Auguste Mercier (8 December 1833 – 3 March 1921) was a French general and Minister of War at the time when the political scandal that became known as the Dreyfus Affair began.

Military career

Auguste Mercier was born in

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

. He entered the École Polytechnique at the age of 19 in 1852, and came 4th in a class of 106. He continued for a second period in 1854 and chose to enter the artillery. Appointed in 1856 as a second lieutenant in the 13th Regiment of Mounted Artillery, then in 1856, he was assigned to the 2nd Regiment of Mounted Artillery. Subsequently, he was assigned to the Regiment of Horse Artillery of the Guard. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1857, he was appointed captain of the 18th Regiment of Horse Artillery in 1860 until December 1861. Next in 1862 he was posted to the 5th Regiment of Foot Artillery. In

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

from 1862 to 1864, he was deputy commanding general of the depot. He ran the foundry during the siege of Puebla. He was a recipient of the Medal of Mexico, 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 ...

(1863), Knight of the Order of Guadalupe (1865), Knight of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus (It) (1865). He received the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

in 1869, having accompanied a Spanish general during the Universal Exhibition of 1867.

Franco-Prussian War

In the countryside around Metz he was briefly a prisoner of war. He then commanded the 16th Battery of the 6th Artillery Regiment in the town. He fought in Neuilly, Courbevoie, and Asnieres. He distinguished himself in the capture of the fort of Issy (Officer of the

) and was present during operations in Paris from 22 May to 1 June 1871. *Member of the Feedback Committee of Calais *1872 Promoted to Cavalry Major *1872 Posted to the 27th Artillery Regiment *1873 Posted to the 18th Artillery Regiment *1874 Directed the Pyrotechnic Military School to 1880 *1876 Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1876 *1879 Promoted to colonel *1880 Commanded the 2nd Artillery Regiment to 1884 *1884 Promoted to brigadier general in 1884 *1885 Director of Administrative Services at the Ministry of War to 1886 *1886 Appointed artillery commander of the 12th Army Corps to 1888 *1888 Director of administrative services at the Ministry of War to 1889 *1889 Promoted to major general in 1889 *1890 Appointed head of the Third Infantry Division *1890 Promoted to commander of the

*1893 Appointed head of the 18th Army Corps *1893 Appointed minister of war to 1895 *1894 Awarded Grand Officer of Nicham Iftikar *1894 Awarded Commander of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

*1894 Awarded Commander 2nd class of Dannebrog *1895 Promoted to Grand Officer of the

*1895 Head of the 4th Army Corps to 1898 *1898 Member of the Supreme Council of War *1898 Reserve *Member of the technical committee of artillery, the Powder and Saltpetre Committee, and the Joint Committee of Public Works

Political career

Mercier was responsible for the War portfolio in December 1893 in the cabinet of Casimir-Perier. He succeeded Julien Loizillon, who had replaced

Charles de Freycinet Charles Louis de Saulces de Freycinet (; 14 November 1828 – 14 May 1923) was a French statesman who served four times as Prime Minister during the Third Republic. He also served an important term as Minister of War (1888–1893). He belonged ...

at the beginning of 1893. His reputation was that of an intelligent and thoughtful officer, who had Republican sympathies. He was a Catholic, although he married an English Protestant who did not go to Mass, but was open to liberal ideas. He was polite, very talkative, very energetic, and had an amazing memory. He retained his position in May 1894 in the Cabinet of Dupuy, which probably gave him the notion of being indispensable: "He cut short everyone, dry, haughty, a provocative self-conceit, infallible and sure of his destiny." In August 1894, Mercier conditionally released a person which earned him a campaign from the right-wing press who accused him of covering up for "Jews and spies." In January 1900, Mercier was elected as a nationalist senator for Lower Loire, a seat he held until 1920.

