Durutt, Pierre Francois Joseph

He came from a fairly wealthy family of merchants. Received a good education. However, with the onset of increased tension after the Revolution, on April 1, 1792, Durutt volunteered for the 3rd battalion of volunteers in the Nor department. He distinguished himself under the walls of Menen , Kortrijk and at the battle of Jemapp . He earned the rank of captain for the assault on Fort Klundert in February 1793, during which he lost his eye. In March he led the company in the 19th Dragoon Regiment. September 15, 1793 was promoted to commander of a battalion headquarters. He distinguished himself in the battle of Ondskot . Being in 1794 the chief of staff of the corps of General Michaud , he occupied the city of Ypres. In 1795, General Moreau was transferred to the Northern Army as deputy chief of staff. Then he commanded the vanguard in the armies of generals Brun and Dundels , acted in the Netherlands and Belgium . His brilliant behavior in the battle of Bergen , while retreating from Beverwake , in the Battle of Kastricume brought him the rank of brigadier general in 1799. Meskirch, Bieberach and Hohenlinden are also witnesses of his exploits.

After the Luneville world, Durutt was appointed commandant of the Department of Foxes . On August 27, 1803 he was promoted to division generals, despite Bonaparte's antipathy to senior officers of the Rhine Army . Three days later he headed the infantry division in the Brugge camp under the command of General Davout . However, Dyurutt’s adherence to republican ideals, his unwillingness to support the proclamation of the Empire and the false denunciations of his support for the conspirators Pishegru and Moreau, led to his replacement as commander of General Guden on August 23, 1804.

On August 22, 1804 he headed the 10th Military District in Toulouse . However, another portion of slander from Davout led to his appointment as commandant of the island of Elba on May 28, 1805.

This exile continued until 1809, when, on the orders of Prince Beauharnais , Durütt on May 6 led the 2nd Infantry Division in the Central Corps of the Italian Army. Fighting against the Austrians , Dürutt was especially distinguished when crossing the Piave and Taglimento . In May of the same year, during the pursuit of Archduke Johann by the Italian king , the Dürüttt stormed the fort of Malborgetto, and he entered the fortification first. The battle was so bloody that the entire garrison, along with its commandant Hansel, fell without a trace. Durutt also distinguished himself in the battle of Wagram . July 15 headed the 3rd infantry division of the army.

After Holland joined France, Dürutt was appointed governor of Amsterdam , where he formed the 32nd military district, organizing coastal defense from Texel to the Ems River , after which he went to Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and from there to Berlin , where he took over as governor of this city. When the general left the capital of Prussia , King Frederick William III presented him with his portrait as a thank you, for the skillful and decent management of the city.

In 1812, Dürutt led the formation of the 32nd Infantry Division in Warsaw, took part in a campaign in Russia , first as part of the Victor Corps, then - Augereau . He distinguished himself in battles with the Russian army at Volkovysk and on Berezin , on the Bug he covered the flight of the defeated Great Army from Russia and in Warsaw was engaged in the reformation of the defeated French units.

In February 1813, Dyurutt, being with his division in the vicinity of Kalisz , found out that the Grenier corps, which was very careless, was suddenly attacked by the Russian detachment of General Wincengerode . Durutt immediately hastened to the rescue and, although he was in a smaller number, selflessly, sacrificing himself, he formed a screen in front of Kalisz, held out until night and gave the scattered French regiments an opportunity to gather in Kalisz and retreat.

Arriving in Jena on April 1, the general joined Prince Eugene Beauharnais in the Harz , where he took up a position with the 3,000 remaining in Elbrengad people. He soon received reinforcements of 3,000 recruits and the Saxon division. Then he participated in the battles of Bautzen , Grosberen and Dennevice . He particularly distinguished himself in the battle of Lutzen , when his unexpected counterattack contributed to the victory of the French. Under Leipzig , the Dürütta division suffered greatly from the Saxons who suddenly sided with the Allies, who did not want to fight against Bernadotte . The Dürüttu reward for this campaign was the count title . This was the only attention Napoleon gave him , who generally did not notice much and appreciated Dyurutta.

During the Allied invasion of France, Durutt locked himself in Metz and for a long time and selflessly defended himself , rejecting any offer of surrender. In the end, he defended the Mets. When the news of Durütt's heroism reached Napoleon, he exclaimed: “Here is a man to whom I have not done anything and who has done so much for me!” The population of Metz, evaluating the behavior of Durutt, presented him with an honorable sword.

After the restoration of the Bourbons, Durütt received the order of Louis XIII to remain the commandant of Metz, commanding, at the same time, the 3rd division located there.

When Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba, Dyurutt loudly declared: “The appearance of Napoleon in the current conditions is a disaster for the country: the country is threatened with a new invasion. But our duty is to win or die. ”

Near Waterloo, Durutt fought bravely at the head of the 4th Division, which was part of the Count D'Erlon's corps, and with his blood he once again proved allegiance to Napoleon, receiving a saber blow to the head and losing his right arm, torn off by an artillery shell.

After the final deposition of Napoleon, Durutt remained out of work, lived on his estate in Flanders and died on April 18, 1837 in Ypres .

The name Durutt is embossed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris .

Son - music theorist Camille Durut .

• Junior Lieutenant (August 22, 1792);
• Lieutenant (November 6, 1792);
• Captain (March 6, 1793);
• Commander of the battalion headquarters (September 15, 1793);
• Brigadier General (September 26, 1799);
• Division General (August 27, 1803).

• Baron Durutte and the Empire ( French: Baron Durutte et de l'Empire ; Decree of August 15, 1809, patent validated April 14, 1810);
• Count Durutt and the Empire ( fr. Comte Durutte et de l'Empire ; decree of 1813, patent confirmed August 14, 1813) ^[1] .

  Legionnaire of the Legion of Honor (December 11, 1803)

  Commander of the Legion of Honor (June 14, 1804)

  Cavalier of the Order of the Iron Crown (July 17, 1809)

  Cavalier of the Military Order of St. Louis (June 27, 1814)

  Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor (August 23, 1814)

• General information on base Léonore

• Durutt, Joseph, Count // Military Encyclopedia : [in 18 vol.] / Ed. V.F. Novitsky [et al.]. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-va I. D. Sytin , 1911-1915.
• Charles Mullié . Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850, 1852.