David Hendrik Chassé

David Hendrik, Baron Chassé (18 March 1765 – 2 May 1849) was a Dutch army officer who fought both for and against Napoleon. He commanded the Third Netherlands Division that intervened at a crucial moment in the Battle of Waterloo. In 1830 he bombarded the city of Antwerp as commander of Antwerp Citadel during the Belgian Revolution.

Biography

Family life Chassé was the son of Carel Johan Chassé, a scion of an old Huguenot family, who was a major in the army of the Dutch Republic, and of Maria Johanna Helena Schull, and the younger brother of Petrus Theodorus Chassé. He married Johanna Adriana van Nieuwenhoven on 10 November 1786 and divorced her in 1795. His second marriage was to the English widow Elisabeth Irish on 12 April 1796. They had one son. This marriage also ended in divorce in 1816.

Early career Chassé entered the Dutch army as a ten-year-old cadet in his father's regiment in the Dutch States Army in 1775. He was promoted to second lieutenant in 1781 and in 1787 to captain. He resigned his commission in 1787 because of his sympathy for the Patriots in their opposition to the autocratic regime of stadtholder William V, Prince of Orange. Instead he became a captain in a Patriot Free Corps, defending Muiden and Weesp against the Prussian invaders that restored William to power in 1787. Because of this role in the revolt he had to go into exile in France, as many other Patriots. Another reason for going abroad was that he had killed a man in a duel. He took part in the invasion of the Dutch Republic with Dumouriez in February 1793. Chassé was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in November, 1794, and made commander of the 3rd battalion chasseurs, which was part of the Brigade-Daendels.

Batavian Republic and Kingdom of Holland

Chassé now entered the service of the Batavian Republic on 8 July 1795, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel as commander of the 2nd battalion Jagers. As such he took part in the Rhine campaign of 1796, under Daendels to support Kléber. For this feat he was made an officer in the Légion d'honneur and nominated by d'Erlon for promotion to lieutenant-general in the imperial army. the third division was placed in and around the town of Braine l'Alleud, behind the right wing. However, Chassé was soon called up to move his division behind the center, as no further attacks were expected in that sector.

Around 7:30pm, in the final part of the battle, Chassé noticed that the fire of the artillery in front of him slackened. In response he ordered Major Van der Smissen to send the Horse artillery battery commanded by Captain Carel Frederik Krahmer de Bichin into the firing line. It was at this moment that Napoleon sent his Imperial Guards to attack the center. In preparation for the second counterattack Chassé ordered the Detmers brigade (part of the division) to take position behind Van der Smissen. His counterattack was to be a bayonet charge, as Chassé had a predilection for this type of manoeuvre (that had earned him the nickname of "général baionette" from Napoleon), and it proved to be decisive.

Belgian Revolution

After Waterloo Chassé was given several high commands. After the beginning of the Belgian Revolution he replaced Prince Frederick of the Netherlands as commander-in-chief of Dutch forces in Belgium on 17 October 1830. The next day he ordered the retreat to the fortified area around Antwerp. As commander of the citadel of Antwerp he ordered the bombardment of that city after an incident, the exact cause of which is still in dispute, on 27 October 1830. Whatever the provocation, the large loss of civilian life this bombardment caused seems hard to justify. The resentment it caused among Antwerp civilians helped lose Antwerp for the Dutch cause.

Nevertheless, the citadel remained in Dutch hands, and Chassé its commander. In 1832 (by now a full general) he commanded a garrison of 5,000 Dutch troops that was besieged by a French army under Marshal Gérard ten times that number. Despite this superiority, and the fact that the citadel was bombarded day and night by the French, the garrison held out for twenty-four days, before Chassé was finally forced to surrender.

In the Amsterdam city district ‘De Baarsjes’ a street is named after him. The ‘Chasséstraat' is situated in the neighbourhood that later became the ‘Chassébuurt’. The church in the street officially is called the ‘Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Altijddurende Bijstand’ (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) due to the length of this name the church is often referred to as ‘Chassékerk’.

in the city of. Breda a square is named ‘Chasséveld’ (Chassé field, since it is a former field) and a part of the moat is called ‘Chassésingel’. The 1995 city theatre and connecting movie theatre are also named after him, respectively, Chassé Theater and Chassé Cinema.

In his birth place Tiel the former theatre also was called Chassé Theater as well as the shooting association and a street.

The Chasséstraat in Den Haag is situated west of the centre.