Bourcier was born in
La Petite-Pierre near
Phalsbourg,
Alsace, a small town, in the
Bas-Rhin district, north of
Saverne and northwest of
Strasbourg. The son of a former sergeant of the guard of King
Stanislas Leszczynski, he proved himself a bright student in school, and was placed in a cavalry regiment. At the beginning of the
French Revolution in 1789, he was
lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of Cavalry. From this time, his prospects rose quickly. Appointed
aide-de-campe to the
Duke of Aiguillon (9 June 1792), he later he transferred to the staff of General
Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine. A
general of brigade in 1793, he became Chief of Staff of the
Army of the Rhine, and was raised the following year to the rank of
major general. Bourcier commanded a division of cavalry under General
Jean Victor Marie Moreau, who had taken an interest in his career, In Italy, he also commanded a column of cavalry that routed a group of rebels near Andrea. After the French victory at the
Battle of Jena-Auerstadt, Bourcier was placed in charge of the several thousands of horses confiscated from the
Prussians. After the defeat of Prussia in 1807, Bourcier was sent to Spain to support the French efforts
there, but he returned to the northern European theater in time for the
Battle of Wagram in July 1809. He was also part of Napoleon's
Russian campaign, but escaped the rigors of the retreat from Moscow, having been previously sent back to Berlin to reorganize the French cavalry. The
First Restoration awarded him the
Cross of St. Louis. He retired in 1816, but the following year he was recalled to the State Council and served as commissioner for the management of military supply depots. ==Family and post-military life==