GROUCHY, EMMANUEL, COMTE DE, Marshal and Peer of France, was born in Paris, October 23rd, 1766. He entered the artillery branch of the army in 1780. He was already a captain of horse in 1784, and in the course of the ensuing year, became one of the gardee-du-corps of Louis XVI. However, no sooner did the first dawn of the Revolution appear than he quitted the gardes-du-corpa and ardently embraced revolutionary principles. In 1792, he was made colonel of the 2nd regiment of dragoons, a few months later he became major-general, and was appointed to head the cavalry attached to the army of the Alps. In that campaign Savoy was conquered by Moutesquieu and annexed to France, General Grouchy having mainly contributed to its reduction.
Though scarcely in his 27th year, he began already to be esteemed the first cavalry officer in the French armies. In 1793, he was ordered to join the army of the Mee de Brest in La Vendee, relieved Nantes, besieged by Charette, and by his skilful manoeuvres at the head of the vanguard in the left wing he arrested the progress of the insurrection, preventing at one time, and rendering abortive at another, the repeated attempts of the royalists to open a communication with the English. At the battle of Sarrinieres, in a critical moment, seeing the repub licau infantry waver, Grouchy leapt from his horse, placed himself at the bead of a few hundred grenadiers, charged the Vendeans, and in spite of a wound he received, wrested the victory from them. In December 1793, on account of his noblesse, he was removed from his command; but his soldiers having heard of his intended departure, Docked to his quarters to prevent it, and Grouchy had to rebuke their attachment, and recal them to obedience. Shortly afterwards the army of the insurgents having crossed the Loire, and approached the district in which he was residing, Grouchy mingled in the ranks of the National guards as a private soldier, and assisted iu repulsing the enemy. His retirement lasted but eight months. In September 1794, Carnot gladly restored him to his dragoons; and on the 11th of Juno 1795, confirmed him iu his post of general of division, to which the soldiers themselves had raised him. Carnet, shortly after, offered him
the command of the army of the Cates do Brest. The republic had, at this juncture, three armies operating against the royalists, and Grouchy feeling that a divided command would injure the service, declined the offer, and recommended that General Hoch° should be placed at the head of the three armies. This was done. Grouchy took service under Hoche, and defeated Charette in his intrenebment at Saint-Cyr; and soon after the Vendean chiefs, Charette and Staffiet, were taken prisoners. At the beginning of 1797, Grouchy was ap poieted second in command of the army under Hoche, intended to invade Ireland, but the French fleet having been dispersed by a tempest, was compelled to regain the coasts of France. Early in 1798, he was ordered to Italy to join Joubert's army, shortly after com manded by Moreau, under whom, and at the head of a few troops, he took part in that celebrated campaign of Piedmont, where during six weeks 25,000 French soldiers held their ground and manoeuvred in presence of the Austro-Russiau army of 80,000 men. Grouchy afterwards distinguished himself at the battles of Valence and San Juliano; and on the 14th of Juno 1799, he defeated General Bellegarde on the banks of the Bormida. At the battle of Novi, in which Joubert was killed, Grouchy shared with Perignon the command of the left took 1200 Austrian prisoners, and charged the enemy eleven at the head of his dragoons; but being placed between two fires, he fell from his horse, with fourteen wounds, and was taken by the Austrian.. The Grand-Duke Constantine scut his own surgeon to attend him, ordered his servants to wait upon him, and offered him a liberal sum of money. After his recovery and exchange, Moreau, anxious to mark hie sense of Grouchy's services, put him at the head of his grand division, consisting of 18,000 troops. At the battle of BoholHaden, in 1800, he took fourteen pieces of artillery, and greatly assisted io obtaining the victory.