215 - MEMORIAL TO JOSEPH SANSOT, of the Imperial Guard’s mounted hunters.

MEMORIAL TO JOSEPH SANSOT, of the Imperial Guard’s mounted hunters. Two-shot percussion hunting rifle. Round barrel. Flat-bodied lock plates and round-bodied hammers. Fittings in openwork and plain silver. Walnut stock carved with the head of a mythical creature. E.M. (Mechanical damage and impact marks). The stock, refitted at the time the rifle was made (circa 1820–1830), bears the silver plate from his Consular-era (circa 1800) honor rifle, engraved with “The First Consul to Cen Sansot, a lieutenant in the 15th Dragoon Regiment, on the 5th of Bre An 7, while serving in the Army of Italy, led 14 dragoons in capturing a bridge defended by 100 men.” Significant scratch on the lower portion. Length: 113 cm Joseph SANSOT (1776–1853) distinguished himself on numerous occasions during the Revolutionary Wars; a veteran of the Egyptian campaign, he joined the mounted chasseurs of the Consuls’ Guard and later the Imperial Guard under the Consulate. The Emperor even signed his marriage contract. He distinguished himself at Austerlitz and was promoted to first lieutenant. Falling ill at the end of the Prussian campaign (1806), he became inspector of Water and Forests in Boulogne. Our plaque complements the *Fastes de la Légion d’honneur*, which do not specifically mention the act of valor for which he received his carbine.