Blaise Duval


Blaise Duval de Hautmaret called Blaise Duval was a French general of the Revolutionary Wars.

Biography

Son of a merchant, he was born in Abbeville in northern France. He was cornet in the Garde du corps of the King in 1758. He fought in the Seven Years' War in the 11th régiment de chasseurs à cheval called Soubise Volunteers Regiment.
He was lieutenant the 26 March 1762, captain the 1 July 1766 and lieutenant colonel the 3 March 1774. He was member of Order of Saint Louis in 1778.
The 22 September 1786, he was posted as a Lieutenant du Roi in the Montreuil citadel. He was discharged with the headquarters staff of this citadel the 1 August 1791.
Lieutenant-colonel with Ancien Régime, he was posted with the same grade in the 1st Somme battalion the 6 September 1791. He was colonel the 23 March 1792.
He was promoted General de Brigade the 25 August 1792 in the Army of the North by Dumouriez then Maréchal de camp and commander-in-chief of the Pont-sur-Sambre military camp. He was confirmed in that rank by the Provisional Executive Committee on 7 September 1792. He served under La Bourdonnaye in September, and then was posted to the northern division of the Army of Belgium under Francisco de Miranda in November, then Commander of Brussels in December.
Became Executive Officer for the Brabant and Hainaut on 20 February 1793. Il was promoted general of division on February 3, 1793 and took command of the places of Arras, Peronne, Bapaume, Doullens and Saint-Pol on May 14, 1793. He was charged by the directors of the Pas-de-Calais department to take over the command of the Army in the case of English landing along the Montreuil coasts.

Late career

Suspended by the War Minister, Bouchotte, he was placed under arrest but saved by Thermidorian reaction.
Impaired and in poor health, he was discharged the 5 December 1797 then appointed commander of the 8th Demi-brigade of veterans the 18 October 1800.
He was elected to the Pas de Calais General council from 1800 to 1803 and died in Neuville, near Montreuil in 1803 aged 63.

Family life

He married Marie-Josèphe Festamel who gave him two sons and three daughters.
The eldest, Jean-Blaise-Alexandre Duval, born in Montreuil on June 24, 1797, initially intended to the Prytanée National Militaire, became a second lieutenant in the 19th line regiment in 1814 and his younger brother chose to enter the Imperial Cavalry School of Saint-Germain.

Honours