François Gédéon Bailly de Monthion facts for kids
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François Gédéon Bailly, Count of Monthion (born 1776, died 1850) was an important French general. He served in the French army during a very exciting time in history, the Napoleonic Wars.
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Monthion's Early Military Days
François Gédéon Bailly joined the army in February 1793. He became a soldier in an infantry regiment. An infantry regiment is a large group of soldiers who fight on foot. He bravely took part in some big battles. These included the Battle of Marengo in 1800 and the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805.
Fighting in the Peninsular War
General Monthion also played a part in the Peninsular War. This war took place in Spain and Portugal. On September 20, 1808, Monthion's troops faced a tough challenge. They were defeated at a place called Bilbao by a Spanish general named Blake.
Blake had a clever plan. He pretended to attack the city of Burgos with a small part of his army. Meanwhile, his main army, made up of about 32,000 soldiers from Galicia and Asturias, marched towards Bilbao.
The Battle for Bilbao
Blake sent his main groups of soldiers towards Bilbao. The Spanish troops, led by the Marquis of Portazgo, defeated the 1,500 French soldiers defending the city. General Monthion had to pull his troops back to Durango.
However, the Spanish soldiers did not stay in Bilbao for long. Just one week later, they left the city. This happened as more French troops, led by General Ney, were getting close.
Monthion's Reserve Army
In July 1811, General Monthion was in charge of a special group of soldiers. This group was called the Reserve of the Army of Spain. They were stationed in a city called Bayonne. At that time, his reserve army had 8,047 soldiers and 251 officers.
See also
In Spanish: François Gédéon Bailly de Monthion para niños
