Edmond Leboeuf (5 December 1809 – 7 June 1888) was a marshal of France. He joined the French army as an artillery officer. He fought in Algeria, the Crimean War (1853–1856) and the Italian War of 1859. In 1869 he became minister of war and in the spring of the next year was promoted to Marshal of France. He fought in the Franco-Prussian War (1870) being taken prisoner when Metz garrison surrendered to the Prussians. On his return to France, after the end of hostilities, he gave evidence to a commission into the surrender of Metz, and then retired into private life.
Biography
Leboeuf was born at Paris, passed through the École polytechnique and the school of Metz, and distinguished himself as an artillery officer in Algerian warfare, becoming colonel in 1852. He commanded the artillery of the 1st French corps at the siege of Sebastopol, and was promoted in 1854 to the rank of general of brigade, and in 1857 to that of general of division.
In the Italian War of 1859 he commanded the artillery, and by his action at the battle of Solferino materially assisted in achieving the victory. In September 1866, having in the meantime become aide-de-camp to Napoleon III, he was dispatched to Venetia to hand over that province to Victor Emmanuel. In 1869, on the death of Marshal Niel, General Leboeuf became minister of war, and earned public approbation by his vigorous reorganization of the War Office and the civil departments of the service. In the spring of 1870 he received the marshal's baton.