Born on 20 April 1776 in La Fère, in a noble family from northern France, on 12 March 1792 he became a student in the artillery school and held the rank of sublieutenant.

During the return trip of the expedition, d'Aboville was placed in command of the 36-pounder battery of the ship of the line Bucentaure, which was involved in the battle engaged by the French squadron with that of British Admiral Robert Calder.

He took a conspicuous part in the War of the Fourth Coalition, during which he attained the rank of colonel and was given the distinction of Officer of the Legion of Honour (1807), for saving the artillery of the 6th Corps, which had been attacked by a numerous pulk of Cossacks, on the banks of the river Passarge.

[2] Appointed at the command of the Horse Artillery of the Imperial Guard on 13 September 1808, he was particularly noted at the bloody Battle of Wagram, where he was at the head of a company of thirty pieces, and had his right arm torn by a cannonball, an injury which almost cost him his life.

He did not see active service again until 1814, when he was called to command the artillery during the defense of Paris, where he stoutly checked the best efforts of the enemy, inflicting considerable losses in the process.