Paul-Alexis Dubois

Dubois was born on 27 January 1754 at Guise in what later became the Aisne department in France. He joined the Lyonnais Infantry Regiment of French Royal Army on 16 August 1770. He transferred into the Monsieur Dragoon Regiment on 6 June 1776, followed by subsequent moves into the Royal-Normandie Cavalry Regiment on 22 December 1777 and the 5th Chevau-léger Regiment on 28 May 1779. He was promoted to brigadier, a non-commissioned officer rank, on 5 April 1780. He joined the Quercy Infantry Regiment on 25 July 1784 and was appointed maréchal de logis on 16 September the same year. He advanced to maréchal de logis en chef on 16 June 1785 and to adjutant on 29 December 1786. He became port-guidon (guidon bearer) in the 11th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment on 15 May 1788. ==War: 1791–1793==

Soon after the French Revolution Dubois advanced into the lesser grades of officer. He was promoted to sous-lieutenant on 1 March 1791, first lieutenant on 17 June 1792 and captain on 5 August the same year. In 1792 he fought with the Army of the Moselle. He assumed the rank of lieutenant colonel in the 17th Dragoons on 26 January 1793. For part of the year he was deputy chief of staff in the Army of the Ardennes. The French government dismissed the previous army commander but none of the generals wanted the post because they had seen such generals as Adam Philippe Custine and Jean Nicolas Houchard sent to the guillotine. In desperation, the representatives on mission selected Jean Pascal Carlenc, a good cavalry officer but incompetent as commander-in-chief. To add more trouble, on 10 October the army's chief of staff Henri Jacques Guillaume Clarke was dismissed for suspected sympathy with aristocrats. In the midst of this chaos, the 43,185-strong Coalition army under Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser attacked on 13 October 1793. Dubois did not distinguish himself, withdrawing from his position when it was unnecessary. Carlec refused to order a counterattack unless authorized to do so by the political representatives, so the army fell back almost to Strasbourg. Dubois was replaced by Louis Desaix. The Army of the Moselle also suffered from disruptive changes of army leaders. On 31 October 1793 Lazare Hoche replaced its acting commander. The new leader was handicapped by the arrest and dismissal of so many generals. Evidently Hoche thought favorably toward Dubois because he wrote at this time, "[Jean René] Moreaux and Dubois have just arrived; [Édouard] Huet and [François Joseph] Lefebvre, recently promoted, have begun work: these four generals will much relieve me." Dubois led the army's Advance Guard in the Battle of Kaiserslautern on 28–30 November. His force consisted of 12 field guns in two horse artillery companies, four squadrons each of the 1st Carabiniers-à-Cheval and 1st Dragoons, three squadrons of the 3rd Hussars, one squadron of the 7th Hussars, five infantry companies and three half-squadrons from various cavalry units. Water-logged roads kept Hoche's main body out of action on the 28th, but Dubois joined one of Jean-Jacques Ambert's brigades in a morning assault on 29 November. After suffering many casualties, the French crossed the Otterbach stream and advanced against the main Prussian position. Over the next two days, the French attacks failed and Hoche was compelled to order a retreat. Dubois was hit in the leg by a musket ball in the Battle of Froeschwiller on 22 December 1793. In this engagement, the Army of the Moselle turned Wurmser's right flank and forced him to retreat from his defenses at Haguenau and along the river Moder. ==War: 1794–1796==

Dubois was provisionally appointed general of division on 10 March 1794. This promotion was confirmed on 30 March. After Goguet was assassinated by his own troops on 21 April, Dubois took over the division. On 4 May, Dubois' division counted 11,353 soldiers and was posted at Bohéries Abbey near Guise. Balland's 12,701-man division and Dubois' division made up the center of the Army of the North under Jacques Ferrand. After 10 May, the brigade of Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul was sent to the right wing of the Army of the North. On 26 May, Dubois left with a second cavalry brigade to join the right wing at Maubeuge. He took command of a cavalry division assembled at Ham-sur-Heure on 10 June 1794. The 2,315 troopers were divided into brigades under Hautpoul and Guillaume Soland, each with a horse artillery battery attached. Hautpoul led the 12th Dragoons (406), 2nd Hussars (265) and 6th Chasseurs-à-Cheval (624) while Soland led the 6th Cavalry (550) and 8th Cavalry (470). The Battle of Lambusart was fought on 16 June and resulted in a French defeat. Prince William of Orange who commanded the Coalition army attacked the French in four columns, with the main weight in the 1st and 2nd Columns against the French right flank. The French left flank troops were successful against the 4th Column. As the 3rd Column under Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich deployed in front of Morlot's division, Jourdan ordered the cavalry to attack. Accordingly, Dubois led the 10th Cavalry (of Morlot's division) and 6th Chasseurs-à-Cheval in a brilliant cavalry charge, capturing 600 enemy soldiers and seven cannons. Unfortunately Jourdan soon received news that his right flank had collapsed, causing him to order a withdrawal. When Coburg's 52,000-man army reached the scene, it was too late; Charleroi had surrendered to the French. As on the 16th, Jourdan's 75,000 troops formed a semi-circle around Charleroi. In the Battle of Fleurus on 26 June 1794 Coburg formed his army into five attacking columns. Dubois' cavalry was positioned near Ransart behind the center together with Jacques Maurice Hatry's infantry division. Again, Jourdan's right flank was swept away by the Coalition attack. Lefebvre wheeled back the right flank of his division and placed it under the orders of Jean-de-Dieu Soult. Some soldiers and cannons from the routed right wing rallied on it. Jourdan issued orders for a retreat but, finding that Lefebvre was still holding on, he countermanded the order. Championnet's division had just begun pulling out. Jourdan directed Dubois' cavalry to charge the enemy; the horsemen were repulsed, but Championnet's foot soldiers attacked next and regained their former positions. After a see-saw struggle on the left flank, the French managed to hold their ground there also. Coburg in person hurled his battalions at Lefebvre but every assault was beaten back. That evening Coburg conceded victory to the French and retreated to Braine-l'Alleud. On 6 and 17 July 1794 Dubois led his troopers in clashes against the Coalition forces. He fought in the Battle of Aldenhoven on 2 October He got into an argument with the supply department which caused a rupture with Jourdan. He left the army early in 1795. The Revolt of 1 Prairial Year III broke out on 20 May 1795 when a crowd of armed people, burst into the National Convention and assassinated a deputy. In Paris at the time, Dubois was given command of the capital's cavalry on the 21st. ==Notes==