Nicolas-Philippe Guye

Guillaume Alexandre Thomas Pégot was a French officer who joined the Army of Naples in 1806 seeking promotion and glory after a relatively uneventful and undistinguished career in the French Army. He was made Major of the 1st Line Infantry Regiment under Joseph and therefore became one of the Kingdom's Army's first superior officers, contributing significantly to the creation of the core of the Neapolitan line infantry arm. He would be promoted to Colonel in 1808 and spend the next few years leading his regiment during the Spanish campaign with distinction, earning the praise of General Duhesme. He would achieve the rank of Maresciallo di Campo in 1813.

Early Career

Nicolas-Philippe Guye was born in Lons-le-Saulnier on 1st May 1773 to a rich bourgeoisie family from Franche-Comté. He enrolled himself in the 35e Demi-Brigade in 1792. He was quickly elected lieutenant by his comrades. He then served in Catalonia in the Army of the Pyrenees, earning a promotion to Capitaine-Adjutant-Major rapidly. He then served the 1797 Italian Campaign under Augereau in the 4e de Ligne and was quickly noted to be an officer who was “aussi brave qu’intelligent”. Here he met Auguste Julien Bigarré, who would also accompany him to Naples in 1806.

On 13th April 1804 the Colonelcy of the 4e Régiment de Ligne was given to Joseph Bonaparte. The new Colonel, having little true military experience, found an immediate ally in Guye, who instructed the Emperor’s brother on the art of regimental command. A close relationship grew between the two men; in fact, Joseph even requested his brother to grant Guye the Legion d’Honneur in its first award ceremony at Boulogne, which was granted.

Guye then returned to the regiment and served the campaign of 1805 as a Chef de Bataillon. At Austerlitz, he commanded the battalion of the 4th Line that was overthrown by Russian Guard Cavalry and lost its eagle; however, directly after, it redeemed itself by overthrowing the Russian Moscow regiment and capturing it, along with its colonel and two standards. While the Emperor was initially furious, Guye managed to contain the situation and the regiment’s honour was kept, and Guye was praised.

Service in Naples

Guye entered Naples in mid-1806 and was immediately appointed Major to the Corsican Legion, at the time still in French service as part of the Armée de Naples. He was given command of the province of Cilento, which at the time was crawling with insurgents. Fortunately, Guye and his battle-hardened men were more than up to the task, and in each case managed to repel large numbers of insurgents along the coastal road to Naples. On one occasion, Guye’s diplomatic tact managed to prevent several of his Corsican troops from assaulting a number of Italian soldiers in their barracks at night, apparently in return for being insulted by them.

By mid-1807, Cilento had been pacified by Guye and his men, and the inhabitants even set themselves to repairing the roads there. This impressed the King to such an extent that Guye was made Colonel and his Aide-de-Camp, and palace quartermaster. Around this time, he met his old friend and classmate Desvernois, still a Chef d’Escadron at the time.

Later that year, Guye suffered from severe food poisoning and almost died. He was treated back to health by the King’s own physician, and then returned just in time to take command of the 1st Light Regiment for a brief period of a week. On 8th May 1808 he was awarded the Commander’s cross of the Order of Two Sicilies and helped organise the planned invasion of Sicily that year (the plans were later scrapped due to Joseph’s departure). He then left along with Joseph to take a post in the Bonapartist Kingdom of Spain.

Later Career

In Spain, Colonel Guye will command in succession the 1st (Madrid) Infantry Regiment, then the Voltigeurs of the Spanish Guard. In 1809, Joseph appointed him Marquis of Rio-Milano, and in 1810 he was promoted to Géneral de Brigade and made governor of Seville.

Returning to France in 1814, he took part in the French campaign at the head of a brigade of three battalions of the Young Guard, four hundred Cuirassiers, and five hundred Polish lancers. He retook the same position in 1815 and fought at Waterloo on the right flank against the Prussians, where General Duhesme is killed by his side.

After the fall of the Empire, he retired in 1835, living a happy life until his death on 5th July 1845 in Saint–Die–des–Vosges, aged 72 years.