Nicolas François Conroux

Nicolas François Conroux (1770–1813), Baron de Pépinville, was a French général de division whose career spanned the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, ending in valor and fatal wound at Nivelle. Born in Douai, he entered the Royal Army in 1786 and rose swiftly during the Revolution, serving at Arlon, Fleurus, and in the campaigns along the Rhine and in Italy. Attached to Bernadotte and later Championnet, he distinguished himself in Italy and Naples before receiving command of the 17th Line Infantry. By 1805 he was fighting at Austerlitz, and as a brigade commander he saw action at Heilsberg, Friedland, Aspern-Essling, and Wagram. Elevated to division command, Conroux fought in Spain at Fuentes de Oñoro, Bornos, and Vitoria, and later in the Pyrenees. At the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813 he was mortally wounded while resisting Wellington’s advance, dying the next day at Bayonne. His name is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe, a testament to his steadfast service and sacrifice in France’s long wars of empire.