Sylvain Charles Valée

Valée led the capture of Constantine by French troops on 13 October 1837. The Siege of Constantine by Horace Vernet, 1838 Sylvain-Charles, comte Valée (17 December 1773 – 16 August 1846), born in Brienne-le-Château, was an artillery officer who served Republican France, the Empire and the restored Bourbons. Best known for his efforts to reform French artillery arm into the Valée system. He would become a Marshal of France for his service in the conquest of Algeria.

Service in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars Upon the outbreak of the French Revolution, Valée enlisted in the French revolutionary army, joining the Châlons Artillery School as a second lieutenant of artillery in September 1792. Made lieutenant in the 1st Foot Artillery Regiment on June 19, 1793 in the Army of Sambre-et-Meuse.

Promoted to captain and transferred to a Horse Artillery Regiment in 1795 he fought in the Rhine campaign of 1799-1800 including fighting at the Rhine crossing at Neuwied, promoted during the campaign he would take over as commander of the artillery for General Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen's division seeing action at Hohenlinden.

The Valée system represented an incremental technical improvements on the Gribeauval system and Napoleon's own Year XI system. The system mainly improved the mobility of the artillery train, and simplified maintenance standardising limbers and wheels as well as reducing the number of carriage types to two. The improvements in totality made maintenance easier and allowed the artillery to move as fast as the infantry or cavalry.

Valée also improved the guns themselves slightly, by making them lighter, and with a longer range.

The system would last until technological advances in the 1850s rendered it obsolete. who would take a different strategy to Valéé. While Valéé had focused on subduing major population centres, focusing on large calibre artillery, Bugeaud focused on lighter forces often equipped with more mobile mountain guns it was with such innovations in tactics that Bugeaud brought the conquest to a conclusion.

During his time in Algeria Valée founded Philippeville, and re-built the largest Roman theatre in Algeria in the town. It was built upon the ruins of ancient Roman and Phoenician history.

His last act of service was to chair the Paris fortifications commission before retiring to a private life in 1843. Count Valéé died in 1846 in Paris and was buried at Les Invalides.

Valéé's name is inscribed on the west pilar of the Arc de Triomphe.