Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière

Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière, also Count de Lariboisière, was a general of artillery of the First French Empire. He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and died of fatigue at Königsberg in East Prussia on 21 December 1812, during the Grand Army's retreat from Moscow.

A superb organizer and tactician, Baston de Lariboisière rose rapidly through the artillery ranks and reliably directed the artillery park for the initial engagements of the War of the First Coalition in 1793–1794. He also directed the investment and, if necessary, the sieges of Mainz, Ulm, and Danzig, among others. In addition, he was a reliable commander of infantry, supporting Laurent Saint-Cyr's corps in northern Italy in the 1799 campaign.

Lariboisière's direction of artillery fire at the Battle of Austerlitz destroyed the ice covering the lake over which Russian army forces retreated. His placement of artillery at the Battle of Borodino gave the French a tactical advantage in firing on the Russian lines. Lariboisière's artillery also provided the rear guard coverage of the French withdrawal from Beresina. One of his sons survived the wars and the family founded the Lariboisière Hospital in Paris.

Family and education He was born on 18 August 1759, in Fougères. His father, Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière, was lieutenant general of civil and criminal justice and the seneschal of Fougères. His mother was Jeanne Monnières. Baston de Lariboisière was designated early for a military career.

He was a brilliant student at the military academy and in 1781 received a commission as a lieutenant and entered the same regiment as Napoleon Bonaparte. Although Lariboisière was ten years older than Bonaparte, they developed a rapport that continued until Lariboisière died in 1812.

At the First Battle of Zurich, Lariboisière's artillery defended the Zurich heights, which gave Andre Massena's army enough time to evacuate the city and take position on the opposite side of the Limmat river. Afterwards, Lariboisière was sent to northern Italy where he commanded the advance guard division; Jean Victor Moreau's right wing, with Lariboisière's infantry and artillery, crossed the Ticino river at Pavia, marched up the left bank of the Po River and took position beneath Alessandria; there, he protected Moreau's flank from Russian skirmishers sufficiently for Moreau to establish a large train of artillery in Turin and to strengthen the French positions between the Po and the Tanaro river.

At Battle of Novi, his division was part of Laurent Saint-Cyr's right wing. At the battle itself, his troops were the only ones properly positioned; the rest of the French army was otherwise out of place and unready for battle. He and Saint-Cyr held the centre of the French line, beating off two Russian assaults. After the French defeat at Novi, he went with Saint-Cyr to Savona, where he participated in operations around Genoa. Eventually, he rejoined Moreau to campaign in southwestern Germany, culminating in the Battle of Hohenlinden.

Napoleonic Wars Baston de Lariboisière commanded the artillery of the French IV Corps for the 1805 campaign of the War of the Third Coalition. He directed the investment of Ulm prior to its capitulation, and contributed to the success of Austerlitz. There he commanded the artillery attached to Soult corps.

In the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt, Baston de Lariboisière successfully repelled several infantry charges with artillery fire. Subsequently, Napoleon raised him to major general and appointed him to command the Imperial Guard Artillery at the Battle of Eylau, in February 1807. Baston de Lariboisière remained throughout the day-long battle with a battery of 40 guns at the French centre. At the Battle of Danzig, although wounded by a sniper's bullet, he continued to direct the siege of the city. Despite heavy rain, the French arrived in Vilnius; despite the mud, the artillery was established before the battle and contributed to successful targeted fire.

Honoré-Charles Baston de Lariboisière, another of his sons, also served in the artillery. He survived not only the Battle of Borodino in which his brother (Ferdinand) was killed but also the retreat from Moscow and the subsequent campaigns in Prussia and Saxony. He served in the Chamber of Deputies and was raised to the peerage of France. He founded the Hôpital Lariboisière.