BUGEAUD DE LA PICONNERIE, THOMAS ROBERT, DUKE OF ISLY marshal of France, was born at Limoges on Oct. 15, 1784. He came of a noble family of Perigord, and was the youngest of his parents' 13 children. Harsh treatment led to his flight from home, and for some years about 180o he lived in the country, engaged in agriculture, to which he was ever afterwards devoted. At the age of 20 he became a private soldier in the Velites of the Imperial Guard (1804), with which he took part in the Austerlitz campaign of the following year. Early in 1806 he was given a commission and served in the Jena and Eylau campaigns. He served in Spain through the Peninsular War. At the first restoration he was made a colonel, but he rejoined Napoleon during the Hundred Days, and under his old chief Suchet distinguished himself greatly in the war in the Alps. For 15 years after the fall of Napoleon he was not re employed. In the chamber of deputies, to which he was elected in 1831, he remained an opponent of democracy. His conduct as gaoler of the duchesse de Berry led to a duel between Bugeaud and the deputy Dulong, in which the latter was killed (1834) ; this affair and the incidents of another emeute exposed Bugeaud to ceaseless attacks in the Chamber and in the press. He was re elected in 1834, 1837 and 1839.
About this time Bugeaud became much interested in the ques tion of Algeria. At first he appears to have disapproved of the conquest, but his undeviating adherence to Louis Philippe brought him into agreement with the government. Sent to Africa in a subordinate capacity, he proceeded to initiate his war of flying columns. He won his first victory on July 7, 1836, made a brilliant campaign of six weeks' duration, and returned home with the rank of lieutenant-general. In the following year he signed the treaty of Tafna (June 1, 1837), with Abd-el-Kader, an act which, though justified by the military and political situation, led to a renewal of the attacks upon him in the Chamber, to the refutation of which Bugeaud devoted himself in 1839. Finally, in 1840, he was nominated governor-general of Algeria, and early in 1841 he put into force his system of flying columns. His swiftness and energy drove back the forces of Abd-el-Kader. In 1842 he secured the French positions by undertaking the construction of roads., In 1843 Bugeaud was made marshal of France, and in this and the following year he continued his operations with unvarying suc cess. His great victory of Isly on Aug. 14, 1844 won for him the title of duke. In 1845, however, he had to take the field again in consequence of the disaster of Sidi Brahim (Sept. 22, 1845), and up to his final retirement from Algeria (July 1846) he was almost constantly employed in the field. His resignation was due to differences with the home government on the question of the future government of the province. In 1 848 the marshal was in Paris during the revolution, but his orders prevented him from acting effectually to suppress it. He was asked, but eventually refused, to be a candidate for the presidency in opposition to Louis Napoleon. His last public service was the command of the army of the Alps, formed in 1848-49 to observe events in Italy. He died in Paris on June 10, Bugeaud's writings were numerous, including his Oeuvres militaires, collected by Weil (1883) , many official reports on Algeria and the war there, and some works on economics and political science. See Comte d'Ideville Le Marechal Bugeaud (3 vols., 1881-82, another ed. 1885).