In February of 1807 at twenty years old, Jean Thines of Turpange enlisted to fight in Napoleon’s army. A little over a year later he would die of an unspecified illness in a military hospital in Posen, today Poznan, Poland, one of over a million men dead in the early 1800s.

This record is an interesting find in its own right, but French military records during the period give us even more insight into this ancestor’s history. Coupled with what we know about the Napoleonic Wars, we can get a picture of who Jean Thines was, and what his life was like.

Jean Thines was born on September 25th, 1787, the son of Frederic Thines and Christina Brach. He was born in Turpange, a small village in the vicinity of Arlon in modern-day Belgium.

From this record we also get an idea of Jean Thines’s appearance. He was one meter and seventy-two centimeters tall (5’6″). His face was oval shaped with a normal forehead. He had blue eyes, a large nose, and medium mouth with a rounded chin. His hair and eyebrows were light brown, with no distinguishing marks recorded.

In February 1807 he was enlisted into the 108th Infantry Regiment, 6th Battalion, 3rd Company. By his death record we know he was later transferred into the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Company. Did he know what awaited him?

A week or so prior to his enlistment, the regiment Jean was destined for had been engaged at the Battle of Eylau, of which Napoleon himself said, “If all the kings on earth could see this sight they would be less greedy for wars and conquests.”

Napoleon at Eylau.

Eylau had featured a frontal attack in a blinding snowstorm as well as one of the greatest cavalry charges in history, all resulting in about 15,000 casualties on the French side with no real victory over the Russians. The regiment Jean was joining had lost four officers and many men.

Jean himself likely did not make it to the front. The War of the Fourth Coalition had ended in July of 1807. We find in his death record that by December 28th, 1807, he was in a hospital in Posen (Poznan), where he remained until he died about four months later.

We may never know what Jean did during his time in the army. Posen was in the newly created Duchy of Warsaw. Marshal Davout had established quarters here in late 1806, so it may have been a waypoint for troops moving eastward.

If you’re interested in learning more about your ancestors who may have served in Napoleon’s army, read my article about finding them.