General Teodoro Lecchi - Italy 1812

Teodoro Lechi (Brescia, 16 January 1778 - Milan, 2 May 1866) was an Italian general, a Jacobin and a military advisor to King Carlo Alberto of Sardinia. He was the brother of Giuseppe Lechi, a brilliant and famous Napoleonic general, and Angelo, also a Napoleonic officer.

Teodoro Lechi was born in Brescia, the 14th son of 19 of Fausto Lechi[1] and his wife Doralice Bielli. He enlisted in the Brescian Legion on 18 March 1797, at the event of the city revolution. He immediately sided for Napoleon and entered in the new Presidential Guard of the Italian Republic that after few time became the "Guardia Reale" (Royal Guard), achieving the rank of colonel in 1803.

Lechi spent nearly two years (1803-1805) in Paris, where he received the convenient military training. Returned to Lombardy, he became commander of the Grenadiers of the Royal Guard of the new Viceroy Eugène de Beauharnais. The same year he was made Esquire of the King of Italy and receives from Napoleon himself the Eagles and the banners of the Guard.

With Prince Eugene, Lechi fought at Austerlitz (1805), in Veneto, in Dalmatia, in Albania, in Hungary and became brigade general in 1809. After the battle of Wagram (December 1809) he was entitled Baron of the French Empire. On 10 February 1812 he left for the Campaign of Russia, participating to every battle, comprised those of the retreat.