The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-20 00:00:00

A SKETCH OF GENERAL
CHANGARNIER.

The French papers have imitated the meeting of Chan-
gamier with the Koperor Napolet.n, and few ran help being
toucind by the description at the old general I f seventy.eight
yearn of age tendering hls advice and his sword when his
country Is in datiger to the two, whim politically and
privaely he mutt hitherto have viewed with intense di.,like.
Chaigernier wes one of ire rffi ;ers of the old Algerian
army ; he had seen the French eagles pushed forward from
the sea coast to the oa.es of the Sahara; he hal served as a
comrade of the Princes of the House of Orleans, atid with
LtilLOTlCie,o and Cavaicnac had woe his fame in the c im
paigns against A Inbel Kader. It Is curious and histructive
to look hack on the early Itle of CO excellent au officer, and
to notice how the qualities which he displayed when lu high
command were equally remarkable when in charge of small
bottles of troops.
It Was in 1835, thirty-fire years ego, when Abd.el-Kader
was yet only the chief of a few Arab trite!, that Changarnier
took part hi the expedition egalt.st Mascara. The Creech
arms had teen ma...slut ; lac, unprovided with the regtil•
site supplies, the troops were f,rced tort treat over a barren
and 11101111101,11 US vinutry to Oran. E sib soldier had been
eased at with rations for the march, holding a small sick
of rice in reserve. Provisions failed, sad recourse was had
to the resolve supply; but the treops, young, unused to war,
and thoughtless of the future, had stinaudered all their ra
lie., including the hit; of rice. One bat,allon only had
prest reed th.rars hit ,ct, and this was the I'di Ussr, com-
manded by Captain Chaugarititr, who thus showed that he
know how to command men, and how to preserve dPctreino,
under eircnmusnces Which tent to She.uunost the military
qualities of solders.
Again, in 1836, when the French array under Marsha
Causel had (tiled ieite attack op Constantine, when preiaal
by the pant., in from the city, barv.ssed by the Arab In.ree- .
Mee of the turrGundtng country, perithing from cold and
1 huuger, th.. r, mitmita of the expeditneary (-rye were re-
treseth.g toward. Bone, C tatigartior distiuguished hitmelf.
lie corrinnu dud the rearguard, which had been thrown out
in skirnitshing order, and which Wee composed of the rem-
nants, 250 me% of the tame 21n1 Ls.l,er The Aran horsemen
i hat already cvarged thou, and had sabred mat y, when Chan-
gender tor:tied square. The 111 dimet di cavalry, excited hy
the slaughter of the Christians, and bobbin, in dis-
dain so small a body, swooped Olean on them, haling for an
silly conquest. Chaneander waited until they had apple Ached
within te enty.five yards of the face of the square, and,
then, railLig to his wee, said, " Ton s e those fe lows there,
they are air thousand, we ate two hundred and tlfty, so the
sides are about equ .1 ; live le KM ! fire!" The men fired
steadily, the front of the fwee of the iquwe were strewed
collected Ps wounded, and, havitig giving so severe a lesron
with men awl horses dylog and dead. The battalion
thiekly
to the enemy, pursued its retreat unmolested Atter this
action Change, nier's name id.ood hich in the estimation of
, the Ahem. Army, and he ro,e by successive steps until in
1810 be COMlBeellell the troops in Alged la.
Few of his old comrades LIOW rentatn. Caveignac diet In
1857, Lamoriciere In 1865 Slositaub.n, Cou.,t de Pal kao,
still serves, although at present in a civil c quietly, while the
Princes of the HOUSO of Orleans, whose Iletee6 were equally
, known and respected In the old Ab,,erian army, in vain solicit
lat this cruise! their country's fate permia lon to draw their
swords iti her defence and again to cast in their lot with their
comrades of fernier wars. Whatever may to the result of
the present awful strileg`e, Changionier's name will be re-
spected throughout the French service, awl his c.d-ece will
be quoted as an exarnMe of the galiautry aud soldierly quad-
ties of the old Algerian ariny.