Louis Henri Loison

Louis Henri Loison
Louis Henri Loison
Born	16 May 1771 (1771-05-16) Damvillers, France
Died	30 December 1816 (1816-12-31) (aged 45) Chokier, present-day Belgium
Allegiance	France
Service / branch	Infantry
Years of service	1791-1815
Rank	General of Division
Battles / wars	French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars
Awards	Légion d'Honneur, Grand Officer

Louis Henri Loison (French pronunciation: [lwi ɑ̃ʁi lwazɔ̃]; 16 May 1771 – 30 December 1816) briefly joined the French Army in 1787 and after the French Revolution became a junior officer. Blessed with military talent and courage, he rapidly rose to general officer rank during the French Revolutionary Wars. He got into difficulties because of his fondness for plundering. In late 1795 he helped Napoleon Bonaparte crush a revolt against the government. After a hiatus, he returned in 1799 to fight in Switzerland where he earned another promotion. In 1800 he commanded a division under Napoleon in the Marengo campaign.

In 1805, Loison led a division in Napoleon's Grande Armée during the Ulm campaign and served in the War of the Fourth Coalition in 1806 and 1807. He saw much action in the Peninsular War including all three invasions of Portugal, though not always with distinction. In Portugal he earned a bad name for his harshness and the inhabitants called him Maneta or One-Hand. For a brief period, he commanded Michel Ney's famous VI Corps. During the French invasion of Russia he assembled a reserve division, which was later destroyed by the extreme cold weather. He served in the War of the Sixth Coalition before a harsh rebuke from the emperor effectively ended his military career. Loison is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe.