matic and dynamic soldiers of the twentieth-century In-
dian army was William Joseph Slim, later Field Marshal
the Viscount Slim. His adventure-filled military career
started with his receipt of one of the first commissions in
Lord Horatio Kitchener’s New Army in 1914. Slim rose
to the position of army commander in Southeast Asia in
1945, along the way commanding at every echelon from
platoon to corps, all of them, with the exception of bat-
talion, in combat. The culmination of Slim’s military ca-
reer was his appointment in 1948 as chief of the Imperial
General Staff, the first Indian army officer ever to serve as
the professional head of the British army.”
References: Lewin, Ronald, Slim: The Standardbearer
(London: Leo Cooper, 1976); Slim, William Joseph, Vis-
count Slim, Unofficial History (London: Cassell, 1959);
Slim, William Joseph, Field Marshal Viscount Slim, Defeat
into Victory (New York: David McKay, 1961); Smurth-
waite, David, ed., The Forgotten War: The British Army
in the Far East, 1941–1945 (London: National Army
Museum, 1992); Fraser, George Macdonald, Quartered
Safe Out Here (London: HarperCollins, 1992), 35–36;
Raugh, Harold E., Jr., “Slim, William Joseph [Viscount],”
in Brassey’s Encyclopedia of Military History and Biography,
edited by Franklin D. Margiotta (Washington, D.C.:
Brassey’s, 1994), 885–87.
Sobieski, John See John iii sobieski.
Somerset, Lord Fitzroy James Henry See
raglan, lord fitzroy James henry somerset,
first baron raglan.
Strongbow, Richard See clare, richard
fitzgilbert de, second earl of Pembroke.
Suchet, Louis-Gabriel, duc d’Albufera da
Valencia (1770–1826) French general,
marshal of France
Born and educated in Lyon, France, on 2 March 1770,
Louis-Gabriel Suchet was the son of Jean-Pierre Suchet,
a silk manufacturer. When he finished school, he en-
tered his father’s business, and it appeared that he would
become, like his father, a wealthy businessman, but the
French Revolution intervened (1789).
In 1792, with France at war, he volunteered for ser-
vice in the cavalry of the National Guard at Lyon, rising
to become a member of the free company of Ardèche
with the rank of captain and the title chief de bataillon.
In 1793, he served at Toulon when it was under siege
by the British, and he personally captured the British
general Charles O’Hara, who was exchanged two years
later for the French general the comte de Rochambeau.
In 1794, Suchet was sent to Italy, where he saw action
in several battles, including at Vado and St-Jacques. At
Loano (22–23 November 1795), he helped to capture
three divisions of enemy forces, following which he was
transferred to the command of Marshal André masséna,
one of naPoleon’s leading commanders. Under Mas-
séna, Suchet saw action at the battles of Castiglione (5
August 1796), Bassano (8 September 1796), and Cerea
(11 October 1796), where he was severely wounded. He
was sent back to France highly commended by Masséna
for his bravery and conduct during battle. After return-
ing to service, he was again wounded fighting the Aus-
trians at Neumark (2 April 1797), and for his service he
was given command of the 18th Brigade. Following the
peace of Campo Formio (17 October 1797), the end of
the war in Italy, he was sent to Switzerland.
Fighting in the Army of Helvetia in Switzerland in
1798, Suchet served under Marshal Guillaume Brune.
When Brune left for the campaign in Egypt, Suchet
then served in Italy under Barthélemy Joubert, who
made him his chief of staff. On 10 July 1799, he was
promoted to general of division. Following Joubert’s
death on 15 August 1799, Suchet took control of his
army, serving under the command of Marshal Jean-Vic-
tor Moreau. He remained at the head of this army under
General Jean Étienne Championnet, who came to re-
lieve Moreau. However, Championnet, who had been
accused of brutality to civilians, was quickly transferred
to the Army of the Alps and was succeeded by Masséna,
who made Suchet commander of the left flank of his
force. They marched on Friuli, where they met the Aus-
trians, led by Michael Melas (22–26 May 1800). Suchet
helped to secure a French victory by pushing the Austri-
ans back to the Var River. This aided Napoleon’s cross-
ing of the Alps, leading to the French victory at Marengo
(14 June 1800). Rejoining Masséna, Suchet aided Gen-
eral Dupont at Pozzolo before the end of the war came
with the armistice of Treviso (18 January 1801). Suchet
was named as the governor of Padua until the Peace of
Lunéville (9 February 1801), after which he returnedSuchet, louiS-gAbRiel, Duc D’AlbuFeRA DA vAlenciA