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 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 ...

and French politicians. He was trained militarily in the

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (, , abbr. ESM) 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 ''Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre'', litera ...

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 North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

during 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 ...

Crimean War

He took part in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

from 1854 to 1856.

Franco-Prussian War

He returned to Algeria, then took part in the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870, in particular in the battles of: *

Battle of Mars-la-Tour The Battle of Mars-la-Tour (also known as the Battle of Vionville or Battle of Rezonville) was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the village of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. One Prussian corps, reinforced by tw ...

, 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 François Achille Bazaine (13 February 181123 September 1888) was an officer of the Fren ...

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 rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

Mokrani Revolt

He participated in Algeria in the repression of the

Mokrani revolt The Mokrani Revolt (; ) was the most important local uprising against France in Algeria since the French conquest of Algeria, conquest in 1830. The revolt broke out on March 16, 1871, with the uprising of more than 250 tribes, around a third of ...

from April 1871. He presided over the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) took place during the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septe ...

and

Battle of the Col des Beni Aïcha The Battle of the Col des Beni Aïcha or Battle of Thenia, which broke out on 19 April 1871, was a battle of the Mokrani Revolt between the Algerian rebels, and the France, which was the colonial power in the region since 1830. Presentation Afte ...

on 19 April 1871, with general

Orphis Léon Lallemand Orphis Léon Lallemand (27 September 181720 December 1893) was a French officer. Career Conquest of Algeria He arrived in Algeria in May 1842 as a lieutenant of General staff to serve in North Africa during the French conquest of Algeria. He ser ...

, 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 The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on August 16, 1850.

Death

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

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

with the rank of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

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

Monument

A commemorative monument was raised to him by public subscription in 1885, in the St. Eugene Cemetery, on land granted in perpetuity by the city of

References

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