General Louis Huguet-Chataux

Aide-de-camp and son-in-law to Marshal Victor who was mortally wounded at Montereau

Born: March 5, 1779

Place of Birth: Santo Domingo, Saint-Domingue

Died: May 8, 1814

Cause of Death: Mortally wounded

Place of Death: Paris, France

Arc de Triomphe: CHATEAU on the west pillar

Pronunciation:

Originally from Saint-Domingue, Louis Huguet-Chataux enrolled in the École Polytechnique in 1795 at age sixteen. In 1798 he was commissioned as a sous-lieutenant in the Legion of the West and the following year he was promoted to lieutenant in the 1st Auxiliary Battalion of Var. Huguet-Chataux joined the 41st of the Line in June of 1800 and only two months later he was appointed an aide-de-camp to General Sahuguet. In 1802 Sahuguet was appointed Captain General of Tobago, and Huguet-Chataux accompanied him to Tobago to assist with this new role. After Sahuguet's death in December of that year, Huguet-Chataux returned to France and in 1804 he was promoted to capitaine in the staff of the camp of Utrecht.

When in 1805 the Grande Armée moved east to fight the threat of Austria and Russia, Huguet-Chataux served in the staff of the army under General Andreossy. He served throughout the campaigns of 1805 and 1806 and then in late 1806 he was appointed an aide-de-camp to General Victor, beginning a long association with Victor. Serving under Victor in 1807, Huguet-Chataux distinguished himself at the combat of Christianstadt against the partisans of Hirschfeld. He then took part in the Siege of Danzig and fought at the Battle of Friedland. After the victory at Friedland, Huguet-Chataux was promoted to chef de bataillon while his commander Victor was appointed a Marshal of the Empire.

Huguet-Chataux continued in his role of aide-de-camp to Victor and he therefore followed Victor to Spain. In January of 1809 he distinguished himself at the combat of Cuenca and a few weeks later he received a promotion to colonel. Two years later, on May 9, 1811 he married Louise Pierrette Perrin, the daughter of Marshal Victor. Three months later he was named an Officer of the Legion of Honor.

Huguet-Chataux continued to serve as aide-de-camp to Victor, now his father-in-law. In 1812 he took part in the campaign against Russia and he survived the retreat back to friendly territory. For the campaigns of 1813 in Germany, he remained by Victor's side and he was appointed a Knight of the Empire in June and promoted to général de brigade in November. That December Huguet-Chataux took command of the 1st Brigade of Dufour's 1st Division in Marshal Victor's II Corps. During the defense of France that followed, in January he became interim commander of the division and he served at Brienne. In February Huguet-Chataux fought at La Rothière and then at Montereau , where he was badly wounded by a ball. He was transported to Paris where he succumbed to this wound three months later.

Bibliography

Six, Georges. Dictionnaire Biographique des Généraux & Amiraux Français de la Révolution et de l'Empire (1792-1814). 2 vols. Paris: Gaston Saffroy, 2003.

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Updated May 2019