General Guillaume Mirabel

Général de brigade who was killed at Saint-Laurent de la Mouga

Born: August 29, 1744

Place of Birth: Fitou, Aude, France

Died: August 13, 1794

Cause of Death: Killed in action

Place of Death: Saint-Laurent-de-la-Mouga, Spain

Arc de Triomphe: MIRABEL on the west pillar

Pronunciation:

A man of many careers, Guillaume Mirabel first enlisted in the military in the Dragoons of Languedoc in 1768. Four years later he left the service, and then in 1780 he became a customs officer in Agde. After the arrival of the Revolution, in May of 1793 Mirabel was named a lieutenant and instructor of cavalry for the départements of Gard and Hérault. The following month he was promoted to capitaine and he took over instruction of the cavalry and light artillery of the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees.

Mirabel did far more than just instruct troops though, joining his men in combat quite often. In July of 1793 he fought at Thuir where he was wounded by a saber blow to the right shoulder, and then in August he was wounded by a saber blow to the head. That September Mirabel was again wounded, this time receiving a saber blow to the right hand. Later that month he took command of the horse flankers of the army, and at the end of the year he was promoted to général de brigade.

In early 1794, General Mirabel joined Augereau's division. That May he fought twice at Saint-Laurent de la Mouga, a strategic location critical to both the French and Spanish. Mirabel once again fought at Saint-Laurent de la Mouga in August, but while leading an assault on a Spanish column he was struck in the head by a ball, killing him instantly.

Bibliography

Six, Georges. Dictionnaire Biographique des Généraux & Amiraux Français de la Révolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814). 2 vols. Paris: Gaston Saffroy, 2003.

Updated November 2014