The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-05 00:00:00

GENERAL PAJOL.
" The excitement occasioned here by the dtsmissal
of General Pajol," says our Paris letter, " still con-
tinues. Before handing to you a translation of a bio-
graphical sketch of that distinguished officer, it may
not be amiss I should mention that he is, and has
been, one of the finest men in Europe ; full six feet
high, gigantic in proportion, but so well made as to
present nothing extraordinary to a casual observer.
He is, moreover, remarkably handsome, though a very
fair man. His manners are amiable, but he has proved
himself exceedingly susceptible, and no stranger to
violent passion ; for example, when it was proposed,
at the interview of the deputies from Charles X. with
M. Laffitte and the chiefs of the popular party, on
the '2Bth of July, 1830, that that Prince (Charles X.)
should continue to reign, Pajol, who was present,
drew his sword, and swore he would immolate any
man who should again utter such a proposition.' This
was felt to be no idle threat. The subject was there-
fore dropped."
The following biographical sketch is from the
National:---
" Claude Pierre Pajol was born at Besancon, *on
the 3d of February, 1775, of a family distinguished
in the profession of the law. He entered the military
service at an early age, performed prodigies of valour
during the campaigns of the Revolution, and advanced
from rank to rank to that of Brigadier-General, which
he obtained in 1805. He fought valiantly in Poland
during the years 1806 and 1807. At the battle of
Ileilsburg he supported with his brigade the charge
of the enemy's entire body of cavalry, and gave tne
French an opportunity to rally. After the battle of
Friedland he was the first to pass the river at Fregel;
he unceasingly harassed the enemy, with whom he
entered Tilsit, received the first propositions for an
armistice, and forwarded them to Napoleon.
" The following year he commanded the entire line
of advanced posts on the frontier of Bohemia, and re-
ceived in this position in 1809 the declaration of war
from Austria, whose forces attacked him on all points.
He held them in check with 2,000 cavalry until
General Davoust had assembled his corps d'armee.
After having passed the Danube at Ratisbon, he en-
gaged the enemy at Peissing on the 20th of April, and
prevented them by his intredidity from attacking Da-
voust's left wing. On the 23d he contributed to the
success of Davoust at Eckmuhl, where he had two
horses killed under him. lie subsequently pursued
_ _ _

the enemy to Ratisbon, and captured inore than 2,000
men. IN apoleon, who was a witness of his intrepidity,
created him Commander of the Legion of Honour.
General Pajol pursued the enemy into Bohemia,
but was recalled by the Emperor to join the grand
army, which had just occupied Vienna. Having ar-
rived at the island of Lobau on the 4th of July he
passed the Danube; on the sth debouched on the
plains of Essling, whence he drove the enemy and took
a position on the Nesselbach. At the battle of Wag-
ram he resisted all the efforts made by the enemy's
cavalry to reach the Danube, and defeated them.
On the following day Pajol routed all the enemy's
cavalry which were on the river Taya, and made
many prisoners. He was the first to pass this river
with '2,400 cavalry in presence of the enemy's rear
guard, which he drove back to the heights of Zriaim.
At the conclusion of this day an Austrian Lieutenant-
General came to him to propose terms, which he com-
municated to Napoleon.
" Hostilities having ceased, General Pajol was ap-
pointed to take-the command of the cavalry at Dant-
zie and on the line of the Vistula. On the expedition
tolaßrsuhsas in 1812, he formed
liabavoust,s corps.d,a the advanced
rmee,ys,asthefirsgtutaord of
pass
the Niemen the 24th of June, took possession of
Kowas, and made prisoner a battalion of Russians.
He captured Trezimori, Vilna, Minsk, and the im-
mense magazines of that city. Having been informed
that General Bragation's large park of artillery was
engaged on difficult ground, he followed with 100
picked men. This expedition, which was crowned
with success, gained him the rank of General of
Division, on the 7th of August, 1812. Having
been ordered to observe the fortress of Bobruisk
on the Beresina, General Pajol succeeded in
keeping the garrison in check, and likewise, by
deceiving the left wing of the Russian army, he
assisted Marshal Deroust in the capture of Mohilew.
