The oldest captain was to command them, and he was Latour d'Auvergne.

He obeyed, and the corps was soon named by the enemy the Infernal Column.
"'One of his friends had an only son, whose labour was necessary for the support of his father, and this young man was included in the conscription.

Latour d'Auvergne, broken down by fatigue, could not labour, but he could still fight.
He hastened to the army of the Rhine; replaced the son of his friend; and, during two campaigns, with his knapsack on his hack and always in the foremost rank, he was in every engagement, animating the grenadiers by his discourse and by his example.

Poor, but proud, he has refused the gift of an estate offered to him by the head of his family.

Simple in his manners, and temperate in his habits, he lives on the limited pay of a captain.