François Dutertre (4 September 1760 – 11 April 1843).Archives départementales de la Mayenne was a French Brigadier general who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. François Dutertre is most known for being accused of numerous criminal activities. Dutertre is also known for his controversial role in the War in the Vendée and for commanding the escort of the Fructidor deportees to Cayenne in 1797. In his 1800 work, Départ du temple, pour Cayenne, François Dutertre sought to refute the atrocities attributed to him, accusing his political enemies—Royalists and Chouans from his region—of seeking to discredit him due to his republican views.
Biography
Origins François Dutertre was born in Mayenne into a modest family: He is the son of René Dutertre, a cooper and Renée Hunault. Initially a poultry merchant, he turned to banditry and illegal traffickingAlphonse-Victor Angot, Dictionnaire de la Mayenne, t. II, et IV. In 1789, he was convicted of robbing a pharmacist’s shop and reselling the goods in Brittany, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison or even the galleys.
Military Career Dutertre claimed to have served in the Régiment Royal des Vaisseaux from March 1, 1781, to September 19, 1783, gaining his first military experienceDépart du temple, pour Cayenne, des déportés des 17 et 18 fructidor, an V, avec les instructions curieuses données au général Dutertre, chargé de les conduire à leur destination , chez Desennechez Desenne (Paris), 1800. in the AntillesGeorges Six, Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814), Paris, Librairie G. Saffroy, 1934, 2 volumes.. In 1789, he was again convicted of theft and sentenced to prison. Married, he acquired financial ease through his wife’s inheritance, which included a property in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, near Fort L'Olive, yielding over 100,000 francs in revenue. He was discharged from the military on September 17, 1783.
Pardoned by the French Revolution, he joined the army and rapidly rose through the ranks, becoming a captain and then a brigadier general. Dutertre claimed to have participated in the Insurrection of 10 August 1792, where he was wounded while defending the kingJean Baptiste Pierre Jullien de Courcelles, Dictionnaire historique et biographique des généraux, 1822.
He joined the National Volunteers and was promoted to second lieutenant of the grenadiers by his comrades-in-arms on July 18, 1792. He quickly advanced, becoming captain of the First Battalion of Orne on March 1, 1793. On November 15, 1793, he was tasked with transporting 43 Vendéans (including a 10-year-old girl; seven died en route) from Mayenne to Alençon, where they were abandoned in hospitals.
Dutertre claimed to have been promoted to adjutant general on the battlefield (after a bullet shattered his arm above the forearm) and finally to provisional brigadier general in 1794 (9 Brumaire Year IIIL'Avenir de la Mayenne, 2 mars 1887. Jean Saint-Martin.), appointed by Jacques Garnier and confirmed by the Committee of Public Safety. His promotions were justified by his 19 wounds (three of them severe) and his bravery in combat, particularly during campaigns against the Chouans in Vendée. His rank of brigadier general was officially recognized on 22 Fructidor Year V. Due to his injuries, he was forced to cease active duty and was authorized to request retirement on July 27, 1795.
In 1796, Dutertre was convicted of theftJean Tulard, Dictionnaire Napoléon, volume=A-H, Fayard, 1999, p. 694. He provided information on Chouan leaders in the Fougères region to the Committee of Public Safety on 22 Messidor Year III. On 29 Germinal Year IV, he was sentenced in absentia in Mayenne to one year in irons for complicity in the embezzlement of two Republic-owned wood carts.Dutertre, a large landowner in Mayenne, had advanced several cords of firewood to the municipality to heat officers' quarters. In his absence, a municipal storekeeper, Valin, ordered an employee, Drugeon, to deliver two cords of wood to Dutertre’s home as repayment. A young municipal employee, Gougis—whom Dutertre had previously forced to submit to military requisition—denounced this act to the war commissioner Coffin as embezzlement and theft. Dutertre was arrested in a context of extreme tension between Revolutionary supporters and counter-revolutionary forces in the region. Aware of the bias of the local judges, Dutertre chose to recuse them and accepted the sentence, reserving the right to appeal.. On 14 Brumaire Year V, he was acquitted of these charges. On 14 Thermidor Year IV, Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai, Minister of Justice, submitted to the Directory a decree referring Dutertre to a military council in Paris:
Dutertre denounced the actions of MM. Moullin (president of the criminal court) and François Midy (deputy public prosecutor), whom he accused of political persecutionJournal des hommes libres de tous les pays, ou le Républicain, 21 mai 1796. The fifth war council annulled the first judgment and acquitted Dutertre on 4 Brumaire Year IV. Dutertre claimed to have been the guardian of the Temple Tower when William Sidney Smith was imprisoned there. On 19 Fructidor Year V (after the Coup of 18 Fructidor), he was reinstated as brigadier general in the 17th Military Division, commanded by Charles-Pierre Augereau. On 20 Fructidor Year V, he joined the Army of the Rhine and Moselle. His appointment coincided with his delicate mission: escorting political deportees.
While stationed in Aumont, Loire, Dutertre acquired the priory of Couptrain as a bien nationalH. Sauvage, Notice sur Couptrain.. He amassed numerous Biens nationaux in Mayenne, seized from émigré families such as the de Montesson and de Froulay.
