Augustin-Marie Picot
Encyclopedia
Auguste Marie Henri Picot, Marquis de Dampierre (19 August 1756 – 9 May 1793) was a general
of the French Revolution
.
Picot (usually known as Dampierre) was born in Paris
into a military family and was commissioned as a junior officer in the Gardes Français 17 May 1772. He was promoted 1st Ensign 19 January 1777 and Sous-Lieutenant 15 June 1780, but then quit the Guards because he was dissatisfied with Marshal de Biron, and became at the request of the Duke of Chartres Captain of the Regiment of Chartres, 6 October 1784. He then became Major of the 2nd Chasseurs of Normandy 1 May 1788. During the 1780s he travelled to England
and then to Berlin, where he studied Prussia
n military tactics. He became an admirer of Frederick II of Prussia
, imitating him even down to the smallest detail, such as to appearing at court with a long tailed coat, which earned him a mockery from Louis XVI.
At the outbreak of the revolution, he was sympathetic to the new revolutionary ideas and resumed his military career, promoted Lieutenant-Colonel of the 5th Dragoons 25 July 1791, he became aide-de-camp to Rochambeau
and then in April 1792 was made Colonel of the 5th dragoons under Biron
. At the Battle of Quiévrain (30 April 1792) he was trampled by a horse whilst attempting to rally his routed troops, then, serving under Dumouriez
, was promoted Marechal-de-Camp of the Army of the Ardennes
.
At the Battle of Valmy
, he commanded a division of the army of Beurnonville, then commanded the right wing at the Battle of Jemappes
, where his troops presented him with a coronet for his bravery. Marching at the head of the Flanders regiment and a battalion of Paris volunteers, he attacked six enemy battalions threatening Beurnonville
and aiding Beurnonville's successful advance.
Promoted General-de-Division on 8 March 1793, he commanded the right wing under Valence during the invasion of Holland and Flanders Campaign
, and served under the Duke of Chartres at the Battle of Neerwinden
on 18 March.
Following Dumouriez's flight Dampierre was elected commander of the Army of the North and the Armée des Ardennes 4 April 1793, and withdrew these forces towards the Camp of Famars to re-organise. Under pressure from Paris and in an attempt to relieve besieged Condé, he attacked the Allies on 19 April but was repulsed after a stiff fight at St. Amand. At the Battle of Raismes
on 8 May he again led his men to attack, but was repulsed once more and towards the end of the action hit in the thigh by a cannon ball. He died of his wounds the next day at Valenciennes
. He was buried in the main redoubt of the left at the Camp of Famars, but was reinterned at the Pantheon by the Convention on 11 May. His name is inscribed on the north side of the Arc du Triomphe
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Picot (usually known as Dampierre) was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
into a military family and was commissioned as a junior officer in the Gardes Français 17 May 1772. He was promoted 1st Ensign 19 January 1777 and Sous-Lieutenant 15 June 1780, but then quit the Guards because he was dissatisfied with Marshal de Biron, and became at the request of the Duke of Chartres Captain of the Regiment of Chartres, 6 October 1784. He then became Major of the 2nd Chasseurs of Normandy 1 May 1788. During the 1780s he travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and then to Berlin, where he studied Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n military tactics. He became an admirer of Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
, imitating him even down to the smallest detail, such as to appearing at court with a long tailed coat, which earned him a mockery from Louis XVI.
At the outbreak of the revolution, he was sympathetic to the new revolutionary ideas and resumed his military career, promoted Lieutenant-Colonel of the 5th Dragoons 25 July 1791, he became aide-de-camp to Rochambeau
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...
and then in April 1792 was made Colonel of the 5th dragoons under Biron
Armand Louis de Gontaut
Armand Louis de Gontaut, Duc de Lauzun, later duc de Biron, and usually referred to by historians of the French Revolution simply as Biron was a French soldier and politician, known for the part he played in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars.-Early titles:Born in...
. At the Battle of Quiévrain (30 April 1792) he was trampled by a horse whilst attempting to rally his routed troops, then, serving under Dumouriez
Charles François Dumouriez
Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. He shared the victory at Valmy with General François Christophe Kellermann, but later deserted the Revolutionary Army and became a royalist intriguer during the reign of Napoleon.-Early life:Dumouriez...
, was promoted Marechal-de-Camp of the Army of the Ardennes
Army of the Ardennes
The Army of the Ardennes was a French Revolutionary Army formed in 1792 by splitting off the right wing of the Army of the North, commanded from July to August that year by La Fayette...
.
At the Battle of Valmy
Battle of Valmy
The Battle of Valmy was the first major victory by the army of France during the French Revolution. The action took place on 20 September 1792 as Prussian troops commanded by the Duke of Brunswick attempted to march on Paris...
, he commanded a division of the army of Beurnonville, then commanded the right wing at the Battle of Jemappes
Battle of Jemappes
The Battle of Jemappes took place near the town of Jemappes in Hainaut, Belgium, near Mons. General Charles François Dumouriez, in command of the French Revolutionary Army, defeated the greatly outnumbered Austrian army of Field Marshal Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen and his second-in-command...
, where his troops presented him with a coronet for his bravery. Marching at the head of the Flanders regiment and a battalion of Paris volunteers, he attacked six enemy battalions threatening Beurnonville
Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville
Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars and later a marshal of France.-Biography:Bournonville was born at Champignol-lez-Mondeville, Aube....
and aiding Beurnonville's successful advance.
Promoted General-de-Division on 8 March 1793, he commanded the right wing under Valence during the invasion of Holland and Flanders Campaign
Flanders Campaign
This feature refers to the conflict that took place during the Wars of the French Revolution 1792–1801.For the Low Countries campaigns of the War of the Grand Alliance 1688–97 see Nine Years' War...
, and served under the Duke of Chartres at the Battle of Neerwinden
Battle of Neerwinden (1793)
The Battle of Neerwinden took place on near the village of Neerwinden in present-day Belgium between the Austrians under Prince Josias of Coburg and the French under General Dumouriez...
on 18 March.
Following Dumouriez's flight Dampierre was elected commander of the Army of the North and the Armée des Ardennes 4 April 1793, and withdrew these forces towards the Camp of Famars to re-organise. Under pressure from Paris and in an attempt to relieve besieged Condé, he attacked the Allies on 19 April but was repulsed after a stiff fight at St. Amand. At the Battle of Raismes
Battle of Raismes (1793)
The Battle of Raismes took place on 8 May 1793, during the Flanders Campaign of the Wars of the French Revolution, between the French Republican army of the Marquis de Dampierre and the Allied Coalition army of the Prince of Saxe-Coburg, and resulted in an Allied Victory.-Background:Following the...
on 8 May he again led his men to attack, but was repulsed once more and towards the end of the action hit in the thigh by a cannon ball. He died of his wounds the next day at Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
. He was buried in the main redoubt of the left at the Camp of Famars, but was reinterned at the Pantheon by the Convention on 11 May. His name is inscribed on the north side of the Arc du Triomphe