Antoine Louis Popon de Maucune

Antoine Louis Popon de Maucune (1772–1824) was a French général de division whose career was marked by bravery, repeated wounds, and a streak of ill fortune, particularly in Spain. Born in Brive, Limousin, he joined the army as a pioneer in 1786 and fought in the Revolutionary campaigns in the Alps and Italy, where he was repeatedly wounded and promoted for gallantry, serving at Arcole, Novi, and Marengo. During the Napoleonic Wars he commanded the 39th Line Infantry at Elchingen, Jena, Eylau, and Friedland, before rising to brigade and then divisional command. In Spain from 1808, he fought at Tamames, Alba de Tormes, Ciudad Rodrigo, Bussaco, and Fuentes de Oñoro, but his division was disastrously cut apart at Salamanca in 1812, and later scattered at San Millán, Sorauren, and the Bidassoa. Reassigned to Italy, he was defeated at the Taro River in 1814 against overwhelming odds. Despite his misfortunes, Maucune was decorated with the légion d'honneur and the Order of Saint Louis, and his name is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe, a testament to his long if unlucky service in France’s wars of empire.