Auguste Jean Ameil, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetAuguste Jean Ameil
French soldier
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Paris, Île-de-France, France
About Auguste Jean Ameil
- General Auguste Jean Joseph Gilbert Ameil (January 6, 1776 – September 16, 1822) was a French soldier who fought during the French Revolution and the First French Empire, attaining the rank of Brigade General in 1812. Born in Paris, the son of a parliamentary lawyer, Ameil entered the army as a simple infantryman on July 14, 1789.
- He would subsequently rise through every rank in the army.
- In 1805 he was made squadron commander of a cavalry company in Marshal Bernadotte's army.
- He then participated in the German, Polish, and Russian campaigns.
- On July 12, 1809, he was named colonel of the 24th Chasseurs de Cheval [Light Cavalry] Regiment, and on November 21, 1812 he was made a Brigade General. After the abdication of Napoleon in 1814, Ameil accepted the restored Bourbon regime and was made a Knight of the Order of Saint Louis.
- He then accompanied the Count of Artois (Charles X) to Lyon, with orders to stop Napoleon's advance.
- However, the army deserted en masse to Napoleon's side, and when the Count retreated for Paris, Ameil pledged himself to Napoleon.
- He was sent to Auxerre, but was intercepted by royalist forces and sent as a prisoner to Paris on the same day that Napoleon victoriously entered the Tuileries Palace. Upon regaining his liberty, Ameil took part in the formation of Napoleon's army.
- Hedging somewhat, he sent a letter to Louis XVIII on the day of the Battle of Waterloo for the purpose of justifying his conduct.
- The letter was not persuasive: court martial proceedings against him were soon begun.
- To escape, Ameil travelled to England, later travelling to Hannover with the intention of reaching Sweden and the protection of Bernadotte. However, he was arrested in Lüneburg and transferred to Hildesheim as a prisoner of the state.
- Accused of high treason, on November 15, 1816 he was condemned to death by court martial.
- However, the sentence was not carried out, and on July 25, 1821 he was pardoned by a royal decree and his titles, rights, honors, and rank were restored. On October 24, 1821, he retired.
- The following year, he died in Paris, on the same day that he was named a Commander of the Legion of Honor by Louis XVIII.
- By this time he was also a Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert of Bavaria and of the Royal Swedish Order of the Sword.
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