Role in the Fructidor Deportation The Deportation In September 1797, after the Coup of 18 Fructidor, the French Directory (despite Dutertre’s prior in absentia conviction for theft and embezzlement) and Charles-Pierre Augereau tasked him with escorting 18 political figures—suspected of Royalist sympathies and condemned to deportation—to Rochefort and then to Sinnamary, French Guiana. Among the deportees were Jean-Charles Pichegru, François Barthélemy, Jean-Pierre Ramel, André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat, and François Barbé-Marbois. His mission was politically sensitive: ensure the deportees’ security while treating them humanely, despite strict instructions and risks of attacks or escapes.
Conduct of the Escort Dutertre left Paris on 22 Fructidor Year V (September 8, 1797) with an escort of 100 mounted hunters from the 21st Chasseur à Cheval Regiment. The deportees were transported in iron cage carts, originally designed for Conspiracy of the Equals. Despite the harsh conditions, Dutertre claimed to ensure the deportees were fed properly, lodged in decent quarters (when possible), and treated with respect. He allowed visits from wives and relatives and opposed the excesses of his subordinates, particularly Adjutant Generals Jean Christophe Colin de Verdière and Pierre-Joseph Guillet, whom he accused of wanting to harm the deportees. In reality, the overland journey from Paris to Rochefort in iron cages, followed by the sea voyage to Cayenne, lasted over two months under inhuman conditionsJean-Pierre Ramel, Journal ou témoignage de l’adjudant-général Ramel, commandant de la garde du corps législatif de la République française. L’un des déportés à la Guyane, après le 18 fructidor (4 septembre) 1797. Sur quelques faits relatifs à cette journée sur son transport, son séjour et évasion avec les déportés. Leipsic, 1799, 271 p. .. According to several sources, Dutertre’s mission was carried out with indelicacy and ferocity.
Accusations and Controversies
Dutertre was accused of mistreating the deportees, embezzling funds (800 louises were found on him, taken from the sum allocated for the convoy’s expenses), or plotting against them. He defended himself vigorously, publishing memoirs and justificatory documents to prove his good faith and adherence to instructions. He claimed to have spent his own money to improve transport and lodging conditions and to have prevented several assassination or escape attempts. Dutertre had many enemies, not only among those hostile to the Republic but also within the ranks of his fellow Republicans, whose accusations he repeatedly had to defend againstRevue contemporaine. 15 mai 1870.. Dismissal and Arrest On 1 Complementary Day Year V (September 17, 1797), the French Directory relieved him of command and ordered his return from Lusignan to Paris. En route, he was insulted, assaulted, and finally arrested in Poitiers, then imprisoned in Paris at the Prison de l'Abbaye and later at Val-de-Grâce. Accused of embezzlement and complicity in dilapidation, he was eventually acquitted and released after four months of detention, thanks to the intervention of the Minister of War and the publication of his financial report, approved by the authorities. He was granted a pension for his wounds and services, but his reputation remained tarnished by the Fructidor deportation controversies. He denied being a torturer, insisting he had acted as a republican soldier, respectful of orders and humanity. Thermidorian Convention
With protection, Dutertre was released after four months of detention and sent by Augereau to the Army of the Rhine under the orders of General François Joseph Lefebvre, who commanded the left wing. On 4 Brumaire Year VI, he was authorized to request retirement due to wounds and infirmities, with a pension of 3,000 livres. His wife, Catherine Courtet, obtained a divorce decree against him on February 17, 1799.
Returning to Paris for health reasons, Dutertre passed through the Mayenne regionAlphonse-Victor Angot, Dictionnaire de la Mayenne, t. IV.. On the night of July 22–23, 1799, near Saint-Cyr-en-PailJournal des hommes libres de tous les pays, ou le Républicain, 3 août 1799., he mistook three merchants for 300 Chouans and beat a retreat toward Javron. This episode was later ridiculed by Delelée, commissioner of Pré-en-Pail. Another versionParlot, Venin, Moreau et Sirey states that Dutertre and four cavalrymen dispersed the attackers and prevented the theft of transported goods.
Consulate After the Coup of 18 Brumaire, he was ordered to leave Paris on February 9, 1800, and retire to Mayenne by February 26, 1800. On May 22, after seditious remarks, he was ordered to leave Paris within three days. He failed to comply; since the notification, his insults against the French Consulate had become more vehement and publicFrancois-Alphonse Aulard , Paris sous le Consulat, 1803, p. 352. He ceased to be considered a military man, was suspended from his retirement pay, arrested, and imprisoned in the Prison de l'Abbaye. He was sent under surveillance to Douai on May 31, 1800. On 4 Brumaire Year VIII, Pierre-Mathieu Joubert, Prefect of Nord, denounced Dutertre as an immoral being and enemy of the government; his letter was forwarded to the Prefect of PoliceRevue du Nord, 1 juillet 1892.. He was then sent to Menin due to remarks he made against the prefect and the arms commander of Douai, Louis Jean Dessaubaz. Authorized to return to Paris on October 14, 1801, he was reinstated to his retirement pay and later exiled to Chaumont. In Year X (1802), he was involved in dubious financial speculations, buying Year VIII bonds at low prices. First Empire
Dutertre was retired on May 1, 1804. In 1804, during the Coronation of Napoleon, he was exiled to Douai and placed under the surveillance of the local commander, apparently for refusing to endorse Napoleon Bonaparte’s elevation to imperial dignity. The First French Empire placed him under surveillance in Domfront, Orne, in 1806, despite his protestations of devotion and his police reports..