About Jules Brunet
Jules Brunet (2 January 1838 – 12 August 1911) was a French military officer who served the Tokugawa shogunate during the Boshin War in Japan. Originally sent to Japan as a horse artillery instructor with the French military mission of 1867, he refused to leave the country after the shōgun was defeated, and played a leading role in the separatist Republic of Ezo and its fight against forces of the Meiji Restoration. After the rebellion's defeat, he returned to France, fought in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), later reached the rank of general of division, and worked for the Ministry of War. Jules Brunet was an inspiration for the character played by Tom Cruise in the 2003 film The Last Samurai. == Early life and career == Brunet was born on 2 January 1838 in Belfort, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, in eastern France. He was the son of Jean-Michel Brunet, a veterinary doctor in the army, and his wife Louise-Adine Rocher. In 1855, he began his military education after being admitted to Saint-Cyr, which he left two years later to enter the École Polytechnique. Graduating 68th of 120 in his class, Brunet joined the horse artillery, and finished his education at the school of artillery of Metz, where he excelled in his studies and graduated in fourth place in his course, in 1861. Shortly after graduating, Brunet was sent to serve in the French invasion of Mexico. As a sub-lieutenant in the horse artillery regiment of the Imperial Guard, he served with distinction throughout the war, particularly during the Siege of Puebla in 1863, for which he was awarded by Emperor Napoleon III with the Cross of the Légion d'honneur.
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