The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word LAFAYETTE
L
A
F
A
Y
E
T
T
E
More clues leading to the result LAFAYETTE
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "French general" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case french general = lafayette.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.