Colencourt, Auguste Jean-Gabriel de

Auguste Jean-Gabriel de Colencourt was born on September 16, 1777 in the family estate of Colencourt . On June 14, 1792 he entered the service of the royal cuirassier regiment, after the French Revolution he switched to the side of the rebels and served in the 12th dragoon regiment and then in the 1st carabinier and 21st dragoon regiments, the latter was promoted to captain.

In 1799, he fought, under the command of generals Klein and Mortier , in Switzerland against the troops of Suvorov , distinguished himself in the battle of Stockach and in the battle of Moutin was wounded by a lance. In 1800, Kolenkur, in the position of squadron commander of the 1st Dragoon Regiment, fought with honors in Italy and was twice wounded: under the Wede Lago and under Marengo .

In the campaign of 1805, he fought with honors against the Russian troops near Austerlitz and was awarded a large cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor ; on August 10, 1806 he was promoted to brigadier general.

In 1808, Auguste Jean-Gabriel de Colencourt participated in the actions of the French on the Iberian Peninsula , and in August 1809, at the head of two dragoon regiments, made a remarkable crossing of the Tahoe River under deadly fire significantly exceeding the enemy’s forces and forced the allied Anglo-Spanish troops retreat. For distinctions in Spain, he was granted the baronial dignity of the French Empire on March 19, 1808 and the rank of division general on September 7, 1809, at which time Colencourt was appointed commander of the 8th Corps cavalry.

During the campaign of 1812 to Russia, Kolenkur was the head of Napoleon’s main apartment, and during the battle of Borodino he replaced the killed General Montbren as commander of the 2nd cavalry corps, but he himself died during an attack by the Raevsky battery and the positions of the Russian 24th infantry division.

From the recollections of the Adjutant of Napoleon, General Rapp : “... There was only one trench, which shot at us from the flank and greatly disturbed us. The reserve, which had just taken possession of one trench, decided that it could handle another. Kolenkur moved forward, spreading confusion and death from a distance. He suddenly hit the redoubt and took possession of it. But one soldier, hiding in the embrasure, killed him on the spot. He slept as a courageous man and did not witness our misfortunes ... ”

The 18th bulletin of Napoleon from Mozhaisk reads: “ Division General Count de Colencourt, who commanded the 2nd Cavalry Corps, at the head of the 5th cuirassier regiment, burst through the gorge into the left redoubt. From that moment on, the battle was won ... Earl Kolenkur, brilliantly fulfilling his task ... fell fallen by a bullet ... Glorious and envy-worthy death! ".

The name Kolenkour was subsequently embossed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris .

His brother, Arman Augustin Louis de Colencourt , left behind his famous memoirs about a campaign in Russia in 1812, during the “Hundred Days” he was French Foreign Minister.

• Colencourt, Auguste-Jean-Gabriel, Count // Military Encyclopedia : [18 vol.] / Ed. V.F. Novitsky [et al.]. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-va I. D. Sytin , 1911-1915.
• Yulin B. Borodino battle. - M. , 2008.
• Charles Mullié . Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850. - 1852.