Alexandre Édouard Constant Fourchault (19 August 181710 April 1884) was a French officer.

Studies

He studied at the ''Lycée Benjamin-Franklin d'Orléans'' with several senior officers of the French Army and French politicians. He was trained militarily in the

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ...

and in the ''École d'application du Corps royal d'état-major''. He did his infantry training with the 58th line in Algeria in 1843, passed to the 3rd chasseurs the following year, and was attached to the Bourges division in 1847.

Career

Conquest of Algeria

He served in North Africa during the

French conquest of Algeria The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France inva ...

Crimean War

He took part in the Crimean War from 1854 to 1856.

Franco-Prussian War

He returned to Algeria, then took part in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in particular in the battles of: * Battle of Mars-la-Tour, in Moselle (August 16–18, 1870): where heavy fighting broke out between the French forces and the Prussian troops commanded by General August Karl von Goeben; *

Battle of Gravelotte The Battle of Gravelotte (or Battle of Gravelotte–St. Privat) on 18 August 1870 was the largest battle of the Franco-Prussian War. Named after Gravelotte, a village in Lorraine, it was fought about west of Metz, where on the previous day, ha ...

(August 18, 1870): Where

Bazaine Bazaine is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adolphe Bazaine-Vasseur (1809–1893), French railway engineer * François Achille Bazaine (1811–1888), French military officer * George Albert Bazaine-Hayter (1843–1914), Frenc ...

had to retreat to Metz after conceding a defeat from the French forces. He was taken prisoner in Germany with 17 other officers and then escaped from prison, while he was ranked as lieutenant-colonel in the

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

Mokrani Revolt

He participated in Algeria in the repression of the Mokrani revolt from April 1871. He presided over the Battle of Alma and Battle of the Col des Beni Aïcha on 19 April 1871, with general Orphis Léon Lallemand, through which he countered the Algerian rebels.

Awards

He was attached to the

of the Army of Africa, and was decorated as Knight of the Legion of Honour on August 16, 1850.

Death

He ended his career on 23 October 1877 and his life in

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

with the rank of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

colonel on 10 April 1884. His funeral gave rise to an imposing demonstration when he was buried in the

St. Eugene Cemetery St. Eugene Cemetery ( ar, سانت يوجين مقبرة) is one of the most famous cemeteries in Algeria. It is situated in a suburb of the city of Algiers in the Communes of Algeria, commune of Bologhine. Covering an area of 14.5 hectares, i ...

Monument

A commemorative monument was raised to him by public subscription in 1885, in the

, on land granted in perpetuity by the city of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fourchault, Alexandre 1817 births 1884 deaths Military personnel from Orléans French Army officers Mokrani Revolt Officers of the Legion of Honour