Antoine - Guillaume Rampon Antoine - Guillaume Rampon ( 16 March 1759 - 2 March 1842 ) joined the French army as a private soldier and rose in rank to become a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars . He fought in many battles under Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy and Egypt . In one celebrated battle , he rallied his troops to defend the key Monte Negino redoubt against the Austrians . He saw limited service during the Napoleonic Wars . His surname can be found among the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe . Early career . Born on 16 March 1759 in Saint - Fortunat - sur - Eyrieux in Ardèche department , Rampon joined the French royal army in 1775 . By the outbreak of the French Revolution he attained the rank of sergeant - major . In 1792 , he was promoted to sous - lieutenant and fought against the Kingdom of Piedmont - Sardinia . Posted to the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees , he was appointed chef de brigade ( colonel ) and fought in the War of the Pyrenees . Taken prisoner by the Spanish near Port - Vendres in December 1793 , he remained incarcerated until October 1795 . Italian campaign . In November 1795 , Rampon was named commander of what soon became the 32nd Demi - Brigade . During the Montenotte Campaign he gained fame by his gallant defense of Monte Negino ( or Legino ) on 11 April 1796 , where his soldiers repelled the attacks of a superior Austrian force . He rallied his men by making them swear an oath to " conquer or die " . The next day , he led his demi - brigade at the Battle of Montenotte , and later in the week he fought at the Second Battle of Dego . For his actions , General Bonaparte appointed him a brevet general of brigade . While in André Masséna ' s division , Rampon played a major role at the battles of Lonato and Castiglione in August . On another occasion , he took care to protect local villagers from marauding French soldiers , according to one account . On 4 September he led the 32nd demi - brigade at the Battle of Rovereto . On 15 September he fought in the action of La Favorita - San Giorgio during the Siege of Mantua . He performed " particularly well at Arcola where his men repelled a counterattack . " He also led his demi - brigade at the Battle of Rivoli on 14 January 1797 and in the clash at La Favorita two days later . He was described by Louis Desaix as , " square figure . . . not a thief , big , leans backward ; very dark skin " . Egyptian campaign . After fighting in Switzerland under Guillaume Brune in 1798 , he joined Bonaparte ' s Egyptian expedition . During this episode , he fought at the Battle of the Pyramids , the Siege of El Arish , the Siege of Jaffa , the Battle of Mount Tabor and the Siege of Acre . After the latter action , he assumed command of the division when its commander Louis Bon was killed . After Bonaparte abandoned the army , Rampon participated in the Battle of Heliopolis in March 1800 . During the Battle of Alexandria on 21 March 1801 , he led the French center . He returned to France in 1801 , having been named a general of division in 1800 . In 1802 he took a seat in the Senate and retired from the army . Empire and Restoration . During the Napoleonic Wars , Emperor Napoleon placed Rampon in several positions of trust . He became a Count of the Empire in 1808 and commanded the camp of Boulogne in 1809 . In 1814 he held the fortress of Gorinchem ( Gorkum ) in the present - day Netherlands until 7 February , when he was compelled to surrender to the Prussians . Rampon rallied to Napoleon during the Hundred Days and thereafter the Bourbons held him in ill - favor until 1819 when his noble title was restored . He died on 2 March 1842 in Paris . The name RAMPON is engraved on Column 24 of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris .