Marie-Angélique Josèphe Brûlon, née Duchemin (also Angélique Duchemin, 'the widow Brûlon') (20 January 1772 – 13 July 1859), was a French soldier. Born in

Dinan Dinan (; ) is a walled Brittany, Breton town and a commune in France, commune in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in northwestern France. On 1 January 2018, the former commune of Léhon was merged into Dinan. Geography Inst ...

into a soldier family, Duchemin married a soldier named Brûlon and served from 1792 to 1799 in the defence of

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

. Initially, Duchemin was a vivandière, ensuring provisions for the soldiers. In 1791, her husband was killed in Ajaccio; after this, in 1792, at age 21, she enlisted in her husband's former regiment - the 42nd Infantry. In 1797, she asked to be allowed into

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldi ...

after she received severe wounds but was denied seven years. When she received the pension in 1804, she was also promoted to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

decorated her as a Chevalier (Knight) of the French Legion of Honour on 15 August 1851, the first woman to receive that honor. The first request on her behalf, filed by marshal Sérurier in 1804, had not been granted. During her decoration, she was recognized for serving for seven years, fighting in seven campaigns, and being wounded three times.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brulon, Angelique 1772 births 1859 deaths Knights of the Legion of Honour Female wartime cross-dressers People from Dinan French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Women in 18th-century warfare French female military personnel