Leboeuf was born at Paris, passed through the
École polytechnique and the school of
Metz, and distinguished himself as an
artillery officer in
Algerian warfare, becoming
colonel in 1852. He commanded the artillery of the
1st French corps at the
siege of Sebastopol, and was promoted in 1854 to the rank of
general of brigade, and in 1857 to that of
general of division. In the Italian War of 1859 he commanded the artillery, and by his action at the
battle of Solferino materially assisted in achieving the victory. In September 1866, having in the meantime become aide-de-camp to
Napoleon III, he was dispatched to
Venetia to hand over that province to
Victor Emmanuel. In 1869, on the death of
Marshal Niel, General Leboeuf became minister of war, and earned public approbation by his vigorous reorganization of the War Office and the civil departments of the service. In the spring of 1870 he received the marshal's baton. On the declaration of war with
Prussia, Marshal Leboeuf delivered himself in the
Corps Législatif of the historic saying, "So ready are we, that if the war lasts two years, not a gaiter button would be found wanting". It may be that he intended this to mean that, given time, the reorganization of the War Office would be perfected through experience, but the result inevitably caused it to be regarded as a mere boast, though it is now known that the administrative confusion on the frontier in July 1870 was far less serious than was supposed at the time. Leboeuf took part in the
Lorraine campaign, at first as chief of staff (major-general) of the
Army of the Rhin (1870), and afterwards, when
Bazaine became commander-in-chief, as chief of the III Corps, which he led in the battles around Metz. He distinguished himself, whenever engaged, by personal bravery and good leadership. Shut up with
Bazaine in Metz, on its fall he was confined as a prisoner in Prussia. On the conclusion of peace he returned to France and gave evidence before the commission of inquiry into the surrender of that stronghold, when he strongly denounced Bazaine. After this he retired into private life to the
Chateau du Moncel near
Argentan, where he died in 1888. ==References==