STEENBERGHE, MAXIMILIAN-HENRY

by Geert van Uythoven

Steenberghe was born in Charleroi (present day Belgium) on 13 September 1787. On 22 March 1804, he became a gunner in the 2nd Regiment of the Corps Imperiale d’Artillerie de la Marine. He climbed up through the ranks: corporal (1 January 1806); fourier 1 September 1806; sergeant (7 November 1809); sergeant-major (19 March 1811); 2nd lieutenant (23 January 1812); and 1st lieutenant (1 February 1813). On 27 April 1813, promoted captain adjutant, Steenberghe was assigned to the general staff of VI Corps d’Armée. He was discharged from the French army as chef de bataillon on 4 October 1814. Steenberghe joined on 17 November of the same year the ‘southern’ army in the Netherlands.

Steenberghe received command of a ‘southern’ company of the 4th line artillery battalion. Leaving Mechelen on 24 June with a transport of 30 vehicles destined for the main artillery park, but without any guns, Captain Steenberghe arrived at Bavay on 28 June. During the siege of Valenciennes, his company served two batteries, one consisting of mortars, the other one of heavy artillery. The battery ‘Stevenart’ had lost during the battle of Quatre-Bras, except of its killed commander, so many men, horses, and material, that it was not able to take the field anymore except for the section of Lieutenant Winssinger. On 30 June, the section ‘Winssinger’ was absorbed into the Foot artillery company ‘Steenberghe’, which formed a new battery from that date on. This battery was assigned to the 1st Brigade (d’Hauw) of the 1st Division (Stedman). After the Waterloo campaign the battery marched back to the Netherlands, being garrisoned in Gent.

Steenberghe was promoted major on 21 September 1823. In 1830 he served with the 1ste Bataljon Artillerie Nationale Militie. On 21 December 1843, Steenberghe was promoted major-general of the artillery, and finally promoted lieutenant-general of the artillery on 8 September 1852. He was pensioned out of the army in 1855.

© Geert van Uythoven