François Antoine Louis Bourcier Born 23 February 1760 in La Petite - Pierre , Alsace , Bourcier was a cavalry lieutenant when the French Revolution began . He fought with the Army of the Rhine in the War of the First Coalition . By the War of the Second Coalition , he had been promoted to brigadier general , and served in the Army of the Danube as inspector general of cavalry . In the Napoleonic Wars , he fought at major campaigns on the Danube against Austria and Russia , including the battles of Elchingen , Austerlitz and the Battle of Wagram . He also participated in the campaign against Prussia , which culminated in the Battle of Jena - Auerstadt and the battles of Heilsberg and Friedland . Following the campaign in Prussia , he served briefly in the Peninsular War after he which he was transferred back to northern Europe and participated in the French Invasion of Russia in 1812 . Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 , he retained his titles and honors . After serving in the Chamber of Deputies , Bourcier died 8 May 1828 at his chateau in Ville - au - Val in Meurthe - et - Moselle . Career . Antoine Louis Francois Bourcier was born on 23 February 1760 near Phalsbourg , in " La Petite Pierre " , a small town , in the Bas - Rhin district , north of Saverne and northwest of Strasbourg . The son of a former sergeant of the guard of King Stanislas Leszczynski , he proved himself a bright student in school , and was placed in a cavalry regiment . At the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 , he was lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of Cavalry . From this time , his prospects rose quickly . Appointed " aide - de - campe " to the Duke of Aiguillon ( 9 June 1792 ) , he later he transferred to the staff of General Adam Philippe , Comte de Custine . A general of brigade in 1793 , he became Chief of Staff of the Army of the Rhine , and was raised the following year to the rank of major general . Bourcier commanded a division of cavalry under General Jean Victor Marie Moreau , who had taken an interest in his career , and he was appointed Inspector of Cavalry on 3 August 1797 . When Jean Baptiste Jourdan formed the Army of the Danube , he appointed Bourcier as inspector of cavalry for both his force and the Army of Switzerland , under command of André Masséna . With command of a brigade , and as inspector of cavalry , Bourcier participated in the campaigns of the War of the Second Coalition in southwestern Germany , Switzerland , and northern Italy . In Italy , he also commanded a column of cavalry that routed a group of rebels near Andrea . In the 1805 War of the Third Coalition , as commander of a division of dragoons , he participated in the Battle of Elchingen and later the Battle of Ulm . Six weeks later , at the Battle of Austerlitz , he made several brilliant and timely charges , including one observed by several parishioners of the town of Mönitz , who had climbed the church tower to watch the action . The French infantry had been surrounded by Austrian cavalry , which pursued them down the road . Bourcier approached from the other direction with three regiments of dragoons , having left the rest of his division behind to preserve his communication lines in Raigern . Seeing the infantry beleaguered by cavalry , he led his men in a charge , giving the infantry time to escape . His own dragoons were fired upon with cannon and grapeshot , killing or wounding several men and horses , but , as he wrote later , " [ the Russian cannon fire ] would have done more harm had they been directed better , being within half range . " After the French victory at the Battle of Jena - Auerstadt , Bourcier was placed in charge of the several thousands of horses confiscated from the Prussians . This influx of horses improved the capacity of the French cavalry , as Joachim Murat s 11 , 000 - strong cavalry reserve demonstrated later at the Battle of Eylau in February 1807 . After the defeat of Prussia in 1807 , Bourcier was sent to Spain to support the French efforts there , but he returned to the northern European theater in time for the Battle of Wagram in July 1809 . He was also part of Napoleon ' s Russian campaign , but escaped the rigors of the retreat from Moscow , having been previously sent back to Berlin to reorganize the French cavalry . The First Restoration awarded him the Cross of St . Louis . He retired in 1816 , but the following year he was recalled to the State Council and served as commissioner for the management of military supply depots . Family and post - military life . In 1809 , he acquired the Chateau de Ville - au - Val at Meurthe - et - Moselle . In 1816 , he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies by the Department of the Meurthe . He married Marie Isabelle Van Oldencel ( died in Nancy , 13 June 1855 ) . They had a daughter , Adelaide Ernestine Josephine , born 11 October 1805 , who married to Louis Henry Gau , the son of Charles Louis Joseph Gau of Frégeville . He died 8 May 1828 in Ville - au - Val and was buried , as were his descendants after him , in the family vault near the chateau chapel . His name is engraved on the Arc d ' Triumph . References . " This article incorporates text from the French Wikipedia and from the following sources : "