General Antoine Drouot, Comte Drouot (11 January 1774 – 24 March 1847) was a French officer who fought in the French Revolutionary and

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. Drouot is one of a select group who were present at both the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

(1805) and the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

(1815). Drouot's name is inscribed on the western pillar under the Arc de Triomphe.

Biography

Born in Nancy, France, the son of a baker, Drouot trained as an artilleryman and took part in the battles of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

where he rose through the ranks and was a captain of artillery at the

Battle of Hohenlinden The Battle of Hohenlinden was fought on 3 December 1800 during the French Revolutionary Wars. A French army under Jean Victor Marie Moreau won a decisive victory over an Austrian and Bavarian force led by 18-year-old Archduke John of Austria. ...

in 1800. Later he had an illustrious career in the many battles of the Empire, notably,

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city limits, about 15 km (9 mi) northeas ...

(1809) and

Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napole ...

(1812). For his conduct at the battles of Lützen,

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budi ...

in 1813, where he commanded the artillery of the Imperial Guard, he was made a

general of division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army co ...

and aide-de-camp to the Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. Drouot was with Napoleon during his exile to the island of

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...

(1814–1815), who made him governor of the island. He accompanied Napoleon back to France in 1815 and was with him at the start of the Hundred Days. He was with the Imperial Guard for the

Waterloo Campaign The Waterloo campaign (15 June – 8 July 1815) was fought between the French Army of the North and two Seventh Coalition armies, an Anglo-allied army and a Prussian army. Initially the French army was commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte, but he l ...

, and on the eve of the

he took command of the Imperial Guard when Marshal Mortier who would generally assume command fell ill with

sciatica Sciatica is pain going down the leg from the lower back. This pain may go down the back, outside, or front of the leg. Onset is often sudden following activities like heavy lifting, though gradual onset may also occur. The pain is often described ...

, He was with Napoleon when at the end of the battle just before the rout when Napoleon briefly took command of a square of grenadier Guards, near

Decoster's house Decoster's house was a landmark location during the Battle of Waterloo. It stood on the eastern side of the Waterloo–Genappe main road south of the junction with the minor road to Plancenoit (south La Belle Alliance and north the farm of Rossomm ...

, and left the field with Napoleon. Later in the campaign (after Napoleon had abdicated for the second time), he was commandant of the Imperial Guard in Paris. After the surrender of Paris and the restoration of King

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

, Drouot stood trial for treason in which he defended himself skilfully. He was acquitted and granted a state pension. In his retirement he did what he could for the veterans of the Imperial Guard and died in 1847.

Assessment

In his biography in ''

Nouvelle Biographie Générale The ''Nouvelle Biographie Générale''Its full title was ''Nouvelle Biographie Générale, depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'a nos jours, avec les renseignements bibliographiques et l'indication des sources a consulter'' ("New General Biog ...

'' Ch. Héquet wrote "France was astonished in 1814 to learn, that she had possessed for a long time the best officer of artillery in Europe". Napoleon called Drouot ''le Sage de la Grande Armée'' (the sage of the Grand Army).

Notes

References

* * * Attribution * Endnotes: ** J Nollet-Fabert (1850),''Biographic du Général Drouot''; **Henri Le Page(1847), ''Le Général Drouot''; **Lacoruaire (1847), ''E'oge du Général Drouot''.

External links

French Artillery of the Napoleonic Wars
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drouot, Antoine 1774 births 1847 deaths Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars French generals French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Peace commissioners of the French Provisional Government of 1815 Military personnel from Nancy, France Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe