DUMAS

dumas, guillaume mathieu, count (1753-1837), french general, was born at montpellier, of a noble family, on the 23rd of november 1753. he joined the army in 1773, and entered upon active service in 1780, as aide-de-camp to rochambeau in the american war. he had a share in all the principal engagements that occurred during a period of nearly two years. on the conclusion of peace in 1783 he returned to france as a major. he was engaged from 1784 to 1786 in exploring the archipelago and the coasts of turkey. he was present at the siege of amsterdam in 1787, where he co-operated with the dutch against the prussians. at the revolution he acted with lafayette and the constitutional liberal party. he was entrusted by the assembly with the command of the escort which conducted louis xvi. to paris from varennes. in 1791 as a _marechal de camp_ he was appointed to a command at metz, where he rendered important service in improving the discipline of the troops. chosen a member of the legislative assembly in the same year by the department of seine-et-oise, he was in the following year elected president of the assembly. when the extreme republicans gained the ascendancy, however, he judged it prudent to make his escape to england. returning after a brief interval, under the apprehension that his father-in-law would be held responsible for his absence, he arrived in paris in the midst of the reign of terror, and had to flee to switzerland. soon after his return to france he was elected a member of the council of ancients. after the 18th fructidor (1797) dumas, being proscribed as a monarchist, made his escape to holstein, where he wrote the first part of his _precis des evenements militaires_ (published anonymously at hamburg, 1800). recalled to his native country when bonaparte became first consul, he was entrusted with the organization of the "army of reserve" at dijon. in 1801 he was nominated a councillor of state. he did good service at austerlitz, and went in 1806 to naples, where he became minister of war to joseph bonaparte. on the transfer of joseph to the throne of spain, dumas rejoined the french army, with which he served in spain during the campaign of 1808, and in germany during that of 1809. after the battle of wagram, dumas was employed in negotiating the armistice. in 1810 he became grand officer of the legion of honour and a count of the empire. in the russian campaign of 1812 he held the post of intendant-general of the army, which involved the charge of the administrative department. the privations he suffered in the retreat from moscow brought on a dangerous illness. resuming, on his recovery, his duties as intendant-general, he took part in the battles of 1813, and was made prisoner after the capitulation of dresden. on the accession of louis