The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-08-12
The Special Corps of the French
ATmY,
From the New York World.

From the New York World.
Besides the zouaves, of which description
has lately been given, the French army con-
tains the following special corps.
THE zEpHYRs.
They resemble the Zouaves III their uni
forms, arms and equipments, and their orga-
nization and drill are almost the same; but
while the Zouaves are proud corps and believe
in military honor, such is by no means the
case with the Zephyrs. They are simply a
corps of eulprits and jail-birds. If a soldier
of the French army commits a vulgar and dis
honorable crime, that is, if he robs, steals,
cheats, or proves to be coward, he Is con-
demned to serve on the galleys; but if he only
commits what might be termed genteel
CT me, that is, if he commits a manslaughter,
or ravishes woman, or is insubordinate, then
he is condemned to serve In the corps of the
Zephyrs. They are permanently stationed in
Africa, and the discipline among these rather
dangerous and desperate characters is very Sc
yere. Every officer has the right to kill
Zephyr on the spot should he show the least
sign of insubordination, and to this circum-
stance they owe their name, which they have
adopted themselves, to express thereby of how
little value their lives are, which at any time
might die out like zephyr. Their official ap-
pellation is corps ofpunishment, and they now
number several thousand men. They paint
themselves with blue ink all over their bodies
in the most fantastical manner, and even the
hardest punishment could not put stop to
this singular amusement, to which they seem
to have taken, because they are not permitted
to have cats, and get no pay. When General
Pelissier was offered the command in the
Crimea, lie accepted it only under the condi.
ton that the Zephyrs would accompany him
there, and that, if they should behave well,
they were to be pardoned and permitted to
their regiments. They were sent there, and
their success was complete.
In the battle near Tracts, the Russians had
formed a square which the Sandman cavalry
had vainly attacked, when Bosquet, who then
commanded them, advanced the Zephyrs.
Some English officers requested him not to
sacrifice his men uselessly, but General Bos-
quet made them speech which commenced,
GYou sons of hell" and closed with "forward
TO the attack" With the war-cry, Vire Ia
Mort" instead of ViUe = Empereur" they
swept into and over the Russian bayonets like
a whirlwind, and soon their yataghans had
made such terrible havoc in the Russian lines
that the most desI crate exertions of the Rus
sian officers were unable to avert defeat.
THE cHAssEURs D'AFRIQuE.
These are a cavalry CORDS, consisting of four
regiments. They carry long rife, two revol-
vers, and q sword, and are all mounted on Sc
iect horses of the best Barbary blood. Their
continuous service in Africa amongst and
against the Reduloins has made them superior
riders, and they perform all the feats on horse
back in which the sons of the desert excel;
and will ride at full gallop, turn in the saddle,
and fire to the rear with precision. They also
distinguished themselves during the Crimean
war. General Allonvily, who commanded
corps of 1900 Chasseurs d. Antique, attacked
with them $4,000 Russian dragons, the favo-
rite cavalry corps af the Emperor Nicholos on
the plain of Simferorol, and defeated them so
completely that their commander, General
Corn, committed suicide from shame.