Louis Marie Turreau

Divisional-General Louis Marie Turreau (French pronunciation: [lwi maʁi tyʁo]; 4 July 1756 – 10 December 1816) was a French Army officer and diplomat who served in the French Revolutionary Wars. He was most notable as the organiser of the infernal columns during the war in the Vendée, which massacred tens of thousands of Vendéens and ravaged the countryside. He attained army command, but without notable military accomplishments. Under the First French Empire, he pursued a career as a high functionary, serving as the French ambassador to the United States then a Baron of the Empire.

Early life

Louis Marie Turreau's father was fiscal procurator for waters and forests to the comté d'Évreux, before becoming mayor of Évreux. This situation imparted certain privileges to the Turreau family, even though they were not nobles. Turreau was nevertheless a fervent revolutionary from 1789, profiting like many others, especially the bourgeois of that era. Elected mayor of Aviron, he bought several clerical estates (such as that of the Abbaye Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul de Châtillon-lès-Conches.

Career to 1794

Before the Revolution, he had not had any real military activity, having entered the guards corps of the comte d’Artois but only been inscribed for supernumerary roles (he was only a reservist). On the Revolution, he entered the National Guard of Conches, and took over as its leader in July 1792. In September he was elected captain of a company of volunteers from Eure and set out to fight on the northern frontiers. Made a colonel in November, he was integrated into the Army of the Moselle.

In June 1793, Turreau was brought into the Army of the coasts of La Rochelle, remaining so until 8 October though the post did not please him. He wrote to a friend, "I would move heaven and earth not to go to . This kind of war displeases me." Even so, he fought for two months in the . He served as head of the from 12 October until 27 November 1793. During that period, he was defeated by Spanish General at the Battle of the Tech (Pla-del-Rey) on 13–15 October. In January 1794, he denounced fellow general to the , leading to d'Aoust's execution in July. He became commander in chief of the from 29 December, but he again regarded this post with little enthusiasm. Before he arrived at his post, the last elements of the were erased by and at the on 23 December.