In 1783 he joined the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire and became a lieutenant of dragoons within three years. He served in Transylvania and against the Ottomans but resigned and returned to France during the French Revolution. In 1791 he joined the French army as an infantry captain. He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars, becoming an Adjutant General Chef de brigade (colonel) on 12 April 1794. He won promotion to general of brigade on 30 July 1799. Napoleon Bonaparte named him a commander of the Légion d'Honneur on 14 June 1804.