Jean François Leval

Jean François Leval (18 April 1762 – 7 August 1834) was promoted to general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and led a division in a number of battles during the Napoleonic Wars. He rapidly rose in rank during the French Revolution. Appointed to command a demi-brigade beginning early in 1793, by the end of the year he was a general of brigade. He led a brigade at Fleurus in 1794 and in the campaign of 1795. In 1799 he became a general of division. He commanded a division in Napoleon Bonaparte's Grand Army at the battles of Jena and Eylau. Later he transferred to Spain where he fought in numerous actions including Talavera, Ocaña, Barossa, Vitoria, and the Nive. The only action in which he commanded an army was the Siege of Tarifa, which was a failure. In 1814, he led his division in eastern France. His surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on Column 7.

Jean François Leval
Born	18 April 1762 (1762-04-18) Paris, France
Died	7 August 1834 (1834-08-08) (aged 72)
Allegiance	France
Service/branch	Infantry
Rank	General of Division
Battles/wars	Battle of Pensacola (1781)^[1] Battle of Fleurus (1794) Battle of Ostrach (1799) Battle of Stockach (1799) Battle of Jena (1806) Battle of Lubeck (1806) Battle of Eylau (1807) Battle of Zornoza (1808) Battle of Medellín (1809) Battle of Talavera (1809) Battle of Ocaña (1809) Battle of Barrosa (1811) Siege of Tarifa (1812) Battle of Vitoria (1813) Battle of the Nive (1813)
Awards	Légion d'Honneur, 1808
Other work	Baron of the Empire, 1809

References

1. Wounded by an English cannonball

• Broughton, Tony. "Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1792-1814: Lemaire to Lynch". The Napoleon Series. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
• Chandler, David G. (1966). The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York, NY: Macmillan.
• Gates, David (2002). The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. London: Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-9730-6.
• Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.