Barthelemy Catherine Joubert, a French general, born at Pont-de-Vaux, in Bresse, April 14, 1769, fell at the battle of Novi, Aug. 15, 1799. He enlisted in the army in 1791, distinguished himself on the Rhine and in Italy, and especially in the invasion of Tyrol which preceded the peace of Campo Formio (1797). Napoleon gave him the highest praise, and sent him to Paris with the trophies of his brilliant victories, upon which the directory successively placed him at the head of the army in Holland, at Mentz, and in Italy (August, 1798), where he speedily occupied Piedmont and gained possession of vast materials of war in the arsenal of Turin and other places. He took umbrage in 1799 at the commissioners appointed by the directory for the prevention of venality among the generals, and tendered his resignation, which was accepted. He was soon reinstated in his command, but being detained in Paris by his marriage with Mile, de Montho-lon, he reached his headquarters only in August to take the place of Moreau. Joubert, in order to recover the ground lost during his absence (Alessandria and Mantua having surrendered in July), at once crossed the mountains of Montferrat with 20,000 men, took Acqui, and effected a junction with the remains of the army of Naples under Championnet, when his forces mustered about 40,000, against 70,000 Russians and Austrians. Before he had time to carry out his project of retiring to the passes of the Apennines to await additional reenforcements, he was attacked at the dawn of Aug. 15 by Suvaroff, and, exposing himself to the fire of the enemy, was shot while encouraging his soldiers, and died begging one of his aides-de-camp to make the Russians believe that he was still alive.

Joubert's death was mourned as a great public calamity. Fort La Malgue at Toulouse received the name of Fort Joubert, and monuments in his honor were erected at Bourg and in the senate building. It was generally believed that if he had lived, he instead of Napoleon would have been called upon by the directory to restore order in Paris.