Roussel d'Urbal, Nicolas Francois

On January 1, 1782, he entered the Austrian military service as a cadet of the Kaunitz infantry regiment. On February 8, 1785, he was promoted to junior regiment of Vincent with the rank of junior lieutenant. In 1789-90, he took part in hostilities against rebels in Belgium. From 1793 to 1801 he fought against the French on the Rhine. March 2, 1793 was wounded in the battle of Aldhofen.

He took part in the campaign of 1805 with the rank of lieutenant colonel of the light-winged regiment Latour. He distinguished himself in the battle of October 8 at Wertingen, where he repelled six attacks of the cavalry of Prince Murat and managed to join the main forces of the corps of Field Marshal-Lieutenant Auffenberg. On October 11, in the battle of Ulm, in a brilliant attack, he defeated the 7th French Dragoon Regiment, and then successfully covered the retreat of Field Marshal-Lieutenant Baron Werneck to Herbrechtingen. After the surrender of Wernek on October 17, he decided at the head of his regiment, the Dragoons of Hohenlohe and the cuirassier Maka to break out of the encirclement, marched more than 50 miles through the territory of Anspach and arrived safely at Eger. January 1, 1807 - Colonel, commander of the cuirassier regiment of Liechtenstein. During the Austrian campaign of 1809 he distinguished himself in the battles of Ekmule and Essling, where he received a saber blow to the head. After the conclusion of the Vienna Peace, he left the army in October 1810 and on April 1, 1811, retired.

July 31, 1811 accepted into the French service with the rank of brigadier general. On August 3, 1811, he was appointed inspector and commander of the 9th Chevolezher Regiment; on May 1, 1812, he headed the 8th Regiment of Polish Lancers. He took part in the Russian campaign of 1812. Consisted of the headquarters of the 1st cavalry corps of the Great Army. On July 5, he distinguished himself in a battle near Kovno, on July 26 he replaced General Nemoyevsky, who was seriously wounded under Ostrovno, as commander of the 15th brigade (6th and 8th regiments of the Polish Lancers, 2nd Prussian Hussars) as part of the 1st Light Cavalry Division General Bruyere. On September 7, he was wounded by a cannonball in his left leg in the battle of Borodino, where he carried out a magnificent attack on Russian cuirassiers and captured four guns. December 4, 1812 was awarded the rank of division general.

He took part in the Saxon campaign of 1813. On April 19, he was appointed commander of the 2nd division of the light cavalry of the 2nd cavalry corps of the general. On August 26, at the battle of Katzbach, the general fell from his horse and was wounded by a saber blow to the head, breaking off part of the skull. No longer able to fulfill his functions, he gains the right to take sick leave. Only January 17, 1814 was able to return to military activity, and headed the main depot of the cavalry in Versailles. On February 11, he was appointed commander in Fontainebleau. February 19, led the 6th division of the heavy cavalry, consisting of dragoons, and only arrived from Spain. He fought on February 23 at Troyes, March 7 at Kraon, March 8-10 at Laon, March 25 at Fer-Champenoise, March 26 at Cézanne and March 30 during the defense of Paris.

During the first restoration, Bourbon was appointed cavalry inspector of the 6th and 9th military districts. March 11, 1815 received the post of commander of the 2nd division of the reserve cavalry in Metz. During the “Hundred Days”, he joined the Emperor and on June 3 led the 12th Cavalry Division of the 3rd Cavalry Corps. He took part in the Belgian campaign, wounded in the Battle of Waterloo.

After the second restoration, he remained without an official appointment on August 1, 1815, and retired on September 9, 1815. Since 1816, he served as the general inspector of the cavalry in various military districts, on February 7, 1831 he was assigned to the reserve, and on September 13, 1832 he finally resigned. He died on March 25, 1849 at the age of 85.

• Junior Lieutenant of the Austrian Service (February 8, 1785);
• Captain (March 1, 1797);
• Major (March 1, 1802);
• Lieutenant Colonel (September 2, 1804);
• Colonel (January 1, 1807);
• Major General of the Austrian Service (May 24, 1809);
• Brigadier General of the French Service (July 31, 1811);
• Division General of the French Service (December 4, 1812).

• Baron Roussel d'Hurbal and the Empire ( French baron Roussel d'Hurbal et de l'Empire ; Decree of September 28, 1813, patent validated January 26, 1814) ^[1] ;
• Viscount Roussel d'Hurbal ( FR. Vicomte Roussel d'Hurbal ; August 17, 1822).

  Cavalier of the Austrian Order of Maria Theresa (October 11, 1805)

  Commander of the Order of Maria Theresa (May 28, 1806)

  Grand Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa (1809)

  Legionnaire of the Legion of Honor (July 11, 1812)

  Officer of the Legion of Honor (March 28, 1813)

  Commander of the Legion of Honor (April 9, 1814)

  Cavalier of the Military Order of St. Louis (July 19, 1814)

  Commander of St. Louis (September 7, 1823)

  High Officer of the Spanish Order of St. Ferdinand (November 4, 1823)

• Charles Mullié . Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850, 1852.
• Olivier Lapray, Dictionnaire des officiers de cuirassiers du Premier Empire, Histoire & Collections, 2008.
• Alfredo Fierro, André Palluel-Guillard et Jean Tulard, Histoire et dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire, Robert Laffont, 1995.

• General information on base Léonore