General Marc Nicolas Louis Pécheux

Joining the army during the French Revolution like many others, Marc Nicolas Louis Pécheux joined the 4th Battalion of Volunteers of Aisne as a capitaine of grenadiers in August of 1792. The next month he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of this battalion and he began serving with the Army of the North. In 1793 and 1794 Pécheux served with the Army of the Ardennes until he joined the Army of the Sambre and Meuse later in 1794. Next he joined the Army of the Interior in 1796 and in 1798 he joined the Army of Italy. Pécheux was promoted to chef de brigade in September of 1799.

In 1803 Pécheux began serving with the Army of Hanover and he was given command of the 95th of the Line. For the campaign against the Third Coalition in 1805, he served as part of Drouet's division in the Grande Armée and he fought at the Battle of Austerlitz. The next year Pécheux took part in the campaign against Prussia where in October he served at Schleiz and Halle and in November he served at the action of Lübeck. In March of 1807 he joined Villatte's division and later that year he went on to serve at Spanden and Friedland.

In 1808 Pécheux's career next took him to Spain where he served at Espinosa in November before later serving at Madrid and then Uclès. In March of 1809 he served at Almaraz and Medellin and then later in the year he served at Talavera , Cuenca, and Ocaña . The following year Pécheux served at the Siege of Cadiz and in June he was promoted to général de brigade. Next he was named commander at Xérès and he served under Sébastiani. In March of 1811 Pécheux repulsed the Spanish under Zayas before Cadiz and then in June he won at Venta de Leche. Pécheux next took command of the 1st Brigade of Villatte's 3rd Division in November of 1811 and in December and January he served at the Siege of Tarifa. Afterwards, he took command of the left wing of the Siege of Cadiz. In August the French were forced to retreat or be cut off and Pécheux commanded the advance guard during the retreat, repulsing the enemy at Samanos.

Pécheux remained in Spain until partway through 1813 and in May of that year he was promoted to général de division. By August he had joined the Grande Armée in Germany and he served in Marshal Davout's XIII Corps. On September 16th Pécheux was defeated at Goerde by Walmoden and forced to withdraw to Hamburg. He took part in the defense of Hamburg during the Siege of Hamburg that eventually ended after Napoleon's abdication when Marshal Davout was ordered to surrender the city.

With the Bourbon Restoration Pécheux was named a Knight of Saint Louis. When Napoleon resumed power in 1815 for the Hundred Days, Pécheux was given command of the 12th Division of General Gérard's IV Corps. Taking part in the campaign in June, he fought at the Battle of Ligny. Afterwards he was put on non-activity but he was recalled to the service at the end of 1818.

Bibliography

• Divry, Arnauld. Les Noms Gravés sur l'Arc de Triomphe. Paris: L'Harmattan, 2017.
• Six, Georges. Dictionnaire Biographique des Généraux & Amiraux Français de la Révolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814). 2 vols. Paris: Gaston Saffroy, 2003.