KLEBER, JEAN-BAPTISTE, according to the best authorities, was born at Strasbourg in the year 1754, though some place tho date of his birth three or four years earlier. He was brought up by his father, who was a domestic in the household la tho Cardinal de Rohm), to the profession of an architect., and was sent to Paris at an early age to complete his studies. While there circumstances enabled him to render some important services to two young Bavarians, who, having interested themselves In his behalf, induced him to accompany them to Munich, and through their Influence he entered the military college of that city. His rapid progress in acquiring the science of war gained him tho patronage of General Finunitz, son of the celebrated Austrian minister of that name, by whom, at the completion of his college career, he was appointed to a subdieuteneuey in an Austrian regiment. lie served seven years in that corps, which ho left in 1763, in order to return to his native country. Ho there resumed his former profession, and obtained the situation of inspector of public buildings at Ildfort in Upper Alsace.
The breaking out of the French Revolution opened to him a more brilliant career. He bad taken a prominent part in a revolt at Mort in 1791, and had enabled the republicans of that town, by putting himself at their bead, successfully to resist the regiment of Royal Louis, which had been called to suppress it. To screen himself from the consequences of this :salon he enlisted as a private soldier in the grenadier company of the battalion of volunteers which had been raised in the department of the Upper Rhine. By his bravery and talents he soou attained the rank of adjutant•majur, in which capacity he acted for some time under General Custine, and when Cuetine was afterwards brought to trial, he had the courage to present himself before his sanguinary judges, and give testimony in his favour. At the siege of 3layence in 1793 he displayed considerable courage and judgment : his services were rewarded by the rank of adjutant general, and shortly afterwards he became brigadierteneral. From thence he was ordered to La Vend& to oppose the insurgent royalists; he led there the soldiers of the garrison of Mayence, on whose courage and devotion he could reckon. At the celebrated combat of Tourfou (September 19, 1793), while charging the enemy at the head of the advanced guard of his regiment, be fell with several'wounds, and his life was only preserved by the prompt assistance of his soldiers. The ngents of the National Convention construed into a crime his humane interference in stopping the cruelties which were exercised towards tho prisoners and the unoffending inhabitants of the country. How ever he was only removed to a command in the Army of the North, and afterwards in that of the Sambre and Meuse, when he rose to the rank of a general of division.
At the battle of Ileums (June 26, 1794) he commanded the left wing of the French army, and by his skilful manoeuvres greatly con tributed to the victory. He then marched against Mons, which he
retook from the Auetrians, and having forced the passage of the Boer, be drove the enemy back to the right bank of the Rhine. Returning towards Maastricht, he took that strong fortress, after a siege of twenty-eight days.
In 1795 ho directed the passage across the Rhine of the army of the Sambre and Meuse, and, when compelled to retire before superior forces, he effected a retreat in which his cool intrepidity and skilful dispositions were alike remarkable. In the year following he partook of the glory which attended the success of General Jourdan's ope rations at the opening of the campaign ; and he afterwards refused the command of Pichegru's army, when that general was disgraced for holding treasonable communications with the enemy. [Pieneenn.] Discontented with the manner in which the Directory managed the military affairs, K16ber retired to Paris, where he spent the greater part of the year 1797, and occupied himself with writing his memoirs. %%lieu however Bonaparte was appointed to the chief command of the army fur Egypt, he made it a special request to the Directory to be allowed to take Kldber as one of his generals of division. At the siege of Alexandria, on the first landing of the French forces, Kleber was wounded in the head while gallantly climbing the ramparts, but he did not retire from the conflict till he had received a second and a severer wound. When the city was taken he was appointed to the command of it, and of tho whole province of which it was the head-quarters. He afterwards joined his division and took part in the expedition to Syria ; he there distinguished himself by the capture of the forts of El Arish and Gaza, and was at the taking of Jaffa. He was also at the memorable siege of St. John of Acre, where he rendered himself conspicuous by his undaunted bravery, and shared every danger with the common soldiers. He was however withdrawn from the siege by order of Bonaparte, who desired him to march with his division to reinforce the troops stationed at Nazareth under the command of General Junot, and to repel the large army composed of the remnants of the Msmelukes under Ibrahim Bey, tho Janissaries of Aleppo and Damascus, and numerous hordes of irregular cavalry, who were advancing to the support of their besieged countrymen at Acre. There he won the battle of blount Thabot (April 17th, 1799), which terminated after a desperate contest, in which he sustained for six hours the impetuous attacks of a greatly superior force, in the total defeat of the Turkish troops. The siege of Acre however was renewed in vain, every assault against it proved unsuccessful, and "British valour, combined with Asiatic enthusiasm," was finally triumphant.