Pierre Augereau

French Marshal
Duc de Castiglione
1757-1816

Rough, eager for money and certainly possessing limited intellectual capability, Pierre Augereau was nevertheless a good military tactician.

Joining the French army in 1774, Augereau rose to colonel by 1793 and was in a senior position during the La Vendee revolt. Later that year he became a general of division and served against Spain.

In 1796, he took up arms with the Army of Italy and fought well at Millesimo, Montenotte, Arcola and particularly Castiglione.

Augereau damaged his standing with Bonaparte by opposing the coup of Brumaire and remained largely inactive until promoted to the Marshalate in 1804.

He fought at Jena, where he lead the French left, and battled illness during the snow storm at Eylau where his VII Corps was ripped apart when it blindly closed in on a 70-cannon Russian battery.

Augereau then had senior commands in Spain and Germany before being stationed in Prussia during the 1812 campaign against Russia.

In 1813, he won the battle of Naumburg and took part at Leipzig.

Defending France a year later, the marshal lost the city of Lyons before joining the restored royalist cause.

Remaining loyal to the king during Napoleon's return he fell out of favour with the Bourbons when he refused to convict Marshal Ney.