François Henri Mouton

In his early career he served in the Garde du Corps and the Spahis, reaching the rank of captain before being placed on half-pay in 1838.

Mouton travelled back to India in 1844 seeking employment and, after initially being refused entry, was eventually made military adviser to the Sikh commander Tej Singh.

[1] He volunteered to join the French Army in 1822 and was appointed a second lieutenant in the Garde du Corps, the bodyguard of Charles X, in 1826.

[2] At this time the French adventurer Jean-Baptiste Ventura was home on leave from his position in the military service of Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

This gave a perfect opportunity for Mouton to be found a position and he was appointed to command the Sikh cuirassiers, on a salary of 800 rupees a month.

Mouton's wife persuaded the cuirassiers to escort the couple to Lahore where the men were rewarded with a bonus; they were afterwards posted to Peshawar because of lingering doubts over their loyalty.

[4] Later that year he returned to India, accompanied by two officers seeking service with the Khalsa, Chevalier Bartoluni and Mr Serize.

[8] In 1846, soon after his arrival in Paris, Mouton published a report on his time in India, in which he described himself as the commander of the Sikh Khalsa's regular cavalry.

[9] Mouton served as a staff officer during the Crimean War (1853–56) and was honoured for this service with the award of the Order of the Medjidie 4th class by the Ottoman Empire on 5 October 1855.

[9][8] He was advanced to the position of officer in the Legion of Honour on 15 November 1856, by which time he held the rank of chef d'escadron in his regiment.