[3] Despite his aristocratic birth and his connection to the court, Grouchy was a convinced supporter of the French Revolution in 1789, along with his brother-in-law, the Marquis de Condorcet, and had in consequence to leave the Life Guards.

[4] In 1794, Grouchy was sent to the War in the Vendée, where he distinguished himself defending Nantes from Royalist rebels led by François de Charette, for which he received the rank of general of division.

[4] By skillful measures, he was able to persuade the King of Sardinia, Charles Emmanuel IV, to renounce his rule over Piedmont, then received from the Directory the task of organizing the conquered territory.

[4] Following the Cadoudal affair, Grouchy was under Bonaparte's suspicion for some time due to his association with General Jean Moreau, but soon returned to favor, and in 1803 he received the mission of having Charles Louis recognized as King of Etruria.

[4] Grouchy entered Spain in 1808 commanding the twelve squadrons (2,850 men) of the Cavalry Division of Marshal Moncey's Corps of Observation of the Ocean Coast, and was appointed governor of Madrid.

[4][6] At the time of the War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809, Grouchy commanded the cavalry of the Army of Italy in Viceroy Eugène de Beauharnais's advance to Vienna, and contributed to the victories at the battles of Raab and Wagram.

[5][4] As a reward for his services, Grouchy was made Colonel General of the chasseurs à cheval of the Grande Armée, and received the title of comte d'Empire.

[4] During the retreat from Moscow, Napoleon appointed him to command the Sacred Squadron, a unit composed exclusively of picked officers and responsible for the emperor's personal protection.

[4] Napoleon gave him the command of a cavalry division, which Grouchy skillfully lead at the battles of Brienne, La Rothière, Vauchamps, and Craonne, where he was severely wounded.

[4] Upon Napoleon's abdication and the Bourbon Restoration, Grouchy lost his rank of Colonel General of the chasseurs à cheval, which was given to the Duke of Berry, and was allowed to retire by King Louis XVIII.

[4] After the Royalists were defeated, he unwillingly allowed the Duke to leave the country under the terms of the Convention of La Palud [fr], which Grouchy had initially refused to recognize.

[5] After the second restoration of the Bourbons, an attempt to have Grouchy condemned to death by a court-martial failed; however, he was proscribed and went into exile in the United States, settling in Philadelphia along with several other French officers of the Hundred Days.