Aimé Picquet du Boisguy

Aimé Picquet du Boisguy
Nickname(s)Le petit général
Born(1776-03-01)1 March 1776
Fougères, Kingdom of France
DiedAugust 25, 1839(1839-08-25) (aged 63)
Paris, Kingdom of France
Allegiance Kingdom of France
Breton Association
Service / branchCavalry and infantry
Years of service1791–1800
1816–1830
RankMaréchal de camp
CommandsArmée royale de Rennes et de Fougères
Battles / warsChouannerie
War in the Vendée:
Virée de Galerne
Battle of Entrames
Battle of Fougères
Siege of Granville
Siege of Angers
Battle of Le Mans
Battle of Argentré
First Battle of Saint-James
Battle of Le Rocher de La Piochais
Battle of Saint-Hilaire-des-Landes
Battle of Valennes
Battle of Maisonneuve
Second Battle of Saint-James
Battle of the Tombettes
Awards Order of Saint Louis[1]
Commander of the Légion d'honneur[1]
RelationsBrothers:
Louis Picquet du Boisguy
Guy Picquet du Boisguy
Uncle:
Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte[2]
Brother-in-law:
Toussaint du Breil de Pontbriand

Aimé Casimir Marie Picquet, chevalier du Boisguy, sometimes spelt Bois-Guy, (15 March 1776[3] – 25 October 1839[4]), was a Breton chouan general during the French Revolution. He was nicknamed "the little general"[5] by his men due to his youth. Still a child at the outbreak of the Revolution, he signalled his precocity to fight on the Royalist side, joining the Breton Association at 15 and becoming aide de camp to La Rouërie.[6] At 17 he was made leader of the chouannerie in the pays de Fougères, and a general at 19. Boisguy made the north-east of the Ille-et-Vilaine one of the most active areas of the Breton chouannerie, and showed himself an excellent tactician. Rarely beaten, the chouans there were among the best organised and best disciplined. Fighting in uniform from the end of 1795 and made up of elite troops, even so they suffered from a lack of cavalry and a near-total lack of artillery. The Republicans had to raise major forces to defeat them, and then only with difficulty. In both 1796 and 1800, Boisguy was the last general to surrender, making him one of the main figures of the chouannerie.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hodebert, Marcel (1989). Billé, Javené, Parcé dans la tourmente révolutionnaire (in French). M. Hodebert. p. 53. ISBN 978-2-9503963-0-3. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  2. ^ Levot, Prosper Jean (1852). Biographie bretonne (in French). Cauderan. p. 125. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  3. ^ Pautrel, Émile (1927). Notions d'histoire et d'archéologie pour la région de Fougères (in French). H. Riou-Reuzé. p. 137. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  4. ^ Bulletin et mémoires ... (in French). Société archéologique du département d'Ille-et-Vilaine. 1930. p. 231. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  5. ^ Vendée-chouanneries: l'Ouest dans la Révolution, 1789-1832 (in French). Association Histoire et mémoire de l'Ouest. 1993. p. 85. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  6. ^ Pontavice, Gabriel Du (1989). Les armées catholiques et royales au nord de la Loire: petite histoire des Chouans (in French). Y. Salmon. p. 15. ISBN 978-2-903414-54-2. Retrieved 22 February 2024.