General Junot, Duc d’Abrantes

Junot first came to the attention of Napoleon during the siege of Toulon and went on to distinguish himself in the campaign in Italy. It was there that he received a head wound that was said to have changed his character making him unpredictable and rash.

In common with many of the other French officers he hated campaigning in Egypt and alleviated the boredom by duelling. After one duel where Lannes, Murat and Bessieres acted as his seconds they were all reprimanded by Napoleon who said they were “like silly crocodiles fighting in the reeds”. This didn’t go down too well with any of them, but Junot had to be sent home with a resulting wound.

FN/358 General Junot, in uniform of Colonel-General of Hussars (on horse FNH/11)

He was sent to Spain in 1807 and created Duc d’Abrantes for capturing Lisbon but the humiliating defeat at Vimiero blotted his copy book further with the Emperor. The final straw came with his failure to pursue the Russians after the battle of Smolensk in 1812 and a furious Napoleon determined that he should never receive a marshal’s baton.

He returned to France in disgrace and is believed to have committed suicide, dying in 1813.