Abstract for "The Early Career of Paul Thiébault: The Making of a General", Dissertation submitted by Jackson L. Sigler to The Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences, Autumn 2002
Paul Thiébault rose to the rank of général de division in the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. He also authored several military histories, two manuals for staff officers that received international attention, and a controversial five-volume set of memoirs that was not published until nearly fifty years after his death. This work explores the formative first thirty years of Thiébault's life that culminated with his promotion to general officer and the publication of his first major literary works.
The son of a distinguished French literary figure, Thiébault enlisted in the Paris National Guard immediately after the fall of the Bastille in 1789. He then joined the revolutionary Army of the North, and was soon commissioned a lieutenant while assisting his father, one of the revolutionary commissioners to Belgium. In Lille, he met and married a Scottish woman, Elizabeth Walker, and narrowly escaped implication in the defection of General Charles Dumouriez. During the next few years, he held a number of staff positions in the revolutionary armies while escaping several threatening situations with the reign of terror that swept France.
Present in Paris in September 1795, he served as a staff officer for Napoleon Bonaparte in the defense of the Constitution of the Year III on 13 Vendémiaire. Afterwards, he was assigned to General André Masséna's staff in the Army of Italy, joining him just in time for the Battle of Rivoli. This assignment resulted in a close, life-long relationship between the two men. In 1797 – 1798 Thiébault served in the Armies of Rome and Naples where his abilities as a staff officer resulted in promotion to adjudant-général. Returning to Paris in 1799, he unwisely failed to support Bonaparte during the coup of 18 Brumaire. Nevertheless, the following year, he received another appointment to Masséna's staff. He served at the siege of Genoa, which diverted Austrian forces from opposing Bonaparte's march into Italy and enabled him to achieve victory at Marengo. For heroism during this siege, Masséna promoted Thiébault to général de brigade.
Thiébault's account of the siege of Genoa was published that same year, together with his first staff manual. With the confirmation of his promotion by Napoleon Bonaparte and the publication of his first two major works, the formative period of Thiébault's career closed. This study ends by discussing how the major events and personalities of the period influenced Thiébault's Mémoires, which remain an important, if debated, source for Napoleonic scholars today.
Acknowledgements Page from "The Early Career of Paul Thiébault: The Making of a General"
Many people and events have led me to this point: A camping trip with my children that inspired an interest in eighteenth and nineteenth century military history; a fortuitous European assignment that enabled me to visit repeatedly the battlefield at Waterloo; Michael, my oldest son, himself a student of the Battle of Borodino, and Andrew Percival, late of Virginia Military Institute, both of whom initially encouraged my interest in the Napoleonic period.
These interests would have gone nowhere without the opportunity, encouragement, and guidance provided by Dr. Donald Horward of the Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution in the Department of History at The Florida State University. His enthusiasm and knowledge provided me with a real appreciation of the historical study of this period and the motivation to persevere in my own studies.
Within the Department of History, other faculty members, especially Drs. Peter Garretson, Michael Creswell, and Jonathan Grant have all been most generous in sharing their knowledge and giving me encouragement and support. My fellow students working under Dr. Horward have shared with me their knowledge, experience, friendship and frequently their challenging questions and comments. I also owe a debt of thanks to the entire staff of the History Department, but especially to Debbie Perry and Rita Sherrod, who guided me through the distantly remembered bureaucratic thickets of academe.
At Dr. Horward's suggestion, I contacted the noted American scholar, Colonel John Elting concerning my initial interest in the état-major of the Grande Armée. He graciously replied with both encouragement and advice shortly before his death. This work benefits from just a tiny part of Colonel Elting's huge legacy of Napoleonic scholarship.
I owe thanks to the staff of the Strozier Library of Florida State University, especially those who work in the Special Collections and sub-basement sections. Elsewhere, I extend my thanks to the staff of the Lilly Library of Indiana University in Bloomington; and in Paris to the staffs of Archives de la Guerre of the Service historique at the Chateau de Vincennes, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Bibliothèque Martial Lapeyre, all of which cheerfully answered my questions and filled my requests despite my pronounced American accent. My only regret is that I am unable to name them all individually.
Three expatriates deserve particular thanks. Michael La Vean, an American and a student of the Napoleonic period, introduced me to life in rural France as well as to the used bookstores of Paris and found for me a complete set of Thiébault's memoirs, the possession of which immeasurably simplified my efforts. Dr. Peter Hicks, of the Bibliothèque Martial Lapeyre, introduced me to both that well-appointed research library and also graciously responded to my follow-up questions. Dr. Pierre Nys, a long-time colleague and friend now resident in Luxembourg, was invaluable in accompanying me to the city of Lille and working through the city's archives. Both Dr. Nys and Maire-Eve Johnson, the wife of one of my student-colleagues, also deserve special thanks for their assistance in French translations. However, any errors in translation are strictly my own.
I am most grateful for the financial support I have received over the years. Through Dr. Horward from the Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution, this included a Ben Weider Research Fellowship and a Proctor and Martha Jones Travel Fellowship that together enabled me to spend one summer doing research in Europe. I wish to thank as well the Lilly Library at Indiana University for the Everett Helm Visiting Fellowship that enabled me to visit that institution and review the Thiébault family papers.
Finally, and with love, I wish to recognize my in-house editor, personal cheerleader, and graphics consultant, my wife Ruth.
Jack Sigler
Tallahassee, Florida
November, 2002