Custine, Adam-Philippe, count de

(1740-1793)

   general, deputy

   Born in Metz, Adam-Philippe, count de Custine was named field marshal after serving in the American War of Independence. In 1789, he was elected a deputy for the nobility to the Estates General and supported the revolution of 1789. He did, however, vote with the Right on certain issues, notably on the question of the king's right to declare war and peace. Commanding the Army of the Rhine, he captured, in turn, Speyer (September 25, 1792), Worms (October 5), Mainz (October 21), and Frankfurt (October 23). After the defeat and treason of General charles dumouriez (March 1793), Custine's forces were pushed back in the south by the duke of Brunswick, who retook Worms and Speyer and besieged Mainz. On his return to Paris, Custine was named general in chief of the Army of the North (May 13, 1793). But after the surrender of Condé and the loss of Mainz, he was accused of treason, condemned to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal, and guillotined.