Jacob Job Élie
Jacob Job Élie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 26 November 1746 Wissembourg (Bas-Rhin) |
| Died | 5 February 1825 (aged 78) Varennes-en-Argonne |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France Kingdom of the French French First Republic First French Empire |
| Service/ | Infantry |
| Years of service | 1766-1811 |
| Rank | Divisional general |
| Unit | French Army |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight of Saint Louis |
Jacob Job Élie (26 November 1746 – 5 February 1825), or Jacques Job Élie was a French general of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Along with Pierre-Augustin Hulin, he took part in and led the storming of the Bastille.
Early life
Élie was born in Wissembourg on 26 November 1746 to Mathias Élie, an officer in the regiment d'Alsace, and Marie Françoise Schaffhauser. Before officially beginning his career, he served in the same regiment as his father.[1]
Career
Élie entered into service on 2 December 1766, joining what was then known as the régiment d’Aquitaine. He participated in the Corsican campaign of 1769 and was present during the bombings of Sousse and Bizerte in 1770.[2] He was dismissed on 2 December 1774, then enrolled into the Queen's Regiment (later the 41st Infantry Regiment) on 5 July 1781. He was promoted to sergeant on 1 November 1781, and appointed standard-bearer on 1 August 1788.[2][3]
On 14 July 1789, Élie took part in the storming of the Bastille,[4][5] was the first to enter and negotiated the surrender of the fortress. He was awarded a sword and a civic crown for the accomplishment,[1] a scene immortalised in Paul Delaroche's The Victors of the Bastille in Front of the Hôtel de Ville. Élie was also reportedly offered the silverware of the Bastille, but refused it.[6] When the French guards asked for mercy for the remaining prisoners as a reward for their services, he added that this mercy would be more precious to him than all honours. A voice shouted: "Grace!", a cry repeated by the surrounding crowd. The prisoners were accordingly saved and taken away.[6]
He was later named a captain of the 5th Battalion of the 5th Division of the Paris National Guard on 1 September 1789, then a captain of the 103rd Infantry Regiment on 3 August 1791. Thereafter, he rose through the ranks rapidly. He was made a Knight of Saint Louis on 2 November 1791.[2]
He was named lieutenant colonel on 7 February 1793 and was promoted to brigadier general in the Army of the Ardennes on 30 July 1793. As a brigadier general, he commanded Givet and Charlemont.[2] He was promoted to divisional general on 3 September 1793, and he and his forces participated in the Battle of Wattignies as part of the larger Army of the North.[7] He was later transferred to the Army of Sambre and Meuse on 2 July 1794. While serving in the Army of the Ardennes (later the Army of Sambre and Meuse), the people's representatives sent him to command Verdun in July 1794 and Mézières in 1795.[1]
Élie seems not to have been in active service in 1795, as his name wasn't included in the general staff organisation announced on 13 June 1795. He was recalled to active service on 28 February 1796 and took command of Lyon on 28 March 1796.[8] On 19 August 1796, he was assigned to the Army of the Alps, then assigned to the command of Maurienne and Tarentaise on 22 October 1796. He was discharged on 18 March 1797.[2]
Following his discharge, he unsuccessfully sought a return to active service during the Consulate and First Empire and also applied for the position of prefect.[1]
He retired on 21 June 1811 with a pension of 3434 francs and passed away on 6 February 1825 at Varennes-en-Argonne.[1][2]
Legacy and quotations
Jacob Job is the central figure of The Victors of the Bastille in Front of the Hôtel de Ville by Paul Delaroche, seen brandishing in his right hand a sword and in his left hand the key to the Bastille and a letter signed by the marquis de Launay, its governor.
According to John A. Flynn, Élie reportedly said the following to the Minister of War: "I marched persuaded of victory, hoping that the love of the Patrie, the character of the republican soldier, and the desire to defeat the tyrants would at least be the equal of experience and would prove disastrous to our enemies."[7] This was after he and the levies he led as general had been defeated, though the timeframe is unclear.
According to Charles d'Hericault, Élie also said in 1793 that he "hopes to retire to Paris when there are no longer any despots to fight".[9] In his retelling of the storming of the Bastille, d'Hericault paints a two-sided picture of the future general: on one hand, the man is a mythical hero who he nicknames the 'Prince of Conquerors', and whom Dusaulx describes as "reigning supreme, his eyes breathing carnage, his bristly hair and forehead covered in sweat throwing us back into heroic times". On the other, he's a potential opportunist whose military history is unclear and who seemingly continues to rest on his laurels many years after the events of the 14th of July.
According to Alphonse Halter, Élie is said to have proclaimed to the Committee of Public Safety that "the same arm that was fortunate enough to help overthrow the Bastille may perhaps teach the satellites of despots what republican valour is capable of". He also mentioned that he had "always professed the principles of a true sans-culotte".[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Halter, Alphonse. Nouveau dictionnaire de biographie alsacienne.
- ^ a b c d e f Carnot, Lazare. Correspondance générale de Carnot: Aout-octobre 1793. p. 133.
- ^ Le Crapouillot. p. 20.
- ^ d'Hericault, Charles. La France révolutionnaire 1789-1889. p. 75.
- ^ MacLehose, Sophia. From the Monarchy to the Republic in France, 1788-1792. p. 130.
- ^ a b Le Gentil, Jean-Philippe-Guy. Mémoires du Comte de Paroy: souvenirs d'un défenseur de la famille royale pendant la révolution, (1789-1797). p. 30.
- ^ a b Flynn, John A. The Bayonets Of The Republic: Motivation And Tactics In The Army Of Revolutionary France, 1791-94.
- ^ Demotz, Bernard; Jeanblanc, Bernard; Sommervogel, Claude; Chevrier, Jean-Pierre. Les gouverneurs de Lyon, 1310-2010: le gouvernement militaire territorial. p. 151.
- ^ d'Hericault, Charles. La France révolutionnaire 1789-1889. p. 76.
Bibliography
- "Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789 - 1814: Eberle to Exelmans".
- "ÉLIE Jacob Job, dit le brave ÉLIE" (in French).
- Charavay, Étienne (1887). Imprimerie nationale (ed.). Correspondance général de Carnot (in French). Vol. 3. Paris.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - d'Hericault, Charles. La France révolutionnaire 1789-1889. p. 76.
- Halter, Alphonse. Nouveau dictionnaire de biographie alsacienne., vol. 9, p. 788.
