See also:

• BRIGADE (Fr. and Ger. brigade, Ital. brigata, Span. brigada; the English use of the word dates from the early 17th century)

brigade he next served in the See also:

• EGYPTIAN

Egyptian expedition, and won further distinction at See also:

• ACRE
• ACRE, or AQUIRY

Acre and See also:

• ABOUKIR

Aboukir . Returning to See also:

• EUROPE

Europe with Napoleon, he was See also:

• PRESENT

present at See also:

• MARENGO

Marengo (1800) as second-in-command of the Consular Guard, and led a brilliant and successful See also:

• CAVALRY (Fr. cavalerie, Ger. Kavallerie or Reiterei, derived ultimately from late Lat. caballus, horse)

cavalry See also:

• CHARGE
• CHARGE (through the Fr. from the Late Lat. carricare, to load in a carrus or wagon; cf. " cargo ")

charge at the See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close of the See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day, though its effect on the See also:

• BATTLE

battle was not as decisive as Napoleon pretended . Promoted See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general of See also:

• DIVISION (from Lat. dividere, to break up into parts, separate)

division in 1802 and marshal of France in 1804, he made the most famous See also:

• CAMPAIGNS

campaigns of the Grande ArmOe as See also:

• COLONEL (derived either from Lat. column, Fr. colonne, column, or Lat. corona, a crown)

colonel-general of the Guard Cavalry (1805, 18o6, r8o7) . In 1805 he had received the See also:

• GRAND

Grand See also:

• EAGLE (Fr. aigle, from the Lat. aquila)

Eagle of the See also:

• LEGION (Lat. legio)

Legion of See also:

• HONOUR (Lat. honos or lwnor, honoris; in English the word was spelled with or without the u indifferently until the 17th century, but during the 18th century it became fashion-able to spell the word " honor "; Johnson's and Webster's Dictionaries stereoty

Honour, and in 1800 was created duke of Istria . With the outbreak of the See also:

• PENINSULAR

Peninsular War, Marshal Bessieres had his first opportunity of an See also:

• INDEPENDENT

independent command, and his crushing victory over the Spaniards at See also:

• MEDINA
• MEDINA, JOSE TORIBIO (1852- )

Medina del Rio Seco (18o8) justified Napoleon's choice . When disaster in other parts of the See also:

• THEATRE (BEarpov, " a place for seeing," from OeacOae)

theatre of war called Napoleon himself to the See also:

• PENINSULA
• PENINSULA (Lat. paeninsula, from paene, almost, and insula, an island)

Peninsula, Bessieres continued to give the See also:

• EMPEROR (Fr. empereur, from the Lat. imperator)

emperor the very greatest assistance in his campaign . In 1809 he was again with the Grande Armee in the See also:

• DANUBE (Ger. Donau, Hungarian Duna, Rumanian Dunarea, Lat. Danubius or Danuvius, and in the lower part of its course Ister)

Danube valley .

At Essling his repeated and desperate charges checked the Austrians in the full See also:

• TIDE (O. Eng. lid, cf. Ger. Zeit, time or season, connected with root of Sanskrit a-diti, endless)

tide of their success . At See also:

• WAGRAM (DEUTSCH-WAGRAM)

Wagram he had a See also:

• HORSE (a word common to Teutonic languages in such forms as hors, hros, ros; cf. the Ger. ross)

horse killed under him . Replacing Bernadotte in the command of the Army of the See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

North, a little later in the same See also:

• YEAR

year, the newly-created duke of Istria successfully opposed the See also:

• BRITISH

British Walcheren expedition, and in 1811 he was back again, in a still more important command, in Spain . As 1\Iassena's second-in-command he was present at the battle of Fuentes d'Onoro, but Napoleon never detached him for very See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long, and in 1812 he commanded the Guard Cavalry at See also:

• BORODINO

Borodino and in the See also:

