Kammala wannan jumla: An haifi Ricard a ranar 31 ga Disamba, 1771 a Castres, Faransa a cikin abin da daga baya ya zama sashen Tarn. A shekara ta 1791 ya shiga rundunar sojan Faransa a matsayin mai ba da izini a cikin Le Fère Infantry Regiment. A cikin shekara guda aka daukaka shi ya zama kyaftin. Ba da daɗewa ba aka tura shi zuwa Corsica na shekaru da yawa. A cikin 1799 ya fito a matsayin mataimakin Louis-Gabriel Suchet. A wannan shekarar Suchet ya zama shugaban ma'aikata ga André Masséna a watan Yuni kuma ba da daɗewa ba bayan shugaban ma'aikatan sojojin Faransa na Italiya a ƙarƙashin Barthélemy Catherine Joubert. Lokacin da aka kashe Joubert a
A yakin Novi, Suchet yana tare da shi. Suchet ya ci gaba a matsayin shugaban ma'aikata a karkashin Jean Étienne Championnet wanda ya rasa yakin Genola a ranar 4 ga Nuwamba. Championnet ya kamu da rashin lafiya kuma ya mutu daga zazzabi a ranar 9 ga Janairu, 1800. Rikodin Ricard zuwa Babban Jami'in Janar na Brigade ya zo ne a ranar 31 ga Disamba, 1799. Ricard ya yi yaƙi a yakin Pozzolo a watan Disamba na 1800. Bayan yakin ya ƙare, an ba shi aiki a cikin Rundunar Soja ta 12. Daga baya ya yi aiki a sansanin Bruges kafin ya tafi sansanin Saint-Omer a 1803.