DAVOUT, LOUIS NICOLAS, duke of Auerstadt and prince of Eckmwhl (17 7o-18 23 ), marshal of France, was born at Annoux (Yonne) on May io, 177o. His name is also, less cor rectly, spelt Davout and Davoust. He entered the French army as a sub-lieutenant in 1788, and was chef de bataillon in a volunteer corps in the campaign of 1792, and distinguished himself at Neer winden in the following spring. He had just been promoted gen eral of brigade when he was removed from the active list as being of noble birth. He served, however, in the campaigns of on the Rhine, and accompanied Desaix in the Egyptian expedition of Bonaparte. On his return he fought in the campaign of Ma rengo under Napoleon, who made him a general of division, and in 18oI gave him a command in the consular guard. Davout was created a marshal of France when Napoleon became emperor. As commander of the III. corps of the Grande Armee Davout ren dered the greatest services. At Austerlitz, after a forced march of 48 hours, the III. corps bore the brunt of the allies' attack. In the Jena campaign Davout with a single corps fought and won the brilliant victory of Auerstadt against the main Prussian army. (See NAPOLEONIC CAMPAIGNS.) He took part in the campaign of Eylau and Friedland. Napoleon left him as governor general in the grand-duchy of Warsaw when the treaty of Tilsit put an end to the war (1807), and in 1808 created him duke of Auerstadt. In the war of 1809 Davout took a brilliant part in the actions which culminated in the victory of Eckmuhl, and had an impor tant share in the battle of Wagram (q.v.). He was created prince of Eckmuhl about this time. It was Davout who was entrusted by Napoleon with the task of organizing the "corps of observation of the Elbe," which was in reality the army with which the em peror invaded Russia in 1812. In this Davout commanded the I. corps, over 70,00o strong, and defeated the Russians at Mohilev before he joined the main army, with which he continued through out the campaign and the retreat from Moscow. In 1813 he de fended Hamburg, a city ill fortified and provisioned, and full of disaffection, through a long siege, only surrendering the place on the direct order of Louis XVIII. after the fall of Napoleon in 1814 Davout was a stern disciplinarian, almost the only one of the marshals who exacted rigid and precise obedience from his troops. Thus, in the earlier days of the Grande Armee, it was always the III. corps which was entrusted with the most difficult part of the Iii. corps which was entrusted with the most difficult part of the work in hand. His rapacity in the conduct of civil affairs was in reality Napoleon's, for he gave the same undeviating obedience to superior orders which he enforced on his own subordinates. He was admitted by his contemporaries and by later judgment to be one of the ablest, perhaps the ablest, of all Napoleon's marshals. On the first restoration he retired into private life, and at once joined Napoleon on his return from Elba. Appointed minister of war, he was so far indispensable to the war department that Napoleon kept him at Paris during the Waterloo campaign. Napoleon has been criticised for not availing himself in the field of the services of the best general he then possessed. Davout directed the defence of Paris after Waterloo, and was deprived of his mar shalate and his titles at the second restoration. When some of his subordinate generals were proscribed, he demanded to be held responsible for their acts, as executed under his orders, and he en deavoured to prevent the condemnation of Ney. After a time the hostility of the Bourbons towards Davout died away, and he was reconciled to the monarchy. In 1817 his rank and titles were restored, and in 1819 he became a member of the chamber of peers. He died in Paris June I, 1823.
See Ch. de Mazade, Corr. du mar. Davout (1885) ; the marquise de Blockqueville, Le Marechal Davout raconte par les siens et lui meme (Paris, 187o-8o, 1887) ; Chenier, Davout, duc d'Auerstadt (Paris, 1866) .