The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1859-07-12
The Generals at the Battle of
Magenta.

The name most prominent in the roll of
honor of the French Army, in the great
conflict between the Austrians and Allies,
on the 4th and 9Th of June, is that of Gen.
Mcmahon, whose recorded name is Marie
Edmonde-Pat Maurice de Mcmahon.
Gen Mcmahon is of Irish descent, as is
large portion of the officers and soldiers
in the French army.
His father was a French peer and a
LOYAL Bourbonist. The General was born
in 1907, and entered the military school
at ST. Cyr in 1925. He accompanied the
first army which invaded Algiers, and, af-
ter his return to France, accompanied the
Duke of Orleans, and took part in the siege
of Antwerp, and at the close of that affair
he found himself Captain. In 1887 he
was again in Algiers, and distinguished
himself at the assault on Constantine
| He was next raised to the command of a
battalion of rifles, and then to the com
mand Of regiment of the Foreign Legion.
His next step was in 1S45, when he was
appointed General of Brigade and Cover
nor of Gran Thus far he had not Eu-
ropean name in arms, but this deficiency
he supplied in the war in the Crimea.
In 1852 he was promoted to the rank
of Major General, but was not placed in a
position to attract public attention until
he was appointed to succeed General Can
robert at the siege of Sebastopol. Here
was the opening Of his fame as historical
character On the last day of that great
contest he led the storming columns of the
French against the MalakoH. Seringapat-
am and Badajoz had left little expectation
that any greater glory could be attained in
the line Of storming than was acquired by
the British on these occasions. But Gen
eral McMahOn's successive assaults upon
the Malakotf, ending at last in victory, alike
astonished, amazed, and compelled the ad
miration of the world. This was in the
fall of 1855. May, 1859, found him in
Italy, at the head of the second division.
The second great battle, covering two days,
in the vicinity of Magenta, which seems to
have had an uncertain termination, so far
as the belligerants were concerned, gave
Gen. McMahon an opportunity to place
himself in the first rank of Commanders,
and his promotion on the battle field to the
rank of Field Marshal and to a Dukedom,
shows how we'll he improved it.
Co. IEoray, who iilst attracted General
notice by his successful affair at Montebel
10, sustained the reputation he there acqui-
red at Magenta. lie has served ten years
in AIgiers. On the occasion of the coup
detat at Paris he commanded a brigade
In the Crmea he took part in the battle
of the Alma, and at TIE battle of Inkerlnan.
He is now a Major General, at the age of
fifty, thirteen years of his life having been
passed in the field. His chief character is
soldier Of intrepidity.
Field Marshal Francois Certain Canrob
ert, who was severely wounded in the bat.
tie of Magenta, is unquestionably capable
General, so far as directing the general con
duct of a campaign, but he has rather been
inclined to allow his plans to work them
selves out. In the Crmea he was unable
to harmonic with Lord Raglan, and vol
unfairly gave place to Peissier, who in
fused the breath Of life into the general
plan which he had laid out He common.
ced his military career in Africa, and on
one occasion, when many of his regiment
: were debilitated with cholera. he evaded al
attack of the enemy by informing then
through an Interpreter, that his men hac
the plague. lie is fifty years Of age.
General Espinasse, who was killed al
Magenta owed his prominent military pc
sition to his devotion to the interests o
the Emperor He commanded the rcgi-
ment which surrounded the National AS
semblv, when they were ennaged in dellb.
Grating upon the overthrow of Louis Nap
oleon, then President of the Republic
He was d;plomatist, and left the Ministry
of the Interior for Italy.
Count Jacques Louis Caser Alexandra
Random, Field Marshal, is in his Gath year
He was sub lieutenant at the battle o
Moscow. lie served in Algeria, and short
ly after the co"pd'etat was appointed Gov
ernor General of that dependency. For
nearly nine years he has been Grand Off
Ger of the Legion of Honor. He superse
ded Valiant on the field Of Magenta =
Why, does not appear. He had previous
y superseded the same officer as Minister
of War.
Marshal valiant isin his Goth year, and
commenced his military life IN 1919, as
lieutenant in the sappers and miners lie
served at Antwerp, and in Algeria, and
wrote a work on military bridges. He
also superintendent portion of the fortii-
cations at Paris.
General Neil, (also of Irish extraction }
wounded at Magenta, is one of the aides de
camp of the Emperor, and General Of the
Engineers. He has been present at sever
eral regular sieges, viz: Antwerp. Constan-
tine, Rome, Bomarsund, and oebastopol.
Gen. Neil took in the present campaign the
command of a corps d'armee.
Baron Henry de Hess, the Austria
commander in chief, is y years of age
He was at the battle of Wagram, where
the Austrians were defeated by Napoleon
in 1909 AS a General he does not APP
pear to have much reputation except as a
strategist.
Gen. Gyuai is Hungarian, now sixty
wears of age He commanded brigade
under Ra,tetzky against the Piedmontese,
in 1910 DurinV ~ e instruction of Hun