Charles Denis Bourbaki Charles Denis Sauter Bourbaki ( 22 April 1816 , Pau – 27 September 1897 , Cambo - les - Bains ) was a French general . He was born at Pau , the son of Greek colonel Constantin Denis Bourbaki , who died in the War of Independence in 1827 . He was educated at the Prytanée National Militaire , entered St Cyr , and in 1836 joined the " Zouave s " , becoming lieutenant of the Foreign Legion in 1838 , and " aide - de - camp " to King Louis Philippe . It was in the African expedition that he first came to the front . In 1842 he was captain in the " Zouaves " ; 1847 , colonel of the " Turcos " ; in 1850 , lieutenant - colonel of the 1st " Zouaves " ; 1851 , colonel ; 1854 , brigadier - general . In the Crimean War he commanded a portion of the Algerian troops ; and at the Alma , Inkerman and Sevastopol Bourbaki ' s name became famous . In 1857 he was made general of division , commanding in 1859 at Lyon . His success in the war in Italy was second only to that of MacMahon , and in 1862 he was proposed as a candidate for the vacant Greek throne , but declined the proffered honour . In 1870 the Emperor Napoleon III entrusted him with the command of the Imperial Guard , and he played an important part in the fighting round Metz . His conduct at Gravelotte however was questionable as with the Prussians exhausted from the fighting and heavy casualties , the French were poised to mount a counter - attack but for Bourbaki refusing to commit the reserves of the French Imperial Guard to the battle because he considered it a defeat . A curious incident of the siege of Metz , during the Franco - Prussian War , is connected with Bourbaki ' s name . A man who called himself Regnier , about 21 September , appeared at Hastings , to seek an interview with the refugee empress Eugénie , and failing to obtain this he managed to get from the young Prince Imperial a signed photograph with a message to the emperor Napoleon . This he used , by means of a safe - conduct from Bismarck , as credentials to Marshal Bazaine , to whom he presented himself at Metz , telling him on the empress ' s alleged authority that peace was about to be signed and that either Marshal Canrobert or General Bourbaki was to go to Hastings for the purpose . Bourbaki at once went to England , with Prussia n connivance , as though he had a recognized mission , only to discover from the empress at Hastings that a trick had been played on him ; and as soon as he could manage he returned to France . He offered his services to Gambetta and received the command of the Northern Army , but was recalled on 10 November and transferred to the Army of the Loire . In command of the hastily - trained and ill - equipped Army of the East , Bourbaki made the attempt to raise the siege of Belfort , which , after the victory of Villersexel , ended in the repulse of the French in the three days ' battle of the Lisaine . Other German forces under Manteuffel now closed upon Bourbaki , and he was eventually driven over the Swiss frontier with the remnant of his forces . His troops were in the most desperate condition , owing to lack of food ; and out of 150 , 000 men under him when he started , only 87 , 000 men with 12 , 000 horses escaped into Swiss territory . They crossed the western border of Switzerland at Les Verrières , Sainte - Croix , Vallorbe and in the Vallée de Joux at the beginning of February 1871 . They were disarmed and detained for six weeks before being repatriated in March . Rather than submit to the humiliation of a probable surrender , Bourbaki had delegated his functions to General Clinchant on 26 January 1871 , and tried to commit suicide that night . He fired a pistol at his own head , but the bullet , owing to a deviation of the weapon , was flattened against his skull and his life was saved . General Clinchant carried Bourbaki into Switzerland , where he recovered sufficiently to return to France . In July 1871 , he again took the command at Lyon , and subsequently became military governor . In 1881 , owing to his political opinions , he was placed on the retired list . In 1885 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the senate . A patriotic Frenchman and a brilliant soldier and leader , Bourbaki , like some other French generals of the Second Empire whose training had been obtained in Africa , was found wanting in the higher elements of command when the European conditions of 1870 were concerned . Cultural references . A group of 20th - century French mathematicians published many works under the pseudonym Nicolas Bourbaki , named after the general . The scene of Bourbaki ' s army being disarmed when they crossed the Swiss borders is the subject of a panoramic painting done in 1881 by Edouard Castres . Since 1889 , this 360° painting has been on display in Lucerne , Switzerland .