Millau, Jean-Baptiste

Born July 10, 1766, in Arpajon and from a young age he was in military service. In 1789, he received the rank of lieutenant, in 1791 he was appointed commander of the National Guard in the Cantal department, and then became a member of the National Convention . In January 1793, he was among those who voted for the execution of King Louis XVI . He was also known as a supporter of confiscation of property of persons who did not want to voluntarily cooperate with the revolutionary government; his note was widely spread, in which it said in particular: “It is absolutely necessary to expel wealthy egoists from the bowels of the Republic who do not want to either provide us with means of subsistence or fight against despots with us; it is necessary to confiscate all their property in favor of the republic . ” In 1794, Millau was a member of the military committee of the Convention.

The campaign of 1796 in Italy brought him to the military field. He commanded the 5th dragoon regiment and won the complete favor of Napoleon Bonaparte . Out of attachment to him, Millau took an active part in the 18 Brumaire coup , for which he was promoted to brigadier general on January 5, 1800.

In the campaign of 1805 against Austria from October 20, he commanded a light cavalry brigade (16th and 22nd horse-ranger regiments), distinguished himself at Austerlitz . On January 1, 1806 he replaced General Margaron , who was wounded in the “Battle of the Three Emperors,” as commander of the light cavalry of the 4th Corps, Marshal Sult .

September 20, 1806 he led the light cavalry brigade (11th and 13th horse-ranger regiments) as part of the reserve Murat cavalry . October 29, 1806 with 1,500 cavalry captured 6,000 Prussians at Pasewalk. December 30, promoted to division generals, and received under his command the 3rd Dragoon division , with which he distinguished himself in the battles of Eylau and Heilsberg.

Since the fall of 1808, Millau fought in Spain , where he inflicted significant harm on General Black and the partisans of Empecinado, and on June 22, 1810 received the Legion of Honor .

Commanding the 25th division of Millau in the ranks of the Grand Army, he campaigned in Russia , where, however, he acted without much success.

In 1813, at the battle of Leipzig , he commanded with distinction one cavalry corps, and then acted in matters under Saint-Desier , Brienne , Nanjis and others.

Louis XVIII gave him the Order of St. Louis and appointed him Inspector General of the Cuirassier Corps.

In 1815, when Napoleon returned, Millau stood under his banner. Commanding one of the four cavalry corps, he, on the evening of July 16, with his cuirassiers, broke through the line of Blucher's army under Linyi . At the Battle of Waterloo, all the efforts of the French cavalry were destroyed before the staunchness of the British. Millau, wounded for the sixth time in this unfortunate battle, followed the defeated army on the other side of the Loire .

For his fiery commitment to Napoleon and for supporting the execution of Louis XVI, Millau was sentenced to exile and received forgiveness only in 1830.

Millau died on January 8, 1833 in Aurillac . Subsequently, his name was embossed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris .

• Junior Lieutenant (1790);
• Captain (May 9, 1793);
• Squadron Commander (July 22, 1793);
• Colonel (January 28, 1796);
• Brigadier General (January 5, 1800);
• Division General (December 30, 1806).

• Count of Millau and the Empire ( fr. Comte Milhaud et de l'Empire ; decree of March 19, 1808, patent confirmed September 10, 1808) ^[1] .

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

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

  Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor (June 22, 1810)

  Cavalier of the Military Order of St. Louis (June 1, 1814)

• Military encyclopedic lexicon . - 2nd ed. - T. VIII. - SPb. , 1855.
• Olar A. Political History of the French Revolution. - M. , 1938.
• Charles Mullié . Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850, 1852.