Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-05-27
THE GAZETTE.
TUESDAY EVENING, MAY q.

TuE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH RE-
RUBLIc.-Marie EdDie Patrick Maurice de
MacMahon, Duke de Magenta, Marshal OF
France and Senator, was born at Suliy, 10
1905, and was the descendant OF a noble lrlsh
family, He entered the military service OF
France in 1925. at the school Of St Cyr was
sent to the Algerian wars in 1880 while act
ing as aid-de-camp to General Achard took
mart in the expedition to Antwerp IN 1882, at
tanned to the rank of Captain 10 1888, and at,
fer holding the posts of aids-de-camp to several
Generals in Africa, and taking part 10 the as
sault of Constantine, was nominated mayor OF
foot:chasseurs 10 lS40, Lieutenant Colonel OF
the Foreign Legion in ls42, Colonel OF the
Forty-frst Of the line 10 lS45, and General OF
Brigade in lS4S. When, in 1922, General
Canrobert left the Crimea, Gen. MacMahon,
then in France, was selected by the emperor
and when the chiefs of the allied armies resolV-
ed on assaulting Sebastopol, September s. they
assigned General MacNlahon the perilous post
of carrying the works Of Maakott For his
brilliant success on this occasion he was made
Grand Cross of tho Legion Of Honor, and IN
1856 was nominated knight Grand Cross OF
the Bath. General MacMahon, who took a
conspicuous part in the Italian campaign OF
1889, received the baton Of q Marshall and
was created Duke of Magenta in oommenora,
ton of that victory He represented
France at the coronation of William |. Of
Prussia, in November, 1861, and was nom
mated to the command OF the third
corps armee October IA, 1862, and appoint
ed Governor General of Algeria IN 1864. 10
the recent war between France and Prussia.
Marshal McMahon was the most popular and
prominent of the French commanders, and his
great reputation as military leader survived
even the crushing defeat of bis forces. In his
> first collision at Woerth rushing on to retrieve
tho temporary overthrow of brigade, he found
himself confronted by vastly superior force OF
the enemy, and despite of the terrible fighting
of the best trained soldiers of Napoleons' ar
mics he was overwhelmed with fearful slaugh-
ter. Thence, by mastery retreat through the
Vosges mountains, he concentrated the remnant
of his forces at Nancy, and formed the nucleus
of the army which he subsequently led in the
effort to raise the siege of Metz The result OF
the fatal mistake of this movement along the
Belgian frontier was the eliminating. disaster
to the French arms at Sedan, where the fate OF
the Napoconic dynasty was decided by the
surrender of the Emperor. Marshal McMa-
hon was not, however, in command at the time
of the surrender having received most dan
gerous wound during the previous battle. AT
the conclusion of the war with Prussia, Marshal
McNlahon, having recovered from his wound,
was appointed to q command by President
Theirs, and took most active and decisive
part in the suppression of the Communist in
surrection in Paris. Under his direction the
second siege of that city was conducted to a
successful termination, and the terrors of the
Commune rule ended in the attempted de-
struction of the city by fire, for which, and for
the bloody excuses perpetrated under it, san
culinary retribution was subsequently exacted.
Since that time until the coup d etat Of Sa-
turday he remained Commander-io-Ch Chief of the
Army Of the Freuch Republic. Gazette.