Pierre Belon Lapisse Pierre Belon Lapisse , Baron de Sainte - Hélène ( 25 November 1762 – 30 July 1809 ) enlisted in the French Army during the reign of Louis XVI and fought in the American Revolutionary War . Appointed an officer at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars , he rose in rank to become a general officer by 1799 . In 1805 and 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars , he led a brigade in the Grande Armée at Jena , Czarnowo , Golymin , and Eylau . The year 1807 found him commanding a division in the thick of the action at Friedland . In 1808 , Napoleon ennobled Lapisse and transferred him to Spain to fight in the Peninsular War . Lapisse led his division at Espinosa during the Peninsular War . Detailed to lead one of three columns that were invade Portugal , he was completely outmaneuvered . He surprised and defeated a British infantry division in the Casa de Salinas action , but was mortally wounded the following day during heavy fighting at Talavera . Lapisse is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe . Early life . Born into the family of a tapestry weaver in Lyons in 1762 . Military career . Lapisse became a soldier in 1778 . From 1780 to 1783 , he fought against the British Army in America under the command of the Marquis de Lafayette . In 1784 he attained the rank of sergeant . The Revolutionary Wars . In December 1789 after the French Revolution broke out , he became a lieutenant in a Corsican unit . He saw military service in Italy . After distinguishing himself while fighting with Nicolas Soult ( later Marshal ) in the Stockach campaign , Lapisse was appointed General of Brigade on 19 October 1799 . After this he served in Italy again . The Napoleonic Wars . Lapisse commanded a brigade in Marshal Pierre Augereau ' s VII Corps during the Ulm Campaign in 1805 . At the Battle of Jena on 14 October 1806 , he led a brigade in Jacques Desjardin ' s 1st Division . The unit included four battalions of the 16th Light Infantry Regiment . He fought at the Battle of Golymin and was promoted to General of Division a few days later on 30 December 1806 . In February 1807 , he led his brigade at the Battle of Eylau where the VII Corps suffered very heavy losses . Ordered to attack the Russian left flank , Augereau ' s men soon disappeared into a blizzard . Losing their sense of direction , the formation instead attacked the enemy center , protected by a 70 - gun battery . Crushed by artillery fire and ridden down by Russian cavalry the survivors fled . The shattered corps was later broken up and its units redistributed throughout the army . At the Battle of Friedland , Lapisse commanded the 2nd Division in Marshal Claude Perrin Victor ' s I Corps . The division included two battalions each of the 16th Light , 8th Line , 45th Line , and 54th Line Infantry Regiments . The Peninsular War . The I Corps was soon called to Spain after the Battle of Bailen . Lapisse fought at the Battle of Espinosa on 10 and 11 November 1808 . The division included the same regiments as at Friedland , only with three battalions each . On the first day , Joaquín Blake y Joyes ' s Spanish army held its ground , repelling Victor ' s attacks . After his previous unsuccessful attacks Blake ' s center and right , Victor decided to try assaulting the Spanish left flank on the second day . Lapisse ' s division formed the French right flank . The drive broke the Spanish left and rolled up Blake ' s line , inflicting 3 , 000 casualties and capturing six guns . French losses were 1 , 100 killed and wounded . At this time King Joseph Bonaparte detached Lapisse ' s division from I Corps which was campaigning in Extremadura . Despite Victor ' s pleas to return his 2nd Division , the king obstinately refused . Instead , Napoleon planned on launching an invasion of Portugal from three directions , with Nicolas Soult and 20 , 000 men overunning the north , Lapisse with 9 , 000 troops advancing from the east , and Victor pushing in from the south . Robert Thomas Wilson ' s aggressive use of his 1 , 200 Portuguese regular troops completely fooled Lapisse , who became convinced that he was outnumbered and halted his advance . Baffled by Wilson ' s maneuvers , he was withdrawn and ordered to rejoin Victor . On 14 May 1809 Victor and Lapisse brushed aside Colonel Mayne ' s Portuguese regulars and militia at Alcántara in Extremadura . Lapisse ' s 2nd Division and a brigade of dragoons were engaged , a total of 9 , 500 soldiers and 12 guns . The heavily outnumbered Portuguese lost 250 men while French casualties were light . Lapisse ' s men sacked the town before rendezvousing with Victor at Mérida . Two days before , the British army of Arthur Wellesley ' s won a victory over Marshal Nicolas Soult ' s corps at the Second Battle of Porto and chased him out of Portugal . So ended the second unsuccessful French invasion of that nation . On 27 July 1809 , as Victor pursued Gregorio García de la Cuesta ' s Spanish army , Arthur Wellesley ' s British troops attempted to cover their retreat across the Alberche River . Having successfully overseen the withdrawal of the Spanish infantry , Alexander Randoll Mackenzie ' s British 3rd Division pulled back to the west bank . However , unseen by the British , Lapisse ' s troops had crossed at a ford farther north and massed in the woods . Without warning , Lapisse launched his infantry at the 2nd Battalion of the 87th Foot and 1st Battalion of the 88th Foot of Rufane Shaw Donkin ' s brigade . The two British battalions , together with the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Foot gave way in confusion . However , Wellesley quickly reached the scene and rallied the disordered 31st on the unbroken 1st Battalion of the 45th Foot of Mackenzie ' s brigade . Meanwhile , Donkin ' s troops sorted themselves out behind five companies of the 5th Battalion of the 60th Foot ( Rifles ) . Mackenzie ' s division managed to fall back to the main line without further trouble , well - covered by the 14th Light Dragoons and the 1st Light Dragoons of the King ' s German Legion ( KGL ) . However , the Casa de Salinas action cost the British 447 casualties , including 70 killed , 284 wounded , and 93 missing . The 87th alone lost 198 casualties . Lapisse ' s losses are unknown but probably light . The following day at the Battle of Talavera , Lapisse ' s 12 - battalion division consisted of the same organization as at Espinosa . Together with the divisions of Horace François Bastien , baron Sébastiani and Jean François Leval , Lapisse ' s troops advanced about 2 : 00 PM , covered by a heavy bombardment . Formed in battalion columns , the first line of battalions struck the 1st Guards Division . Riddled by a volley at range , the French broke and fled , pursued by the British and KGL infantry . After rallying on the second line battalions and their numerous artillery , the French counterattacked and overthrew their enemies . The Guards lost 600 men , one KGL brigade lost half its strength and Brigadier General Ernst Langwerth was killed . The divisions of Sébastiani and Lapisse advanced into contact with the British line , into which Wellesley threw his reserves . Soon a terrific firefight raged . After losing 1 , 700 men and inflicting about the same number , the French fell back , their attack defeated . Lapisse was fatally wounded during the attack and died at Santa Olalla two days later , the French army had lost one of their most experienced field officer together with several regimental officers . LAPISSE is engraved on Column 37 of the Arc de Triomphe .