General Horace-François-Bastien Sebastiani de la Porta
Born: November 17, 1772
Died: July 20, 1851
Place of Birth: Porta, Corse
Cause of Death: Natural causes
| Battle | Unit | Rank |
| Dego | Capitaine | |
| Arcola | Capitaine | |
| Marengo | Colonel | |
| Austerlitz | Général de brigade | Cavalry Reserve (Murat) - 2nd Dragoon Division (Walther) - 1st Brigade |
| Ocaña | Général de division | IV Corps |
| Borodino (La Moskowa) | Général de division | II Cavalry Corps |
| Bautzen | Général de division | II Cavalry Corps |
| Leipzig | Général de division | II Cavalry Corps |
| Hanau | Général de division | II Cavalry Corps |
| Arcis-Sur-Aube | Général de division |
A notable cavalry officer, Sebastiani was originally intended for the church by his family, but instead joined the military when in 1789 he became a sous-lieutenant in the regiment of Vintimille. After serving in Corsica and as an aide-de-camp, he joined the Army of the Alps in 1794 and received a promotion to captain the next year. Serving in the 9th Dragoons, he then joined the Army of Italy where he took part in the victorious campaign under General Bonaparte, notably being shot in the right wrist at Dego and fighting at Arcola.
In early 1798 Sebastiani was promoted to chef d'escardons and then in April of 1799 he received a promotion to chef de brigade. Barely more than a week later, he was taken prisoner in the fighting at Verderio but almost immediately released. Next he served in the garrison at Paris and contributed to the coup of 18th Brumaire. Serving in the Army of the Reserve the next spring, he fought at Marengo. In January of 1801 he occupied Treviso and with Marmont helped to negotiate the armistice with the Austrians.
That October, Colonel Sebastiani was sent on a mission to Turkey. The next year he traveled to Eypgt, and the following year he was promoted to general de brigade. After returning to France, in 1805 he took command of the 1st Brigade of Dragoons of Walther's division, and entered Vienna at the head of the advanced guard. Fighting at Pohrlitz and Wirschau that November, he was then wounded by a shot at Austerlitz but a few weeks later received a promotion to general de division.
In 1806 Sebastiani took command of the 2nd Division of Marmont's II Corps, but halfway through the year he was replaced and instead sent as ambassador to Turkey. In this capacity he helped helped convince the Ottoman Empire to declare war on Russia and later played a significant part in organizing the defense of Constantinople that successfully repulsed a British attack in 1807. For his achievements, he was rewarded with a Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honor.
By 1808 Sebastiani had returned to France and joined the army in Spain, taking command of the 1st Division of IV corps. With this division, he served at Durango, Guenes, and Valmaceda before taking comand of the corps in February of 1809. That year, he led his men into battle at Ciudad-Réal, Talavera, Almonacid, and Ocana. In 1810 he took part in the conquest of Andalucia, was victorioust at Alcala la Réal, occupied Grenada, and was victorious at Malaga, Castrit, and Rio Almanzor. In the meantime he was made a Count of the Empire for his valuable contributions.
In mid 1811 Sebastiani left his command, and the next year he took command of the 2nd Light Cavalry Division of Montbrun's II Cavalry Corps. Taking part in the Russian campaign, he battled with Wittgenstein at Drissa, but then in August was surprised by Platow at Inkowo. Regardless, he kept his command, and after the deaths of Montbrun and Caulaincourt at Borodino, he took command of the II Cavalry Corps. During the retreat, his men were roughly handled at Winkowo, and his reputation began to suffer. Because of this and the events earlier at Inkowo, some soldiers began to refer to him as "General Surprise", feeling that he did not employ proper reconnaisance and was too easily surprised. In December of 1812 he was placed in charge of all the cavalry of the Grande Armée, though admittedly there was not much left.
With the rebuilding of the army in early 1813, General Sebastiani took command of a reformed II Cavalry Corps under Eugene. After fighting at Sprottau and Katzbach in the summer, at Leipzig that October he was wounded by a lance blow to the chest. In the retreat that followed, he served at Hanau before being placed under Marshal Macdonald's orders.
During the defense of France, Sebastiani continued to command a cavalry corps under Macdonald. After commanding at Troyes, he evacuated the city and then served at Rheims. In March he took command of three cavalry divisions of the Guard and fought at Arcis-sur-Aube and Saint-Dizier. With the return of the Bourbon monarchy, he was laid off from the army.
When Napoleon returned from Elba, Sebastiani rallied to him and was given a position with the National Guard and also served as the representative of Vervins. Charged with defending the right bank of the Seine, after the restoration of the Bourbons he was put on nonactivity.
Sources: Haythornthwaite (Who Was Who), Six (Dictionnaire Biographique)