page_title: Amédée Willot
section_title: Exile and return
hierarchical_section_title: Amédée Willot / Exile and return
caption_attribution_description: Inscriptions of the Arc de Triomphe. Western pillar, Columns 33, 34.
context_page_description: Amédée Willot, Count of Gramprez, held several military commands during the French Revolutionary Wars but his association with Jean-Charles Pichegru led to his exile from France in 1797. He joined the French Royal Army as a volunteer in 1771 and was a captain by 1787. He was elected commander of a volunteer battalion in 1792 and served in the War of the Pyrenees. Shortly after being promoted commander of a light infantry regiment Willot was appointed general of brigade in June 1793. A few months later he was denounced as a Royalist and jailed. In the light of later events, this may have been an accurate assessment of Willot's sentiments. After release from prison in January 1795, he led troops in Spain during the summer campaign. He was promoted to general of division in July 1795.
  Willot transferred to the War in the Vendée where he served until spring 1796. During this period he was temporarily in command of the Army of the West. He was in charge of the 8th Military Division at Marseilles until his election to the Council of Five Hundred in April 1797. He aligned himself with the Royalists who were regarded as a threat by powerful men in the French Directory.
context_section_description: The French Directory was an increasingly unpopular government and the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients had no legal means to restrain the Directory. The Directors Paul François Jean Nicolas, vicomte de Barras, Jean-François Rewbell and Louis Marie de La Révellière-Lépeaux were known as the Triumvirate and held the most power. The other two directors, Lazare Carnot and François-Marie, marquis de Barthélemy as well as a swelling majority of the Five Hundred and the Ancients were in the opposition which wanted a change in government and a stop to the endless wars. The opposition included both Republicans who wanted better government and avowed Royalists such as Jean-Charles Pichegru and Willot. Unfortunately for the opposition the two factions were not able to coordinate their efforts. Foolishly, the Royalists refused to assure the Republican members of the opposition that they would not be punished if the House of Bourbon returned. Meanwhile, the Triumvirate was alarmed by the growing strength of their enemies.
  Another blunder made by the opposition was making an enemy of Bonaparte at a time when he was a national hero for his victories in Italy. Despite being warned by members of the opposition Club de Clichy, the outspoken Jacques-Victor Dumolard offended Bonaparte in a speech made to the Five Hundred. After thinking about sending troops from his army to overthrow the opposition in Paris, Bonaparte decided against it. On 3 June 1797, Bonaparte sent the Directory proof that Pichegru was in treasonous contact with France's enemies. Though Bonaparte proved coy, Hoche, the commander of the Army of Sambre-et-Meuse was eager to intervene on behalf of the Triumvirate. On 9 July 1797, Hoche sent 9,000 troops under Louis Lemoine marching toward Paris. The attempted coup collapsed and the troops withdrew when it was discovered that Hoche was too young to assume the position of Minister of War. Though it was obvious what was going on, the divided opposition was unable to implement effective countermeasures. Barras and his confederates resolved to try again and Bonaparte sent Augereau to help execute the coup.
  During this period Pichegru was strangely inert. Because of his stature, he prevented more active men like Willot from carrying out plans to defend against the Triumvirate. The Coup of 18 Fructidor occurred on 4 September 1797 as soldiers under Augereau and Lemoine occupied key positions in Paris. Pichegru and Willot spent the morning in the Tuileries Palace. The troops that were supposed to defend the elected assemblies joined the coup or melted away. Pichegru, Willot and Barthélemy were arrested but Carnot managed to escape abroad. They and 51 others were sentenced to be transported to Sinnamary (Cayenne) where it was expected that the so-called "dry guillotine" of tropical diseases would soon kill them. The carriages that took the prisoners to the seaports were fitted with iron bars so none could escape.
  Pichegru and three other deportees escaped from French Guiana by boat on 3 June 1798, but Willot and François Aubry fell desperately ill with fever and were unable to join them. Aubry soon died but Willot recovered and got away that same month. In 1799, Pichegru and Willot actively plotted to stir up Royalist revolts in France. On 1 June 1799, Pierre Marie Barthélemy Ferino wrote to the French army commander André Masséna that Pichegru, Willot and Carnot were traveling with Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, the commander of the Habsburg Austrian army. Ferino was wrong about Carnot but correct about the others. Pichegru planned to lead the rebellion in Franche-Comté, Willot in Marseilles and Louis François Perrin de Précy in Lyon. Their efforts came to nothing because Masséna won his masterly victory at the Second Battle of Zurich on 25 September 1799.
  Though he could have taken advantage of the amnesty after the Coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799, Willot was too deeply involved as a Royalist; he chose to remain in exile. In 1800, he formed a corps of Royalist volunteers with the purpose of attacking 
caption: Willot is name 15 on Column 34.
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