He Was a Four Star Black General at the Height of Slavery but Was Betrayed and Died Penniless

The story of the real-life Count of Monte Cristo

In the 1840s, a novelist in France reflected on his childhood. He accompanied his father to a doctor’s appointment in Paris. He describes the following days with a heavy heart:

Soon after, my father grew weaker, he went out less often, rarely mounted a horse, stayed in his room, took me on his knees with greater sadness.

When the boy was four years old, his father succumbed to stomach cancer. The young kid would grow up to be one of the world’s finest authors, famous for works like The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.

He was Alexandre Dumas.

But this isn’t his story.

It’s about his father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, the real-life inspiration for the Count of Monte Cristo.

Thomas-Alexandre was one of France’s greatest generals. Yet, he died in agony. His family was cut off from their pension and forced into abject poverty.

Despite General Dumas’ military achievements he is not well remembered in France.