Armand Alexandre Castagny (

Vannes Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic ...

30 November 1807 – 13 November 1900

Belle Île Belle-Île (), Belle-Île-en-Mer (), or Belle Isle (, ; ) is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the ''département in France, département'' of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is from the Quiberon peninsula. Admini ...

) was a French general.

Military life

Early military career

As a lieutenant, Armand Alexander de Castagny was at the French siege of Antwerp in 1832. He later served 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 ...

. He fought in all of the Wars of the Second Empire. A lieutenant colonel at the start of 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 ...

, he became a colonel of light infantry and participated in the Battle of Chernaya. He was awarded numerous distinctions and decorations after this conflict. As a Brigade General in the 1859 Italian campaign, he commanded the second regiment of

Zouave The Zouaves () were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army and other units modelled on it, which served between 1830 and 1962, and served in French North Africa. The zouaves were among the most decorated units of the French Army ...

s and the Foreign Legion. During the

Battle of Magenta The Battle of Magenta was fought on 4 June 1859 near the town of Magenta in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, a crown land of the Austrian Empire, during the Second Italian War of Independence. It resulted in a French-Sardinian victory under ...

, General Espinasse died by his side.

Mexico

In the Franco-Mexican War he served in the siege of Puebla. He also marched towards

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

, then through the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...

towards

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican list of states of Mexico, state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding , known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast across from th ...

. Having become general of division (1864), Maximilian I put him in charge of the "Great Command of the Northwest" and was sent as a

forlorn hope A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the vanguard in a military operation, such as a suicidal assault through the breach of a defended position, or the first men to climb a scaling ladder against a defended ...

troop to Sonora and Sinaloa. He burned the city of

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

and shot the rebel Nicolás Romero and his companions.

France

In 1870, 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 ...

, Castagny became Commander of a division of the 3rd Corps of Infantry. At

Forbach Forbach ( , , ; ) is a commune in the French department of Moselle, northeastern French region of Grand Est. It is located on the German border approximately 15 minutes from the center of Saarbrücken, Germany, with which it constitutes a ...

, he fought to free the 2nd corps, besieged in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

with the

Army of the Rhine An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, and was at the

Battle of Borny–Colombey The Battle of Borny–Colombey or the Battle of Colombey-Nouilly took place on 14 August 1870 as part of the Franco-Prussian War. During the battle the escape route of the French army under François Bazaine was blocked when the French encount ...

, where he was seriously wounded. After returning from captivity, Castagny was assigned to the General Staff in France in 1872. He retired in 1878, first to the region of Nantes and then to Paris, before moving permanently to a hotel in Belle-Île-en-Mer.

Death

He died in 1900 in his bed, in his hometown of

(

Morbihan The Morbihan ( , ; ) is a departments of France, department in the administrative region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton ...

) at the age of 93, after a 43-year military career.

Military distinctions

*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 ...

: Knight (October 21, 1838); Officer (April 11, 1850); Commander (June 12, 1856); Grand Officer (August 15, 1860) *

Commemorative medal of the 1859 Italian Campaign The Commemorative medal of the 1859 Italian Campaign () was a French commemorative medal established by Napoleon III, following the 1859 French campaign in Italy during the Second Italian War of Independence. Early in 1815, there was a powerful ...

(October 18, 1859) *

Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition The Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition () was a French commemorative campaign medal established by decree of Emperor of the French, French Emperor Napoleon III on 29 August 1863 to recognize military service during the 1862-1863 Se ...

(April 21, 1864) *Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(UK, April 26, 1856) *

Crimea Medal The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved on 15 December 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units (land and naval) which fought in the Crimean War of 1854–1856 against Russia. The medal was awarded with the British version of ...

(UK, December 31, 1856) *Commander of the

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie (, August 29, 1852 – 1922) was a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the order was awarded in five classes, with the Firs ...

(Turkey, March 1856) *

Medal of Military Valor The Medal of Military Valor (Italian language: ''Medaglia al valor militare'') is an Italian medal, originally established as a Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinian award. It is awarded to military personnel, units above the level of Company (milita ...

of Sardinia (January 15, 1857) *Commander of the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...

(February 29, 1860) * Grand Cross of the Order of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico, April 10, 1866)

References

* Caraës Jean-François, ''Le général de Castagny (1807–1900), servir dans l'armée française sous le second empire'', Paris, L'Harmattan, collection "Chemins de la mémoire", 2000. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Castagny, Armand Alexandre de 1807 births 1900 deaths People from Vannes French generals French military personnel of the Crimean War French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Honorary companions of the Order of the Bath