PICHEGRII, p6sh'grn', CHARLES ( 1761-1SO4 ) . A French revolutionary general. He was born February 16, 1761, at Arinds, in the Department of Jura, and was educated at the college of his native town. Ile subsequently attended the mili tary academy at Brienne, where he taught mathe matics and had Bonaparte :is one of his pupils. Ile entered an artillery regiment in 1783 and was fur a short time in America. He was lieu tenant when the Revolution broke out. Piehegru became an ardent republican, joined the army of the Rhine, and by his soldierly qualities soon at tracted general attention and earned rapid pro motion. In 1793 he became general of division and commander of the Army of the Rhine, and, in conjunction with the Army of the Moselle under Roche, repeatedly defeated the Austrians and established himself securely in the Palati nate. After the arrest of Roche, his success at the head of the combined Rhine and Moselle armies was not less decided. The rapidity and boldness of his marneuvres when in command of the Army of the North, in 1794, again discon certed the Allies, and they were compelled to re treat beyond the Meuse. Pichegru completed the conquest of Holland in 1795 and ended a glorious campaign by organizing the Batavian Republic. He next visited Paris, and while there sup pressed an insurrection in the suburbs of the city (April 1, 1795) ; but soon afterwards went to take command of the Army of the Rhine, and for some time displayed his usual skill and energy, crossing the river in the face of the enemy and capturing the fortress of Mannheim. But the state of affairs at Paris, combined with the flattering promises and bribes held out to him by the Prince of Conde, converted Piehegru into a secret partisan of the Bourbons. His inactiv ity, though prearranged with the Austrian gen erals, was not suspected till he suffered himself to be defeated at Heidelberg. and retreated, leav
ing Jourdan (q.v.) without support, thus com pelling the latter also to retire. The suspicions of the Directory were confirmed by the seizure of Pichegru's correspondence, and Ile was imme diately superseded by Moreau (q.v.). He then retired to his native town, where he lived till 1797, when he was elected one of the Council of Five Hundred. Ile soon became its president ; but still continuing his intrigues with the Bourbons, he was arrested. and subsequently transported to Cayenne, bnt escaped in June, 1798, to England. He entered heart and soul into the Bourbon con spiracy along with Cadoudal (q.v.), the two Tolignaes, and others, the primary object of which was the assassination of the First Consul. The conspirators secretly reached Paris, and there in 1s04 Pichegru attempted to persuade Moreau. who was on had terms with Napoleon, to join them, but without success. But the plans of the conspirators were soon known to the police, and an intimate friend of Pichegru, with whom he resided, sold the secret of his retreat to the police. Piehegru was suddenly arrested and taken to the Temple prison. February 1804. On April 6 he was found dead in his bed.
The Royalists endeavored to fasten a charge of secret assassination on Napoleon, but it was generally, and probably correctly, believed that Pichegru strangled himself. Consult the biogra phies by Gassier (Paris, 1814), Pierret (ib., 1826), Vouziers (Dole, 1870) ; also Montgaillard, concernant la trahison de Pichegru (Paris, 1SO4) ; and Daudet, La conjuration de Pichegru, etc. (ib., 1901).