
Jean-François-Auguste Moulin (; 14 March 1752 – 12 March 1810) was a general of the
French Revolution and member of the
French Directory. He had a long career as a military officer serving
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in the
Royal Army of
King Louis XVI, the
''Garde Nationale'' of the
French Revolution, and the ''
Grande Armée'' of
Napoleon Bonaparte.
Early life and military career
Moulin was born in
Caen,
Calvados.
In his youth he was educated at the ''Collège des Jésuites'' at Caen, eventually taking employment as an
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
. He briefly joined an infantry regiment in Brittany, and then found employment as a
geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...
until 1788.
When the Revolution began in 1789, he volunteered for the Paris National Guard. His pro-revolutionary sentiment developed into a solid political affiliation, and he became widely considered a steady and reliable member of the
Jacobins.
Moulin served the
French First Republic as a general during the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
. Promoted to adjutant major in 1791, he rapidly advanced to the position of
divisional general by 1793.
He commanded Republican forces during the
war in the Vendée, and served with distinction at the
Battle of Saumur.
Member of the Directory
Although he was not a figure of national stature, Moulin was nonetheless elevated to the French executive branch of government by fortuitous circumstances. He happened to be in the capital with his army at a critical moment of political upheaval, the
Coup of 30 Prairial Year VII. Presented as an acceptable alternative to the Directors who were purged in the coup, Moulin was supported by his friend the
vicomte de Barras, and he was appointed to the Directory in June 1799.
Moulin did not remain in office for very long. With his appointment – and the simultaneous elevation of
Roger Ducos, a Council deputy supported by the
Abbé Sieyès – the Directory assumed its final incarnation. Moulin, Ducos, Barras, Sieyès, and
Louis-Jérôme Gohier led the Directory until its dissolution after the ''
coup d'état'' of
18 Brumaire.
When the ''coup d'état'' occurred, the senior member Barras submitted and the Directory officially resigned. Moulin strongly protested the abrogation of the Directory's powers by the ascendant supporters of Napoleon Bonaparte, but his efforts were ignored. Moulin and Gohier were held prisoners by troops led by General
Jean Victor Marie Moreau until the two signed papers of resignation (10 November 1799).
[Lefebvre, p. 199: "Gohier and Moulins were powerless and Moreau held them prisoners until they tendered their resignations."]
Later life
Moulin eventually became reconciled to Napoleon and returned to military life as a commander in the ''Grande Armée''. He served for several years in the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
until his health began to decline and he returned to France. He died in
Pierrefitte,
Seine
The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
, on 12 March 1810.
Notes
* The surname is sometimes spelled ''Moulins''.
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References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Moulin, Jean-Francois-Auguste
1752 births
1810 deaths
Military governors of Paris
Military personnel from Caen
Directeurs of the First French Republic
Generals of the First French Empire
Republican military leaders of the War in the Vendée
French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars