Alexandre Charles Perrégaux (21 October 1791 – 6 November 1837) was a

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

officer who participated in the

French conquest of Algeria The French conquest of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Regency of Algiers, and the French consul (representative), consul escalated into a blockade, following which the Jul ...

Family

Alexandre Charles Perrégaux was born in

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...

on 21 October 1791, the second son of Charles Albert Henri Perregaux (1757-1831) who was state councilor, colonel inspector of militias and knight of the red eagle. He had married Cécile de Pourtalès in

on 5 December 1825. Cécile, who was born on 9 September 1804, predeceased her husband, dying in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on 24 March 1830. The couple had no surviving children.

Injury and death

Perrégaux took part in the

Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha The Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha, or the Expedition of Thénia, or simply Beni Aïcha Expedition, was a expedition in May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria. This event pitted the troupes coloniales under Colonel Maximilien Jos ...

, and was present at the

Siege of Constantine The 1837 siege of Constantine was decided by Louis Philippe I and the head of his government, Count Louis-Mathieu Molé, in the summer of 1837. At the time, the consolidation of the July Monarchy and the recovery of economic prosperity, the king ...

on 12 October 1837 when General

Charles-Marie Denys de Damrémont Charles-Marie Denys, comte de Damrémont (8 February 1783 – 12 October 1837) was a French general and military governor of French Algeria. He was killed in combat during the siege of Constantine. Early life Charles-Marie Denys was born in Chaum ...

was killed by a cannonball. While attempting to reach Damrémont and recover his body, Perrégaux was struck by a bullet which passed through his nose and into the

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sep ...

of his mouth. He was knocked unconscious and wounded on Damrémont's body. Perregaux was rushed back by his soldiers to the town of

Annaba Annaba (), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River and is in the Annaba Province. With a population of about 263,65 ...

, and embarked on a boat to take him back to France. He died at sea while crossing the Mediterranean. The boat carrying him docked in a port on the island of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

, and he was buried in a cemetery in the city of

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

Bibliography

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References

1791 births People from the Principality of Neuchâtel 19th-century Swiss military personnel 1837 deaths People who died at sea French Army officers French Algeria 1830s in Algeria Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour {{France-mil-bio-stub