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COUNT See also: born at See also: Caen on the 13th of See also: April 1769
.
He was educated for the See also: bar, but soon showed a strong preference for the military career, in which he quickly made his way during the See also: wars of the French Revolution under Kleber, Marceau and Jourdan, in the Rhenish See also: campaigns
.
In 1799 he became general of division, and contributed to the success of the famous attack by General Richepanse on the See also: Austrian flank. and See also: rear at Hohenlinden (See also: December 1800)
.
Becoming known for his Anglophobe tendencies, he was selected by See also: Napoleon early in the See also: year 1802 for the command of the French possessions in the See also: East Indies
.
The secret instructions issued to him bade him prepare the way, so that in due course (See also: September 1804 was hinted at as the suitable See also: time) everything might be ready for an attack on the See also: British power in See also: India
.
Napoleon held out to him the hope of acquiring lasting See also: glory in that enterprise
.
Decaen set See also: sail with See also: Admiral Linois early in See also: March 1803 with a small expeditionary force, touched at the Cape of
See also: Good Hope (then in Dutch hands), and noted the condition of the fortifications there
.
On arriving at See also: Pondicherry he found matters in a very critical condition
.
Though the outbreak of war in See also: Europe had not yet been heard of, the hostile preparations adopted by the See also: Marquis Wellesley caused Decaen to withdraw promptly to the Isle of See also: France (See also: Mauritius), where, during eight years, he sought to harass British See also: trade and prepare.for plans of See also: alliance with the Mahratta princes of India
.
They all came to naught
.
Linois was captured by a British See also: squadron, and ultimately, in 1811, Mauritius itself See also: fell to the Union See also: Jack
.
Returning to France on honourable terms, Decaen received the command of the French troops in See also: Catalonia
.
The rest of his career calls for noSee also: special mention
.
He died of the cholera in 1832
.
See M
.
L
.
E
.
Gautier, Biographie du general Decaen (Caen, 1850)
.
(J
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Hi
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