Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr

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Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr (English: , French: [loʁɑ̃ də ɡuvjɔ̃ sɛ̃ siʁ]; 13 April 1764 – 17 March 1830) was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was a made a Marshal of the Empire in 1812 by Emperor Napoleon, who regarded him as his finest general in defensive warfare. Gouvion Saint-Cyr showed an early interest in drawing, but with the onset of the French Revolution, he joined the French Revolutionary Army in September 1792 and experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks. Promoted to general of division in June 1794, he fought the Austrians in Germany and Italy under the command of generals Moreau and Jourdan. After a period in administrative roles, Gouvion Saint-Cyr was appointed Colonel General of the cuirassiers in 1804. He served as commander-in-chief of the camp of Boulogne from 1806 to 1808 and was then sent to Spain, where he scored a series of victories at the head of the Army of Catalonia. He...

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