Who was Charles-Pierre Augereau and what did he do?
Charles-Pierre-François Augereau was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire, born on the 21st of October 1757 in Faubourg Saint-Marceau, Paris. He served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, rising from obscure origins to lead corps-level commands under Napoleon Bonaparte. He is generally counted as one of the most capable generals of the Napoleonic Wars.
What was Charles-Pierre Augereau's role at the Battle of Castiglione in 1796?
At the Battle of Castiglione on the 5th of August 1796, Augereau held off General Wurmser's main Austrian army with 11,000 men while Napoleon dealt with a separate Austrian corps. By the end of the 3rd of August he faced 20,000 Austrians, and his bold stand gave Bonaparte the time to mass his forces and win the battle two days later.
What happened to Augereau at the Battle of Eylau?
At the Battle of Eylau on the 7th of February 1807, Augereau was suffering from fever and had to be supported on his horse. He directed his corps into a charge that met a snowstorm, and the corps was nearly annihilated. Augereau himself was wounded in the arm by grapeshot during the fighting.
When did Charles-Pierre Augereau become a Marshal of France?
Augereau received his Marshal's baton on the 19th of May 1804, at the creation of the First French Empire. He received it despite having played almost no role in the Coup of 18 Brumaire, because of his overall loyalty to Bonaparte's fortunes.
Why was Augereau stripped of his title and pension?
After Napoleon's final defeat in 1815, King Louis XVIII stripped Augereau of his military title and pension. Augereau had served Louis XVIII after Napoleon's first abdication while publicly reviling Napoleon, then switched back to Napoleon during the Hundred Days, which led Napoleon himself to charge him with being a traitor to France in 1814. His timing in switching sides satisfied neither ruler.
Where is Charles-Pierre Augereau buried?
Augereau is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. He died on the 12th of June 1816 at his estate of La Houssaye, less than a year after Louis XVIII stripped him of his title and pension.