Amédée Willot
| Amédée Willot | |
|---|---|
Amédée Willot
|
|
| Born |
31 August 1755 Belfort, France |
| Died |
17 December 1823 (aged 68) Boissy-Saint-Léger, Val-de-Marne, France |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of France France |
| Service/branch | Infantry |
| Years of service |
1771–1792 1792–1797 1798–1818 |
| Rank | General of Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Légion d'Honneur, 1816 Order of Saint-Louis, 1821 |
| Other work | Baron, 1815,Count, 1816 |
Amédée Willot (31 August 1755 – 17 December 1823) held several military commands during the French Revolutionary Wars but his association with Jean-Charles Pichegru led to his exile from France in 1797. He joined the French Royal Army as a volunteer in 1771 and was a captain by 1787. He was elected commander of a volunteer battalion in 1792 and served in the War of the Pyrenees. Shortly after being promoted commander of a light infantry regiment Willot was appointed general of brigade in June 1793. A few months later he was denounced as a Royalist and jailed. In the light of later events, this may have been an accurate assessment of Willot's sentiments. After release from prison in January 1795, he led troops in Spain during the summer campaign. He was promoted to general of division in July 1795.
Willot transferred to the War in the Vendée where he served until spring 1796. During this period he was temporarily in command of the Army of the West. He was in charge of the 8th Military Division at Marseilles until his election to the Council of Five Hundred in April 1797. He aligned himself with the Royalists who were regarded as a threat by powerful men in the French Directory. After the Coup of 18 Fructidor he was deported to French Guiana with others belonging to Pichegru's faction, but later escaped. Willot overtly embraced the Royalist cause and worked with France's enemies to overthrow the First French Republic. After drifting to several nations, he spent the years of the First French Empire in the United States. Returning to France with King Louis XVIII he was ennobled as a count and given awards for his loyalty. His surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on Column 34.
...
Wikipedia