Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-06-05
IMAGINATION.
Sketch Of the Life OF the New President OF
the French Republic.


the French Republic.
Marie.Edme-P Patrick Maurice-de
MacMahon, Due de Magenta, Mar.
shall of France, born at Sully, July
Is, 1903, derives his descent from an
Irish family who risked and lost all
for the last of the Stuart kings. The
Macmahons, carrying their national
traditions, ancestral pride, and his.
toric name, to France, mingled their
blood by marriage with the old nobil
ity Of their adopted country. This
member of the family entered the
military service of France in 1926,
at the school of st. Cyr; was sent
to the Algerian wars in 1880, while
acting as aide-de-camp to General
Achard, took part in the expedition
to Antwerp in 1882 attained to the
rank of Captain in 1888; and after
holding the post of aid>de>camp to
several African Generals, and TAX
ing part in the assault of Constantine
was nominated Major of Foot Chas
seurs in 1910, Lieut.. Col. of the For
eigh Legion in 1910, Colonel of the
4lst ofth Line in 1915, and Gener-
al of Brigade in 1848. When, in
1855. Gen. Conrobert left the Crimea
General Macmahon, then in France,
was selected by the Emperor to su C.
coed him in command of division
and when the chiefs of the allied ar
mics resolved on assaulting Sebas to-
pol, Sept. 8, they assigned to Gen.
Macmahon the perilous part of car
rying the works of the Malakoff.
For his brilliat success on this occa-
sion he was made Grand Cross ofthe
Legion of Honor, and in 1856 was
nominated Knight Grand Cross OF
the Bath. Gen. Macmahon took a
CONSPICUOUS part in the Italian cam
paign OF 1859, received the baton of
Marshal, and was created Duke of
Magenta in commemoration of that
victory. He represented France at
the coronation of William III. of
Prussia, in Nov. 1861, and was NOM
mated to the command of the
Sd corps d'drplee Oct. IA, 1862, and
was nominated Governer.General of
Algeria by decree Sept. l, 1854. In
this capacity he nfugurated q new
system, the tendency OF which was
to create an Arab kingdom. 1t
proved, however, complete failure.
The French and other European COLI
onists became SO dissatisfied that in
1868 large number of them left for
Brazil, while thousands Of the ma
tives persisted from hunger. A great
cutlery was raised in France against
the Marshal, whose policy was Sc
verely censured by Mgr. de Lavi-
garie, Bishop of Algiers. On the
breaking out of the war with Prus-
STA, Marshal MacMahon was intrust-
ed with the command Of the First
Army Corps, whose headquarters
were at Stratsburg. On Aug. 6,
1870, the Crown Prince of Prussia
attacked the united Army Corps of
Generals MacMahon had under him
$4,000 men in all, and occupied a
strong defensive position on the slope
of the Vosges, but the French line
was turned by the Prussians at two
points, and their left centre broken,
Notwithstanding . desperate charge
of cavalry which was ordered by
MacMahon as q last resort. Mac
Mahon retired on the followir : day
to Saverne, next to Toula tl3th)
Rheims (21s0, and again defeated
by the Russians, being driven back
Beaumont, beyond the Mouse, neal
Mouzon, He was chief in command
at the battle of Sedan (Sept. ID but
received severe wound in the
thigh at the commencement of the
engagement, whereupon the COM
mand devolved on General Wimpf
fen, who signed the capitulation
Macmahon was made q prisoner o
war, and conveyed into Germany
Having recovered from his wound
he left Wiesbaden for France, Marcel
ID, 1872, and was nominated in tn
following month Commander il
Chief Of tho army at Versailles. Ii,
successfully conducted the siege 0
Paris against the Commune, ant
ably assisted NJ. Theirs in reorgan
izing the army. la Dec, 1871, b
was requested by the Partisan Pres
Union to become a candidate t.
represent Paris in the National Az
sembly, but be refused to accept tn
nomination. Marshal Macmahon re
ceived the Cross of Knight of tn
Danish Order of the Elephant i
May, 1869.