Roulland became a private in the
Régiment de Normandie on 22 September 1770. He took part in the campaign in
Isle de France between 1771 and 1774. After being demobilised on 29 August 1775, he was appointed captain-general for the
fermiers generaux des finances (
tax farmers) in
Alençon in 1776, a post he held until the
French Revolution. On 20 September 1791 he was elected chief of the
Orne district battalion by its members, and was confirmed as
Chef de brigade by the
Représentants en mission Trullard and Berlier on 27 September 1793. The next day he was made
General de brigade and commandant of
Bergues. On 26 January 1794 he was appointed commander of the fortress of
Landrecies. Here his rank was made permanent on 12 April 1794. He led the defense of the fortress during the
Siege of Landrecies (1794) by the
Dutch States Army under the
Hereditary Prince of Orange. He had to surrender the fortress on 30 April 1794 after heavy bombardment, which reduced the fortress to rubble. He was made a prisoner of war and was eventually transported to Hungary. He was exchanged as prisoner of war on 27 November 1795. In October 1799 he chased the rebel leader
La Nougarède, who had beaten the republican forces at
Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier on 5 October 1799, with a column of 4,000 soldiers from Rennes, but La Nougarède outwitted him by dispersing his own guerilla force, and then harassed Roulland's force with pinprick attacks. He was mustered out for medical reasons in May 1801 and appointed ''commandant d'armes'' (commander of the garrison) of
Belle-Île-en-Mer on 8 June 1801. Here he spent the rest of his career. He was made a
Chevalier of the
''Légion d'Honneur on 11 December 1803; promoted to Officier
on 14 June 1804. After his retirement on 1 September 1816 he was made a Chevalier
of the Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis'' on 20 August 1823. Roulland died on 6 February 1827 in
Rennes. ==Notes and references==