Jean-Andoche Junot
French
General
1771-1813
Jean-Andoche
Junot knew Napoleon Bonaparte
longer than most, having served with him from as far back as Toulon
in 1793.
By
the time he met Bonaparte, Junot had already served for three years,
had been wounded once and promoted to sergeant. Becoming Bonaparte's
aide, he rose to lieutenant and then accompanied the young commander
for most of his meteoric career.
He
fought in the Italian, Egyptian,
Austerlitz, Russian
campaigns with his mentor, and had independent commands in Portugal
and Spain.
Junot
became the first major French casualty of Wellington's brilliant
career - at Vimiero - but, cut
off from France, was lucky that the Convention of Cintra allowed
him and his men to be transported home by the Royal Navy.
A
very able commander early on and a fierce fighter, Junot was once
seriously injured in a skirmish in which he killed six men.
Increasingly
mentally unstable in later years, Junot's performances in Russia
were not up to his usual standard and he was censured for failing
to stop the Russian escape after Smolensk.
Despite
his closeness to Bonaparte, Junot never became a marshal - something
that preyed on his mind.
In
1813, and retired from service, he killed himself.
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