Lazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche was born in 1768 into a poor background. He enlisted in 1784 as a soldier in the Gardes Françaises. During his leisure time he sought to improve himself by reading as much as he could. When this regiment disbanded he had risen to the rank of corporal.
By 1792 he had served in various regiments and received his commission. He was present at the Battle of Neerwinden when the French were defeated. He was placed under arrest when Dumouriez defected to the Austrians. After his release he served in the defence of Thionville and Dunkirk and was further promoted. In October 1793 he was appointed commander of the Army of the Moselle. Although he lost his first Battle at Kaiserslautern in November 1793 he was retained by the Committee of Public Safety because they admired his drive and enthusiasm. This rare act of loyalty was rewarded when the Battle of Froeschwiller and he was then additionally given the Army of the Rhine. It was then at the Battle of Wissembourg that he drove the Austrians back and reclaimed Alsace for France.
During the respite of winter he married. His honeymoon was to brief however as he was arrested on charges of treason having been denounced by Charles Pichegru who had been his predecessor in command of the Army of the Rhine. He was placed in prison until the fall of Robespierre.
When he was released he was placed in command of the war against the Vendéans in August 1794. Despite an initial peace treaty the war would drag on for three years before the region was pacified. This included defeating an invasion force of émigrés who had been landed on the French coast at Quiberon by the British Royal Navy.
After these successes the Directory offered the service of Hoche to Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen in assisting in the removal of the British from Ireland. Hoche was to take 15,000 troops with him. The expedition was called off. Hoche however heard the rebellion had started in earnest and set off however he was unable to make much progress as a storm prevented the French from landing their army. His forces returned to France.
End of the Irish Invasion or the Destruction of the French Armada from 1797 by the British cartoonist James Gillray
Hoche was then transferred to fight the Austrians once again. He was successful defeating them at Battle of Neuwied in April 1797. The successes of the French forces led directly to the Peace of Leoben. Later that year he would become Minister of War but he found the political intrigues of Paris too much and he resigned and returned to the command the Army of the Rhine. His health rapidly deteriorated however and he died of consumption in September 1797.