Ernest was born on 12 June 1843 in Strasbourg as the son of Pierre Nicolas Joseph Albert de Lipowski and Marguerite Sophie Laroche.

[1] After graduating from the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, he became an officer but initially resigned this position due to several financial embarrassments.

He later returned to military service when the Franco-Prussian War broke out and commanded the French forces at the battles of Châteaudun[2] and Varize.

[3] He was sidelined in the Paris Commune due to his friendship with Napoléon La Cécilia who was a communard and who had also served at Châteaudun.

In retaliation for this attack, known as the Ablis surprise, the Germans burned 120 houses, shot 6 residents and took 22 hostages to their headquarters in Le Mesnil-Saint-Denis who were finally released the next day.