Home > Adolphe Niel

He was born at Muret , and entered the École Polytechnique in 1821, passing on to the engineer school at Metz, becoming lieutenant in the Engineers in 1827 and captain in 1833. At the storming of Constantine he led the engineer detachment with one of the storming parties, and his conduct gained for him the rank of chef de bataillon (1837). In 1840 he was promoted lieutenant-colonel, and in 1846 colonel, and his next war service was as chief of staff to General Vaillant during the siege of Rome (1849), after which he was made general of brigade and director of engineer services at headquarters.

In 1851 he became a member of the Committee of Fortifications , in the following year a member of the council of state, and in 1853 general of division. In the first part of the Crimean War he was employed in the expedition to the Baltic Sea, and directed engineering operations against Botnarsund , but early in 1855 he was sent to the Crimea, where he succeeded General Bizot as chief of engineers. For some years he had been the most trusted militarj adviser of Napoleon III, and he was now empowered to advise the generals on the spot in accordance with the wishes of the sovereign and the home government.

This delicate and difficult task Niel managed to carry out with as much success as could be expected, and he had the credit of directing the siege operations at the Battle of Malakoff. His reward was the grand cross of the Légion d'honneurThe Legion d'honneur (in English: Legion of Honor is an Order of Chivalry awarded by the President of France. First instituted by Emperor Napoleon I on May 19, 1802, it is one of the most prestigious French awards and the country's highest civilian honor.. From 1855Events Births January 5 King Camp Gillette, inventor († 1932) January 21 John Moses Browning, inventor († 1926) January 28 William Seward Burroughs, inventor of the calculator († 1898) March 13 Percival Lowell, astronomer († 19 to 1859Events January 2 Erastus Beadle publishes The Dime Book of Practical Etiquette''. February 14 Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U. February 16 George Washington Gale Ferris Jr born February 16, 1859 Galesburg, Knox, IL March 26 French amateur astronomer clai he was employed at headquarters, and also served in the senate, In the war against the AustriaAustria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, a federation of nine states. Austria is bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to thens in the latter year Niel commanded the IV corps , and took a brilliant part in the battles of MagentaThe Battle of Magenta was fought on June 4, 1859 during the Franco-Piedmontese war against Austria, resulting in a French victory under Louis-Napoleon against the Austrians under General Gyulai. It took place near the town of Magenta in northern Italy on and Solferino. On the field of battle of Solferino he was made a marshal of France.

After service for some years in a home command, he became minister of war ( 1867Events January 8 African-American men granted the right to vote in the District of Columbia January 11 Benito Juarez becomes Mexican president again January 30 Emperor Komei of Japan dies. Crown Prince Mutsuhito is expected to become the next Emperor of J). In this capacity he drafted and began to carry out a far-reaching scheme of army reform, based on universal service and the automatic creation of large reserves, which needed only time to mature. He also rearmed the whole of the army with the chassepbt rifle . But he did not live to complete the development of his system. He died in Paris, and a year later the Franco-German War destroyed the old imperial army upon which the new formations were to have been grafted.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 Britannica