Jean Auguste Ernouf | |
|---|---|
 Manuel Louis Jean Auguste Ernouf | |
| Born | 29 August 1753 Alençon, Normandy |
| Died | 12 September 1827 (aged 74) Paris, France |
| Allegiance |  French Republic Kingdom of France |
| Years of service | 1791–1823 |
| Rank | General of Division |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | 1804: Grand Officer, Légion d'honneur 1814: Chevalier of Saint-Louis |
| Other work | 1818: Chamber of Deputies (elected by Department of the Moselle) |
Manuel Louis Jean Augustin Ernouf (French pronunciation: [manɥɛl lwi ʒɑ̃ oɡystɛ̃ ɛʁnuf]; 29 August 1753 – 12 September 1827) was a French general and colonial administrator of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. He demonstrated moderate abilities as a combat commander; his real strength lay in his organizational and logistical talents. He held several posts as chief-of-staff and in military administration.
He joined the military in 1791, as a private in the French Revolutionary Army; from September 1791 to September 1793, he was promoted from lieutenant to brigadier general. He and his commanding officer were accused of being counter-revolutionaries, disgraced, and then, in 1794, restored to rank. In 1804, Napoleon I appointed him as governor general of the French colony in Saint-Domingue and Guadeloupe, following the suppression of a widespread slave insurrection. Although he was able to reestablish some semblance of order and agricultural production, the British overwhelmed the colony in 1810 and, after a brief engagement, forced him to capitulate.
He returned to France on a prisoner exchange, but was charged with treason by Napoleon I, enraged by the loss of the colony to the British. Before he could be exonerated by a court, the First Empire fell; with the Bourbon Restoration, he retained his honors, and received command of the III Corps, in Marseille. After the second restoration, he held an administrative position in one of the occupation zones, and later he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of France.