Whakakiia te rerenga e whai ake nei: I whanau a Ricard i te 31 o Tihema 1771 i Castres, France i te mea i muri mai ko te tari Tarn. I te tau 1791 ka uru ia ki te French Royal Army hei kaihauturu i roto i te Le Fère Infantry Regiment. I roto i te tau kotahi i whakatairangahia ia hei rangatira. Kaore i roa ka tukuna ia ki Corsica mo etahi tau. I te tau 1799 i puta ia hei kaiawhina ki a Louis-Gabriel Suchet. I taua tau ko Suchet te rangatira o nga kaimahi ki a André Masséna i te marama o Hune, a, i muri tata mai i te rangatira o nga kaimahi o te ope French o Itari i raro i a Barthélemy Catherine Joubert. I te wa i mate ai a Joubert i te Pakanga o Novi, kei tona taha a Suchet. I haere tonu a Suchet hei rangatira mo nga kaimahi i raro i a Jean Étienne Championnet i ngaro i te Pakanga o Genola i te 4 o Noema. I mate a Championnet, ka mate i te kirika i te 9 o Hanuere 1800. Ko te whakatairanga a Ricard ki te Kaihauturu General Chef de brigade i puta i te 31 o Tihema 1799. I whawhai a Ricard i te
Te Pakanga o Pozzolo i te marama o Tihema 1800. I muri i te mutunga o te pakanga, i whakawhiwhia ia ki nga mahi i roto i te 12th Military Division. I muri mai ka mahi ia i te puni o Bruges i mua i tana haerenga ki te puni o Saint-Omer i te tau 1803.