Marshal P. F. C. Augereau

Augereau, Marshal P. F. C., Duc de Castiglione (1757-1816). Pierre François Charles Augereau was born in Paris, son of a domestic servant or fruit dealer. He claimed to have served in the French, Russian, and Prussian armies and made a living as a fencing-master in Dresden. Returning to France in 1790 he was promoted swiftly, becoming general in 1793 and commanding a first-rate division. After serving in Spain he came under Bonaparte's command in Italy in 1796, and distinguished himself at Castiglione. His showy and rapacious habits aroused dislike, but in 1799 he backed Bonaparte's coup, and was appointed marshal when Bonaparte became emperor in 1804.

Though public recognition and private wealth mellowed Augereau, worsening health helped limit his achievements. His corps had a secondary role in the Austerlitz campaign of 1805, and performed poorly at Jena/Auerstadt the following year. Wounded at Eylau in 1807, he showed a flash of his old fire at Leipzig in 1813. In 1814 he commanded the Army of the Rhône ineptly and applauded Louis XVIII when he heard of Napoleon's abdication. He tried to change sides in 1815, but was ignored by Napoleon and dismissed by Louis.

Augereau was fatally inconsistent: physical hero but moral coward, greedy but generous, sometimes determined but often irresolute. He rose quickly in an army which appreciated his soldierly presence and natural authority, but divisional commander was his ceiling.

— Richard Holmes