Lefebvre,
wire of a hussard, engages at 18 years in the regiment of the
French Guards. Fifteen years later, in 1789, he is a sergeant.
The Revolution starts. It is wounded by protecting the royal
family. Become brigadier general in 1793, it is sent to the Army
of the Moselle where it finds the Hoche General. Its courage
with fire is worth to him the rank of major general in 1794.
It is seen affected with the command of the avant-gardes of several
armies successively. It is useful in that of Sambre-and-Meuse
in 1794 and takes part in the battle of Fleurus (June 26, 1794).
It is then under the commands of Kléber in 1795. It fights
in Altenkirchen on June 4, 1796. After the death of Notch, it
takes the command of the Army of Sambre-and-Meuse (September
1797). It controls the avant-garde of the Army of the Danube
under the commands of Jourdan in March 1799.
After
years of honest services under the flags, it returns to Paris
where it expects a place of Director. The Old ones to him refuse
it and Bonaparte does not have great evil to gain it with his
cause. Its support is significant because it is controlling troops
of Paris. 19 Brumaire, Lefebvre penetrates in the room of Cinq-Cents
the sword to the hand and lance its pomegranates with the continuation
of the deputies.
Bonaparte does it senator (April 1, 1800), marshal on May 19,
1804, large-eagle of the Legion of Honor but does not employ
it in the army before 1805. For the campaign of Germany, it entrusts
a division of the Grande Armée to him. From Iéna,
October 14, 1806, Lefebvre orders the infantry of the imperial
Guard. It gathers Xème army corps in Thorn and of Dantzig
besieges (March 27 at May 19, 1807). Lefebvre repeats with the
artillerists: «I do not understand anything with your business;
but drive to me a hole and I will pass there». What it
does, in May 1807. This difficult seat is worth to him the title
of duke of Dantzig.
Lefebvre
accompanies in 1808 the Emperor in Spain where it gains in particular
the victories of Durango and Espinosa. Of return in Germany in
1809, it is named controlling Bavarian army. Present with Eckmühl
and Wagram, it is then charged to crush the revolt of the Tyroleans.
It east demolishes by Hofer and replaced.
It controls the Old Guard during the campaign of Russia (1812),
walking on at its head during the long retirement. It is also
at this station that it takes part in the last battles of the
campaign of France, in 1814. April 4, Lefebvre is one of the
marshals who attend the interview of Napoleon with Macdonald,
come to require his abdication of him. It votes the forfeiture
of the Emperor to the Senate, is made even of France by Louis
XVIII (June 4, 1814), but joins in Napoleon during the Hundred
Days. It is excluded from the room of the Pars at the time of
the second restoration. It nevertheless is maintained with its
rank of marshal. Louis XVIII returns his peerage to him on March
5, 1819. Died in 1820, it is buried at Masséna with the
Père-Lachaise, Paris.
