Jean Augustin Ernouf

Jean Auguste Ernouf
Manuel Louis Jean Auguste Ernouf
Born29 August 1753 (1753-08-29)
Alençon, Normandy
Died12 September 1827 (1827-09-13) (aged 74)
Paris, France
Allegiance French Republic
Kingdom of France
Years of service1791–1823
RankGeneral of Division
Battles/wars
Awards1804: Grand Officer, Légion d'honneur
1814: Chevalier of Saint-Louis
Other work1818: Chamber of Deputies (elected by Department of the Moselle)

Jean Augustin Ernouf (Manuel Louis Jean Augustin or Auguste Ernouf) (29 August 1753 – 12 September 1827) was a French general and colonial administrator of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. He demonstrated moderate abilities as a combat commander; his real strength lay in his organizational and logistical talents. He held several posts as chief-of-staff and in military administration.

He joined the military in 1791, as a private in the French Revolutionary Army; from September 1791 to September 1793, he was promoted from lieutenant to brigadier general. He and his commanding officer were accused of being counter-revolutionaries, disgraced, and then, in 1794, restored to rank. In 1804, Napoleon I appointed him as governor general of the French colony in Saint-Domingue and Guadeloupe, following the suppression of a widespread slave insurrection. Although he was able to reestablish some semblance of order and agricultural production, the British overwhelmed the colony in 1810 and, after a brief engagement, forced him to capitulate.

He returned to France on a prisoner exchange, but was charged with treason by Napoleon I, enraged by the loss of the colony to the British. Before he could be exonerated by a court, the First Empire fell; with the Bourbon Restoration, he retained his honors, and received command of the III Corps, in Marseille. After the second restoration, he held an administrative position in one of the occupation zones, and later he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of France.


© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search