André Briche

André-Louis-Elisabeth-Marie Briche (12 August 1772 – 21 May 1825) was a French General of the First French Empire who saw action during the Peninsular War. He was Colonel of the 10th Regiment of Hussars between 1806 and 1809, before being promoted to general of brigade. He led the French Hussars as they charged the Spanish army's left flank at the Battle of the Gebora, and attacked the village of Albuera, along with Nicolas Godinot's infantry, at the Battle of Albuera on 16 May 1811.

André Briche
General of Division André Briche
Born12 August 1772 (1772-08-12)
Neuilly-sous-Clermont, France
Died21 May 1825 (1825-05-22) (aged 52)
Marseilles, France
AllegianceFrance France
Service/branchCavalry
Years of service1790–1825
RankGeneral of Division
Battles/warsBattle of Trebbia (1799)
Battle of Marengo (1800)
Battle of Saalfeld (1806)
Battle of Jena (1806)
Siege of Saragossa (1809)
Battle of Ocaña (1809)
Battle of the Gebora (1811)
Battle of Albuera (1811)
Battle of Lutzen (1813)
Battle of Dresden (1813)
Battle of Brienne (1814)
Battle of La Rothière (1814)
Battle of Bar-sur-Aube (1814)
AwardsLégion d'Honneur, CC 1811, GC 1821
Order of Saint-Louis, 1814
Other workBaron of the Empire, 1809

Spain

In March 1809, Marshal Édouard Mortier ordered Colonel Briche to take a regiment of cavalry from Aragon and make contact with the French VII Corps operating in Catalonia. This was in order to open communications with Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr, the VII Corps commander. Briche moved quickly and enjoyed some good luck. He took his horsemen on a route between Lerida and Mequinenza, finally making contact with Louis François Jean Chabot's division in the coastal plains. On his return trip back to Mortier with news of the VII Corps, Briche was attacked by swarms of miquelets, the Catalan militia, and abandoned his mission. Briche took refuge with Chabot's division, but Mortier remained unaware of his fate.[1]

Notes
  1. Oman 1995, p. 409.

References
  • Broughton, Tony (2000), French Hussar Regiments and the Colonels who Led Them: 1792 to 1815, The Napoleon Series, retrieved 13 December 2007
  • Mullié, Charles (1851), Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850 (in French), vol. 1, Pignavant et Comp, retrieved 13 December 2007
  • Oman, Charles (1995) [1903]. A History of the Peninsular War Volume II. Vol. 2. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole. ISBN 1-85367-215-7.
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