Because he was a military general and because he had a passion for airships and because he was an aeronautical theorist.
The first recorded attempt at adding propulsion to a balloon was made in 1784 by Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard, though the year before, papers were published by Jean Baptiste Marie Meusnier to the French Academy detailing the invention.
Lieutenant Jean Baptiste Marie Meusnier (1754--93) of the French Army came up with the idea. It's been through a lot of changes and improvements leading to rigid airships (Zeppelins after Count Von Zeppelin their most famous builder) and the modern "Blimps" non-rigid airships. Albert Caquot's R-Type Balloon is probably the forerunner of the classic blimp shape - used by basically every army for allsorts of stuff.
Louis Marie Baptiste Atthalin was born in 1784.
Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre died in 1789.
Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre was born in 1714.
Jean Baptiste Marie Franceschi-Delonne was born in 1767.
Jean Baptiste Marie Franceschi-Delonne died in 1810.
An airship or dirigible is a "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust.The father of the dirigible was Lieutenant Jean Baptiste Marie Meusnier (1754-93). On 3 December 1783, he presented a historic paper to the French Academy: "Memoire sur l'equilbre des Machines Aerostatique" (Memorandum on the balance of aerostatic machines).In 1784, Jean-Pierre Blanchard fitted a hand-powered propeller to a balloon, the first recorded means of propulsion carried aloft
Jean-Baptiste-Charles-Marie de Beauvais was born in 1731.
Jean-Baptiste-Charles-Marie de Beauvais died in 1790.
Gilles Baptiste has written: 'Marie-Galante a pied'
McCarthy John-Baptiste Marie has written: 'Agricultural diversification in a small economy' -- subject(s): Agricultural diversification, Agriculture, Banana trade, Economic aspects of Agriculture