Eugène Labaume (Viviers, 1783 – 1849)
Son of a lawyer at the Parliament of Paris, he was employed as a draughtsman at the General War Depot from 1804 to 1805, then was made a second lieutenant of the geographical engineers in 1806 in the Bureau topographique de l’Armée d’Italie. At Eugène’s request, he passed into Italian service in June 1807 as a lieutenant 2nd class. He was promoted lieutenant 1st class on 21 September 1809, captain 2nd class on 21 February 1812 and captain 1st class on 5 December 1813. He went back to France on 14 May 1814 and became a squadron chief on 1st July 1815. Knight of the Legion of Honour 15 August 1812, officer in 1833, he was also created knight of the Empire. Employed sparingly during the Restauration, he was nevertheless chief of staff of an infantry division in 1829 and in the Armée du Nord between the end of 1832 and the beginning of 1833.
He was a successful author: Labaume, Eugène. 1815. Relation circonstanciée de la campagne de Russie, en 1812… Paris: Panckouke, Magimel (which served as a basis for a translation in English: Id. 1818. Sketches of the horrors of war, chiefly selected from Labaume’s narrative of the campaign in Russia, in 1812. London: Bensley and sons). The 1815 edition is now in Id. 2002. La campagne de Russie, Le récit d’un officier de la Grande Armée, Paris: Cosmopole. Id. 1820. Histoire de la chute de l’Empire de Napoléon. Paris: Anselin et Pochard was published in various European countries including in Italy: at Florence, Milan, Naples, Rome and Turin. He also wrote about historiography, in Id. 1818. Réflexions sur les inconvéniens et les avantages de l’histoire contemporaine. Paris: Magimel, Anselin et Pochard. More traditionally, he wrote as well about his own profession: Id. 1827. Manuel de l’officier d’état-major. Paris: Anselin et Pochard (cf. ms. SHD, 3M 300, 3 M 369, AN LH/1413/78).