In 1793, French Royalists seized control of the town of Toulon. They then put out a call for aid to both the British and Spanish. Eager to see the flames of revolution extinguished before it spread to their own countries, both nations sent sizeable forces to support the Royalists. Realizing the threat, a Republican army moved to retake the city. Figueur’s cavalry unit was dispatched along with this army, and she soon found herself fighting outside the gates of the city. There, she had a chance meeting with a young artillery commander, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Figueur was soon wounded in an encounter with British troops and missed the conclusion of the siege. After a fierce midnight assault on the heights surrounding the city, the French moved up their artillery and prepared to bombard the city. Deciding the battle was lost, the foreign troops withdrew by sea. The city was now open to the Republicans, and a massacre followed as their troops violently suppressed the Royalist supporters of Toulon. Unhappy as she was to see what happened to the Royalists of the city, Figueur remained committed to the French cause. Her unit was then dispatched to Castres, where she trained as a dragoon.
Figueur learned to fight with the saber and with firearms, as well as perfecting her skills on horseback. Soon, Figueur was assigned to the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees and was sent to take the fight to Spain in the peaks that form the two countries’ border. The beginning of the campaign was a string of bitter defeats for the French. The Spanish smashed the French at the Battle of Mas Deu and captured the fort of Bellegarde, opening up the way for an invasion of France. The defeats took a heavy toll on the soldiers and the commanders, several of whom were guillotined for their perceived failures.
Through it all, Figueur distinguished herself as a brave soldier. Standing just 5 feet 4 inches, Figueur cut a diminutive figure, but she performed feats of courage that impressed her superiors. Twice her horse was shot out from under her, and she kept fighting. In another engagement, she even saved the life of one of the army’s generals. Her superiors offered to promote Figueur to corporal, but she declined, preferring to serve with her unit. She did accept a leave back to France near the end of the campaign and was married in 1796 to a cavalryman in the 8th Hussars.
When her husband was called to action, she went with him, joining the 8th Hussars. Rather than using her husband’s surname, she officially adopted her nickname. Records show that she re-enlisted under the last name Sansgène. In 1798, the French invaded Switzerland and Figueur was assigned to the army leading the invasion. The war ended in a French victory, and the Swiss government was toppled and replaced by a more centralized republic under French influence. Figueur, meanwhile, was reassigned to a dragoon regiment fighting in Italy. And once again, her love of the soldier’s life would prove dangerous for Figueur.