Pajol, ever at the heels of the Russians, took pos-
session of Dombrowna Krasnoi, Orcha, and Rassasna,
drove the enemy from the left bank of the Dwina, re-
lieved Witepsk captured Poriechi, and, after having
traversed a frightful country, reached the grand army
on the eve of the battle oft the Moskwa. He there
resisted the combined efforts of the enemy, and saw
Generals Montbrun, Caulaincourt, and his own aide-
de-camp, perish at his side. In fine, by taking in
flank the great Russian redoubt with his cavalry,
whilst the infantry attacked it in front, Pajol forced
the enemy to retreat. Having occupied Mojaisk on
the 9th, he made two Russian battalions prisoners,
had his right arm broken by a musket shot, and his
horse killed under him, but nevertheless pursued the
enemy to Moscow. He did not wish to return with
the wounded, but remained with the army until their
fatal retreat. Napoleon sent for him to consult him,
when he arrived at the Bober, to ask for information
respecting the Beresina, which this General had par-
ticularly reconnoitred. He indicated Zambinan as
the only point practicable, and it was there that the
wreck of the glorious army traversed the river.
"Pajol, having recovered of his wounds, returned
to the grand army in 1813, and fought at Lutzen,
Buntzlau, and Bautzen, and continued the campaign
until the armistice of the Elbe. His good conduct
procured for him the good will of the inhabitants,
who gave him constant information relative to the
enemy's movements. On the armistice being broken,
Pajol was attacked and obliged to give way. Having
collected all the troops in the neighbourhood he re-
tired on Dresden, sweeping away all who resisted
him, and reached that city without loss. The defence
of the approaches to that town was intrusted to him,
and it was from one of his pieces of artillery that the
ball was fired which took off General Moreau's legs.
' During two days he resisted the attacks of the
Austro-Russians, who were endeavouring to penetrate
into Dresden, and gave Napoleon time to arrive with
his guard and part of the grand army, with which he
gained the celebrated victory, and made 20,000 pri-
soners. Pajol, pursuing the enemy, made himself
master of Pirna, the defiles of Gezhout, protected
General Vandamme's retreat, and guarded the defiles
of Bohemia. At the head of the sth corps of cavalry,
of which Napoleon had given him the command, he
resisted the united force of the enemy's cavalry at
Wachau. In a charge, a shell having exploded
against his horse's breast, Pajol was blown a consider-
able height into the air, had his left arm broken, and
his ribs fractured.
"He had his arm still a sling, when two months
afterwards he offered his services to the Emperor, who
intrusted to him the command of the army of obser-
vation of the Seine, of the Yonne, and the Loine.
Having been obliged to follow the army, in his retreat
he destroyed the bridges, took up a position on Ypres,
and occupied Melun. Napoleon having sent for him
to Guignes, the 15th of February, 1814, communi-
cated to him his plan on Montereau, and ordered him
to arrive with his corps early in the morning of the
17th, to attack the enemy on the heights of Surene.
On the 16th, Pajol entered Chatelet, after a hard
fought contest, and at six o'clock on the morning of
the 17th, defiling from the wood of Valence, whence
he had dislodged the enemy's advanced guard, forced
him to fall back on his line of battle, which he attacked
with vigour, believing that Marshal Victor would at-
tack the right flank at the same hour. The latter
not having appeared, Pajol having to contend with
the entire army, lost nineteen pieces of artil-
lery out of twenty-four, together with a number of his
men, and was about to retreat, when Bertrand, the
Grand Marshal of the Palace, galloped up and desired
him to hold his ground, assuring him that General
Gerard, who had succeeded Marshal Victor, had
arrived, and that his riflemen were already engaged.
General Pajol then collected all his forces, advanced
and charged the enemy who had abandoned his posi-
tion, on the high road to Montereau. Pajol came up
with the enemy's columns under a horrible fire, over-
threw it, and captured 5,000 men with all their artil-
lery, and pursued the remainder until night, which
alone saved them from total destruction. This charge,
one of the most brilliant in the annals of military ex-
ploits, gained Pajol the rank of Grand Officer of the
Legion of Honour, conferred upon him by Napoleon
on the field of battle, who embraced him and ob-
served, ' If all my Generals had served me like you,
the enemy would not now be in France: Towards
the end of this day, Pajol had his horse killed under
him, and his fall having opened his wounds he was
obliged to return to Paris for medical advice.
" After a few days he heard that the Emperor had
abdicated.
" After the restoration he organized the King's four
regiments, which he commanded in 1814, and which
were afterwards disbanded. On Napoleon's return
in 1815, he sent him, on the 21st of March, his sub-
mission, distributed the tricoloured cockade to his
soldiers, took the command of the army of the Loire,
led it to Paris, and advised the Emperor to march upon
Brussels with the 18,000 men composing it.