Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-06-22
The Battle of Magenta-Its Heroes and its
Victims

Among the illustriOus victims OF the late
important battle in Lombardy, the name of
the Marshal commanding the third corps
d'armee Of the allied army deserves signal
notice.
MAhhAL CANRoBERr.-FrancG' Certain
Cnnrobert was II native Of the ancient and
warlike province of Brittany, where he was
born of "A good old family. in 1909. Educa-
ted ut the military school of st. Cyr, he left
that institution with the rank of sub Lieu
tenant Of one of the regiments OF the line,
und in 1882 was advanced t. II Lieutenancy.
In 1885 he embarked for Algeria, where he
was present at all the important actions OF
the war, earning promotion IL the grade OF
Captain AT the serge of Constantine he
led the assault u: one of the breaches, by
the side Of Colonel C,mbes, and 81 distin-
guished himself by his gallantry, that his
commanding officer. who fell mortally Violin
ded in the action, recommended HIM to MIR
shal Nallee, rs a young man whose future
was assured" Decorated with the cross of
the Legion d HDHnenr, he returned to France
in 1889. Returning in ISL, after short
repose, to Africa, he continued IL serve with
the highest credit in the protractei wars and
| has been educated In 1919, rs Colonel of
the Third Znuaves. he was first in the assault
at Zaatcha. immortalized by the pencil of
Vernet, and by mis- splendid courage and
skill obtained the rank of Commander OF
the Legion of Honor.
Canrobert had Just returned from Africa
when the coup detat Of Dec. ., 1851, took
place 1t was understood, at the time, that
in lending himself to the support Of Louis
! Napoleon he meant 10 secure some vantage
| from which, at n proper time. he might
act against the President. and that vantage
he obtained in the appointment of Comman-
der of Paris under the new reg inc, with
| promotion to the rank of General Of Bri-
| gade. But he was conspicuous in repres-
sing the instructions of 1851 and eventually
gave himself to the new order Of things with
devotion. In return for this, he was named
General of Division ia 1853 When the
war with Russia broke out, General Canro-
bert in March. took command of the first di-
vision of the army of the East, which was
so frightfully decimatei by cholera i'll the
disastrous campaign Of the Dobrutscha.-
Subsequently, he played leading part in
the campaign Of the CrImea, sustaining at
! the battle OF the Alma the first shock of the
! Russian attack, and st0rming the heights
with the Zouayes until General Forey came
up to his support Although badly wound
ed in the arm, he remained on the field until
the close of the day.
Two days after that victory, Marshal st.
Arnaud, perceving his death approaching,
resigned the chief command 81 the allied
armies into the hands Of Gen. Canrobert, III
conformity with secret instructions received
from the Emperor, March IL, 1854. Gene
raj Canrobert commanded at lnkerman,
opened the lines before Sebastopol, and was
proceeding rapidly towards the capture of
the city, when the refusal Or Jealous hcsita-
ton of Lord Ragland to cooperate heartily
ton, and he suddenly resigned it into the
hands of General Pellissier, gracefully re-
Stunning his subordinate command of the first
corps darnee Two months afterwards he
returned to France, and there, on the 10th
of May, 1856, he received, simultaneously
with Generals Bosquet and Random. the
b0t0n of Marshal of France. The position
Of Senator was un incident of this office. 49,
At the outset of the present war Marshal
Canrohert was assigned the command Of the
Military Division of Lyons, but when the
threatened mamie statiulls Of Germany made
il necessary for the Emperor to put the
Duke de Malakoff in that position, Marshal
Canrobert accepted the command Of the
third co,ps d'd,mee, and in that capacity
was with the army which crossed the Ticin"
in pursuit of the retreuting Anstrians, aud
fell, il is "a d, m,rtally wounded at the great
battle and victory ut Magenta.
GENERAL EsrINAssE- Esprit Charles Ma
RE Espinasse, like Canrobert was grad
uale of the school of st. Cyr. Born in the
village of Sussac, April >. 1873, during the
Hundred Days" lie left the school in
1889. and won his first steps in Algeria
As Cherd de Batniilon, he fought in lSl5 at
the head of the Iouaves; and in 1919 COM
.nandcd the Forty second of the Line at the
siege of Rome He was most active i'll sup
pressing the instructions Of December,
1851, and devoted himself to the cause of the
President and public order Immediately
Oh the proclamation of the Empire he be-
came an uide-de-cdn,p of the Emperor. In
the Crimea ne fought CALAMITY by the side
sof the Sardinians at Tchernays and was one
of the first to follow General Mcmahon into
the Malakof When Paris Was shocked
anu ny tHe oTsiuf tuhiT I'LL y ,
1858, General Espinasse was made Minister
Of Public Safety in the place of NJ. Bllfault.
Although this disappointment caused much
alarm and concern as an invasion OF the
civil service by military man, General
Espinasse administered his Office with COM
mendable moderation; and when he made
way for more liberal system in the person
of NJ. Delangle, became Senator Of the En-
pire. lie served in Italy rs a General of
division IN the second corps dnmee under
the orders of General, now Marshal Nc
Mahon.
The NEW DUKE DEMAGENTA.-Napoleon
III. has been sparing in the creation OF no.
bles. In nothing has he shown hisintrinsic
good sense and his knowledge of the French
people more strikingly than in this for bear
ance Weak men, like James |. of England,
their heads turned by sudden accession OF
sovereign power, constantly betray them
selves by calling into existence crowd OF
titular aristocrats and tinselled dignitaries,
who provoke envy without inspiring either
respect or emulation. The French Emperor
has reserved his titles for men already con-
spicuous in the public eye; and by linking
his new nobility with marked public inter
ests, or brilliant moments in the national
history, gives their decorations and trap
pings II solid value in the commonwealth
In the seven years of his reign hs has crea-
ted but two dukes, and revived two ducal
titles of the first Empire The Duke of NAL