would be sous-lieutenant. All my comrades put my name forward, and
the commander-in-chief, recalling that General Séras had written to
him about my conduct at Santa-Giacomo, designated me
sous-lieutenant...! I had been a sergeant for only a month! I have to
admit, however, that during the capture of the guns, I had done no
more than the rest of my companions; but as I have already said,
these good Alsatians did not feel that they had the qualities to take
command and become officers. They were unanimous in choosing me, and
General Championet, as well as noting the favourable comments of
General Séras, was perhaps also glad to be able to please my father.

My father, however, was less than pleased with what he considered
to be my over-rapid promotion, and he wrote to me instructing me to
refuse it. I would have obeyed; but my father had written in the
same strain to General Suchet, the chief-of-staff, and this latter
had replied that the commander-in-chief would be very put out to find
that one of his divisional generals had taken it upon himself to
disapprove of a promotion which he had made. My father then authorised
me to accept, and I was gazetted sous-Lieutenant in December 1799.

I was one of the last officers promoted by General Championet,
who, not being able to remain in Piedmont in the face of superior
forces, was compelled to re-cross the Apennines and lead his army
back to Liguria. He was greatly distressed to see his force breaking
down, because he was not given enough supplies to support it, and he
died two weeks after he had made me an officer. My father, who was
now the most senior divisional general, was made provisional
commander-in-chief of the army of Italy, whose headquarters were at
Nice. He therefore went there and immediately sent back to Provence
the few remaining cavalry, as there was no longer any fodder in