 Brunet and Captain André Cazeneuve were present at the Battle of Toba–Fushimi (27–31 January 1868), near Osaka.After that Imperial victory, Brunet, Cazeneuve and the Shogun's Admiral, Enomoto Takeaki, fled to Edo (now Tokyo) on the warship "Fujisan".When Edo also fell to the Imperial forces, Enomoto and Brunet fled to the northern island of Hokkaidō, where they proclaimed the Ezo Republic, with Enomoto as President.