General Pierre Dumoustier

General who served with the Imperial Guard from 1809 to 1813

Born: March 17, 1771

Place of Birth: Saint-Quentin, Aisne, France

Died: June 15, 1831

Place of Death: Nantes, France

Arc de Triomphe: DUMOUSTIER on the east pillar

Pronunciation:

The son of a merchant, Pierre Dumoustier studied in England before returning to France. In August of 1793 he was requisitioned into the 1st Battalion of Requisition of Saint-Quentin. Dumoustier was promoted to sergeant two months later and in 1794 he joined the 6th Hussars in the Army of the North. In September of 1794 he was wounded in combat and he returned to France to recover. Dumoustier resumed his duties in 1795 and he became an aide-de-camp of General Krieg in the Armies of the Coasts of Brest and of Cherbourg. In June of 1796 he was promoted to sous-lieutenant in the Army of the Interior and that November he became an aide-de-camp to the commander of the guard of the Directory. Dumoustier was promoted to lieutenant in 1797 and capitaine in 1798. Two years later he served under General Napoleon Bonaparte for the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire. Afterwards he joined the Consular Guard and served on the spring campaign of 1800, fighting at the Battle of Marengo.

Dumoustier next embarked on some unusual assignments. He was sent on a mission to meet with the King of Prussia and Tsar of Russia at Memel and then in 1801 he embarked on Admiral Ganteaume's fleet hoping to relieve the French troops in Egypt. During this time with the fleet Dumoustier served at the blockade of Porto-Ferrajo. Back in France in 1802, he received a promotion to chef d'escadrons and then later he was sent to command the headquarters of the camp of Saint-Omer. In October of 1804 Dumoustier was named colonel of the 34th of the Line. As war broke out in 1805, Dumoustier's regiment became part of Suchet's division in V Corps. He served on the campaign in Austria, fighting at Ulm and Austerlitz. In October of 1806 he served against the Prussians at Saalfeld and then he served at the Battle of Jena where he was wounded by a ball to the left leg. That December Dumoustier fought at Pultusk where he was wounded by a bayonet blow, but only a few days later he was promoted to général de brigade and he took command of a brigade in Suchet's division. In February of 1807 he served at Ostrolenka and then in the summer he was sent to Silesia.

In 1808 Dumoustier was sent to Spain where he served at the Siege of Saragossa and was named a Baron of the Empire. In April of 1809 he joined the Imperial Guard as a colonel in the Chasseurs à Pied serving under Curial. With these troops Dumoustier served throughout the Danube campaign, fighting at the Battle of Aspern-Essling in May and at Battle of Wagram in July. In 1810 he took command of the 2nd Division of Imperial Guard in Spain and he served in the Young Guard under General Dorsenne in Bascaye, Vieille Castille, and Navarre. Dumoustier next received a promotion to général de division in June of 1811 and then in 1812 he commanded a division of the Young Guard under Caffarelli in the Army of the North in Spain.

Recalled to France in 1813, Dumoustier took command of the 1st Division of the Young Guard in Saxony. He served at Lützen and then Bautzen in May. That August Dumoustier was named a Knight of the Iron Crown and he fought at the Battle of Dresden where he was wounded by a shot of grapeshot to the left leg. Due to his wound he returned to France where he was named a Count of the Empire. After Napoleon's abdication and the Bourbon Restoration in 1814, Dumoustier retired from the army. During the Hundred Days of 1815 when Napoleon returned to power, Dumoustier served in the chamber as a representative of Loire-Inférieure. After the Second Restoration, he was exiled away from Paris and put under surveillance for a period of time.

Bibliography

Updated March 2018