GRIBEAUVAL, gr4'1)6'valf, JEAN BAPTISTE VAQUETTE DE (1715-89). A French general, born at Amiens, and famous for the reforms he in augurated in the artillery system of his day. In 1732 he joined the Royal Artillery, and three years afterwards became an officer in the Engi neer Corps, devoting himself especially to the study of mines, in which branch of the service he received his captain's rank in 1752. He was the author of a very valuable report to his Gov ernment concerning the use of light artillery with bodies of infantry (a system then being inaugurated by the Prussian Army), together with a complete report concerning Prussian forti fications. In 1757 he entered the Austrian ser vice, serving during the Seven Years' War, in the course of which he directed the siege of Glatz, and held Schweidnitz against Frederick II. of Prussia for two months. He was taken prisoner, but afterwards was exchanged, and was made a lieutenant field-marshal. Upon his
return to France he began to work for a com plete system of reform in the French artillery service. He organized separate corps of artillery for the coast defenses, permanent garrisons, and fortified works, together with mobile units for field service and heavier pieces for siege purposes. Previous to this artillery of varying calibre and design had been indiscriminately scattered throughout the army. Much of Napoleon's suc cess as a tactician and strategist was due to the improvements and reforms rendered possible by Gribeauval, who not only succeeded in reducing the weight and clumsiness of field artillery, and thus gave to it the mobility which so materially aided Napoleon, but, more important still, brought about a uniformity of design in manu facture, together with many improvements in explosives and projectiles. See ARTILLERY.