French military records on microfilm?
My ancestor was Pierre Charles Courtois who was in Napoleons army when he was captured at the Battle of Bailen in 1808 ... his obituary states that he was also on a French ship at the Battle of Trafalgar (in 1805) ... see Message # 1 on this forum for more details.
Thelast I knew, France had not yet put their military records on microfilm and you had to pay a certified researcher to search the actual documents by hand. They were also not allowed to photocopy any records only transcribe the details contained in the records.
Is this still the case? Has France finally joined the modern world and microfilmed their records?
Also any suggestions about how to go about determining my ancestors service in napoleons army so I can locate his service records ... the only clue that I have is that he was taken prisoner in 1808 near Cadiz, Spain ... this places him in Gen. Duponts army (made up of a dozen or more regiments) ... also his obituary states that he was on a French ship at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Michael