Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1870-09-01
ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE
4 ND VIRGINIA ADVERTISER
PUBLISHED DAILY By
ED q A IL SNOW DEN,
nFFlCE-GAZETTE BUILDING, 70 PRINCE ST

GEN. CHANGARNIER-HIS SERVICES AND
BRAVERY IN THE AFRICAN CAMPAIGNS.-T
French papers, says the Pail Mall Gazette
have Darrsed the meeting of Chsngarnier will
the Emperor Napoleon, and lew can help te
ing touched by the description of the old Gen
eral of IS years OF age tenderir his advice
and his sword, when his country Is in dang-r,
to the man whom, politically and privately, he
must hitherto have viewed with intense dis
like Chanearnier Was one of the officers OF
the old Algerian army; he had seen the French
eagles pushed forward from the seacoast to the
oases OF the Sahara; be bat served as a COM
rade OF the Prince of the House OF Orleans, aud
with Lsuor ciere and Cavaigoac bad Won Lis
fame in the m na,gn against Abd-e Kalsr1
1t is curious aud Instructive to look back on
the early lite OF so excellent an officer, and to
notice how the qualities which be display d
when IN high command wsre equally remark
able when in charge OF small buiies Of troops.
1t was In 1885, thirty five years ago, when
ADD ell kader was yet only the chief of few
Arabs, that Changarnler took part in the ex-
pedition against Mascars. The French arms
had been successful but unprovided with the
requisite supplies, the troops were forced to
retreat over barren and mountainous coun
tIy TO Orau. Each soldier had been served out
With ratlons f,r the march, hold,oe O small
sack of rice in reserve. Provisions failed. and
recourse Was had rc the reserve supply; but the
troops, young, unused to war, aud thoug htless
of the iu ure, had >quandere1 all their aiops,
inc udiog be bag of rice. One battalion only
had preserved theirs intact, and this was the
Second Leger. commanded by Captain Chan
GARNER, who thus showed that he knew how
to command men, aud how TO preserve dlscio
line uuder circumstances which test to the Ut
most he military qualities of soldiers. Again,
IN 1886, when the French army under Mar shall
Clauzel had failed in its attack on Constantine
when, pressed by The garrison from the city,
harassrd By the Arab horsemen OF the sur
rounding county, periShng from cold and
hunger, the remnants Of the expeditiUpa7y
force were retreatiog toward Bone, Chanpar
nier distinguished himself. He commanded
the rear guard, which had been thrown out
in skirmisbiug order, and which was composed
Of the r mnants, $50 men, OF the Second Lie
ger. The Arab borseman had already charged
them, and had sabred many. when Changaruier
tormed square. The Mabomedan cavalry, ex.
cited by, the slaughter Of the Christians,
and holding in dsdain so small a body,
swooped down on them, looking for an easy
conquest Changarnier waited until they
had approached within twenty FIVE yards OF the
face OF the square, and then calling to his men,
said. You see those fellows there, they are
G000, we are 250, so the sides are about equal.
Nive lie Ri Fire u The men fired steadily,
the iront Of the faces Of the square was srcw
ed thlckly With men and horses dying or dead.
The battalion collected its wounded, and, hav
ing given so severe lesson to the enemy, pur
sued its retreat uumoested. After this action
Chaugarnier's name stood high in the estima
tion Of the Algerian army, and he rose by
successive steps until, in lS4S, he commanded
the troops in Algeria. Few of his old compads
now remain. Cavagnac died 10 1857. Lam
orcere in 1865. MontaubaD, Count de Palkao,
still serves, although at present in civil
capacity, while the Princes Of the House OF
Orleans, whose names were equally known atd
respected in the old Algerian army, 10 vain
solicit at this crisis of their country's fate
permission to draw their swords in her de-
fence and again to cast 10 their lot With
their ,mrades of former wars. Whatever
may tcthe result OF the present awiulstruggle,
Changarnier's name will be respected through
out the French service, and his career will
be quoted as an example Of the gallaDtry
and suderly qualities of the old Algerian
army.
a MILITARY Parallel, 1914 1870. The
London Daily Telegraph thus contrasts the
present miitary situation with the close OF the
campaign of 1874:
I'm the cam pagn of 1914 the headquarters
of Napoleon l. were first fixed at Cha OBS
there, acting upon bis interior lines, he struck
his blows right and lett at Schwartz nberg and
at ucher, in the glorious retreat through
Champagne. II must be borne ip mind, how
ever thai in 1914 the French armies were to
tally exhausted Marsha who had command
ed corps OF 100 600 men touud themselves at
the head Of one tenth Of their former force
aud the youths who pressed into the old cadress
.rd died bravely at BreDne aud La Rothlere,
we're very much what the present leVee Tn
mas>c might furnish, il it could be carried out
in 'mc TO stop the resoiutc lnvader. But IN
1914 the euemy had already turned the French
position, and advanced deep into the country,
before he could be checked the lines OF the
Eo>s. S, t the Muscllc, and OF the Mruse had
tern aba' doDed wi hout a blow; 200 900 Prus
SiauS, AuSrials, and Russiaus convergng
from CCDl, uIZ en- he north and from Geneva
on the s"u'h. had made it slmny lmpus>ib'e
that the 50 900 men whom at the III most Ma
roeOG CJuId command, should do mnre than
hight good rcIreatlng battle toward Paris. -
Novelty AT HoTEL.- There is novelty
~ the Wy ut attendance at the Pac 6c House,
white Mountains. The tab e glrs are sd id to
pe mostly schoo'tcachcrS, who enlist tor the
service during vacation "fur variety and to
see u little lic; What an urspcakabIe im-
proveuent ou the traditional "John." Some
OF these fair ministers arc reported 10 be prodi-
gles OF COED looks, ald one specially is SO beau
il!u! exceedingly that all the gentlemen leave
their diuncrs untouched to gaze upon her.
Perhaps the sly dog OF a landlord thought of
this, and perhaps he didn't but We must say
that IL seems SUSPICIOUS Moreover w. n,o
sumo that the amateur assistants don't exnect
halt dollar for bringing one good cut Of
beet or early slice of fowl Il would be be-
low their dignity. A charming arrang emeut
aopcthcr-N y Tribune.