Jean Augustin Ernouf

Divisional-General Manuel Louis Jean Augustin Ernouf (29 August 1753 – 12 September 1827) was a French Army officer, colonial administrator and politician who served in the French 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.

In 1791, Ernouf enlisted in the French Royal Army as a private; in September 1793, he was promoted to brigade general in the newly formed French Revolutionary Army. Ernouf and his commanding officer were accused of being counter-revolutionaries, disgraced, and then, in 1794 restored to their former ranks. In 1804, Napoleon appointed him as the governor of Guadeloupe following the restoration of direct French rule and slavery in the colony. Although he was able to reestablish order and agricultural production through brutal methods, the British invaded the colony in 1810 and after a brief engagement forced him to capitulate.

Ernouf returned to France on a prisoner exchange, but was charged with treason by Napoleon, who was enraged with the loss of Guadeloupe. Before he could be exonerated by a court, the First French Empire fell in 1814; with the Bourbon Restoration in France, he retained his honors, and received command of the III Corps in Marseille. Following the Second Bourbon Restoration, he held an administrative position in one of the occupation zones, and later he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of France.