 He was also the cousin of Charles de Batz de Castelmore, to whom he lent one of his titles, comte d'Artagnan, on whom the hero of Alexandre Dumas, père's D'Artagnan Romances was based.Montesquiou served for twenty-three years as a musketeer in the Gardes Françaises before being made brigadier in 1688.He was further promoted to maréchal de camp in 1691 and lieutenant général on 3 January 1696 before being made Maréchal de France on 15 September 1709 as a reward for his distinguished conduct at the Battle of Malplaquet on 11 September, at which he was wounded and had three horses shot under him.