• RETREAT (O. Fr. retrete, mod. retraite, from Lat. retrahere, to draw back)

retreat from See also:

• MOSCOW (Russian Moskva)
• MOSCOW, (Russian Moskva)

Moscow . Wherever engaged he won further distinction, and at the beginning of the 1813 campaign he was appointed to the command of the whole of Napoleon's cavalry . Three days after the opening of the campaign, while reconnoitring the See also:

• DEFILE

defile of Poserna-Rippach, Bessieres was killed by a See also:

• MUSKET (Fr. mousquet, Ger. Muskete, &c.)

musket-See also:

• BALL (in Mid. Eng. bal; the word is probably cognate with " bale," Teutonic in origin, cf. also Lat. falls, and Gr. 7raXXa)
• BALL, JOHN (1585-1640)
• BALL, JOHN (1818-1889)
• BALL, JOHN (d. 1381)
• BALL, SIR ALEXANDER JOHN, BART
• BALL, THOMAS (1819- )

ball . Napoleon, who deeply See also:

• FELT (cognate with Ger. Filz, Du. vilt, Swed. and Dan. fill; the root is unknown; the word has given Med. Lat. filtrum, " filter ")

felt the loss of one of his truest See also:

• FRIENDS, SOCIETY
• FRIENDS, SOCIETY OF

friends and ablest commanders, protected his See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children, and his eldest son was made a member of the Chamber of Peers by Louis XVIII . As a See also:

• COMMANDER

commander, especially of cavalry, Bessieres See also:

• LEFT

left a reputation excelled by very few of Napoleon's marshals, and his dauntless courage and cool See also:

• JUDGMENT

judgment made him a safe See also:

• LEADER, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS (1831– )

leader in independent command . He was personally beloved to an extraordinary extent amongst his soldiers, and (unlike most of the French generals of the time) amongst his opponents . It is said that masses were performed for his soul by the priests of insurgent Spain, and the See also:

• KING
• KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
• KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
• KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
• KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
• KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
• KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
• KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
• KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
• KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
• KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
• KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)

king of See also:

• SAXONY
• SAXONY (Ger. Provinz Sachsen)

Saxony raised a See also:

• MONUMENT (Lat. monumentum or monumentum; from monere, to advise, bring to mind, remind; the German equivalent is Denkmal)

monument to his memory . His younger See also:

• BROTHER

brother, See also:

• BERTRAND, HENRI GRATIEN, COMTE (1773-1844)

BERTRAND, See also:

• BARON
• BARON (1835-1895)
• BARON, MICHEL (1653—1729)

BARON BESSIERES (1773-18S5), was a distinguished divisional leader under Napoleon . After serving with a See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good See also:

• RECORD (Lat. recordari, to recall to mind, from cor, heart or mind)

record in See also:

• ITALY
• ITALY (Italia)

Italy, in See also:

• EGYPT

Egypt and at Hohenlinden, he had a command in the Grande Armee, and in 18o8 was sent to Spain .

He commanded a division in See also:

• CATALONIA (Cataluna)

Catalonia and played a notable part at the See also:

• ACTION

action of See also:

• MOLINA, LUIS (1535-1600)

Molina de Rey near See also:

• BARCELONA

Barcelona . Disagreements with his See also:

• SUPERIOR

superior, General Duhesme, led to his resignation, but he subsequently served with Napoleon in all the later campaigns of the See also:

• EMPIRE

empire . Placed on the retired See also:

• LIST (O.E. lisle, a Teutonic word, cf. Dut. lust, Ger. Leiste, adapted in Ital. lista and Fr. lisle)
• LIST, FRIEDRICH (1789-1846)

list by the Bourbons, his last public See also:

• ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

act was his See also:

• DEFENCE
• DEFENCE (Lat. defendere, to defend)

defence of the unfortunate See also:

• NEY, MICHEL

Ney . The See also:

• REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest of his long See also:

• LIFE

life was spent in retirement .