Étienne Tardif de Pommeroux, comte de Bordesoulle (4 April 1771, in Luzeret – 3 October 1837, in Fontaine-Chaalis, Oise) was a French nobleman and soldier, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and the Spanish expedition.
Life
Early career
He entered the army in 1789 at private rank, in the 2nd mounted chasseurs regiment and fought with distinction in nearly all the campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars in the armies fighting on the River Rhine, and then from 1792 to year 1801 in the armée du Rhin, the armée de Rhin-et-Moselle, the armée d'Allemagne, the armée d'Angleterre, the armée de Mayence, the armée d'Italie. Wounded several times, Bordessoulle was made sous-lieutenant in August 1794, then lieutenant in July 1796 and captain in January 1798. He fought with panache at Novi on 15 August 1799, being wounded again whilst covering the army's retreat. He rose rapidly through the ranks, being promoted to chef d'escadron in the 6th Hussards in May 1799 and receiving an honorary sabre in 1802.
Light cavalry
He served in the Bruges camp in 1803 and 1804. He then fought in the campaigns of 1805 to 1807 in Austria, Prussia and Poland in the 2nd corps of the Grande Armée, rising to colonel of the 22nd regiment of chasseurs on 27 December 1805. He next fought at Austerlitz on 2 December before being transferred to 4th corps under Soult in October 1806. On 9 June 1807, at the head of 60 men from his regiment, he crossed the Guttstadt passage, charged and completely tore to pieces a Russian battalion, and received two bayonet wounds on his right forearm and in the chest. He distinguished himself again at Heilsberg the following day and at Friedland on 12 June, and was made général de brigade of the light cavalry (9th Hussards, 7th and 20th Chasseurs) on 25 June. On 1 August he was moved to Brune's army corps and in December was put in charge of the light cavalry attached to the defence of Danzig.
On 21 September 1808 he was ordered to go to Bayonne, and that November he was made commander of the 2nd brigade of mounted chasseurs (the cavalry reserve of the armée d'Espagne) within Lasalle's division. In December he destroyed the remains of Francisco Javier Castaños's army around Madrid and on 28 March 1809 contributed to the French victory at Medellín, leading the 5th and 10th chasseurs in destroying 6,000 Spanish infantrymen even whilst marshal Belluno's whole corps was retreating and even though Bordesoulle had himself received orders to retreat.
Cuirassiers
Recalled to the armée d'Allemagne on 25 May 1809 to command a cavalry brigade in Masséna's 4th corps. Bordessoulle set out for Germany and on arrival replaced Fouler as head of 2nd brigade of the 3rd cuirassiers division. He was wounded at the battle of Wagram on 6 July and made a baron of the Empire by Napoleon in May 1810. He was employed in the observation corps in Holland in May 1810 and put in command of the 3rd light cavalry brigade of the armée d'Allemagne on 2 December. From 1810 to 1812, Bordessoulle commanded several light cavalry brigades in Germany, a period during which he also spent time in the army's observation corps on the River Elbe (during November 1811). That observation corps became a corps of the Grande Armée and so in June 1812 Bordesoulle was summoned to head that corps 2nd light cavalry brigade.
During the French invasion of Russia he served in the light cavalry of Davout's 1st corps. On 30 June he fought Barclay de Tolly's vanguard at Soleschniki, and on 23 July commanded marshal prince d'Eckmuhl's vanguard, made up of the 3rd regiment of chasseurs and one infantry regiment. At the head of that vanguard he captured Mohilev, 900 prisoners, the enemy magazines and baggage train, and over 600 oxen intended for prince Bagration. He fought again at Smolensk on 15 April 1812, at Borodino on 7 September (receiving a broken-jaw from a long-range biscaïen shot) and at Krasnoë (where he took 8 cannons after capturing a corps of 1,500 men, broken an infantry square, taken 300 more prisoners and leaving the 9th Polish lancers gravely compromised).