Mercier in the Dreyfus Affair

In the summer of 1894, Mercier was advised that the "Statistical Section" had intercepted what would become the "bordereau". He understood that "if the offender is found, arrested, and convicted, it will be politically profitable." In addition, it would "muzzle the far right and the press". He then ordered an internal investigation. From 7 October 1894, convinced who was the guilty party solely on the basis of the dubious expertise in handwriting of

Alphonse Bertillon Alphonse Bertillon (; 22 April 1853 – 13 February 1914) was a French police officer and biometrics researcher who applied the anthropological technique of anthropometry to law enforcement, creating an identification system based on physical m ...

, Mercier decided on the guilt of Dreyfus. He subsequently never varied in his opinion. He would be for

Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French Army officer best known for his central role in the Dreyfus affair. In 1894, Dreyfus fell victim to a judicial conspiracy that eventually sparked a major political crisis in the Fre ...

, the "Chief Criminal." During the Dreyfus trial, the Military Court required the disclosure of a secret file. As soon as Dreyfus was convicted by the Military Court, he filed a bill to reinstate the death penalty for the crime of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

. In February 1895, Mercier was replaced at the Ministry of War by

Émile Zurlinden Émile Auguste François Thomas Zurlinden (3 November 1837 – 9 March 1929) was a French Army general and politician. An Alsatian by birth, he distinguished himself on the battlefield during the Franco-Prussian War, and participated in the suppre ...

, after having demanded the destruction of the Dreyfus secret file. He was then appointed commander of the 4th Region and passed into the reserve in 1898. In '' J'accuse ...!'',

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

did not understand the importance of Mercier's role and accused him simply of "aiding and abetting, at least through weakness of mind, one of the largest iniquities of the century." Summonsed in the Zola trial in February, "haughty, impassive, precise, disdainfully entrenched in the consciousness of his own infallibility, he declared that Dreyfus was a traitor who had been justly and lawfully convicted" and refused to answer on the existence of secret documents. Questioned in November 1898 by the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court, in the context of the proceedings for review of the 1894 trial, Mercier reaffirmed the guilt of Dreyfus. He declared in this regard that the Criminal Division was bought by the dreyfusard "Syndicate". In June 1899, on the judgment of the Supreme Court, Mercier was the subject of an accusation by the House (228 votes against 277) but he did not give up: "I am not an accused, I remain an accuser".''Le Temps'' of 7 July 1899 At the Rennes trial, he presented himself as leader of the anti-dreyfusards. He announced that there would be decisive revelations to come in the nationalist press, as the existence of an original copy of the bordereau annotated by the Kaiser (Wilhelm II of Germany). His testimony before the Military Court brought no new revelations, and he declared: At the end of 1899, an amnesty law was passed by Parliament, against the fierce opposition of

Georges Clemenceau Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who was Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A physician turned journalist, he played a central role in the poli ...

and

Jean Jaurès Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès (3 September 185931 July 1914), commonly referred to as Jean Jaurès (; ), was a French socialist leader. Initially a Moderate Republican, he later became a social democrat and one of the first possibi ...

. "The first of the criminals" was now immune from prosecution. In March 1904, before the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court, Mercier again accused Dreyfus. On the eve of the judgment without reference by the Supreme Court, he was unable to provide any "irrefutable" evidence despite the pleas of the anti-Semitic press and the nationalists. On 13 July 1906, in the Senate, he voted against the reinstatement of Dreyfus and Colonel

Georges Picquart Marie-Georges Picquart (6 September 1854 – 19 January 1914) was a French Army officer and Minister of War. He is best known for his role in the Dreyfus affair, in which he played a key role in uncovering the real culprit. Early career Picqu ...

to the army. He also accused the Supreme Court of irregularities. On 29 June 1907, before 6000 people at the Salle Wagram, French Action gave him a gold medal in memory of the session in which he had "stood up to the parliamentary madness." Mercier died in Paris on 3 March 1921 aged 87. Until his last breath, from the depths of his soul, he would never cease to proclaim the guilt of Dreyfus.

Successive military ranks

::* 1856 : Second Lieutenant ::* 1856 : Lieutenant ::* 1857 : First Lieutenant ::* 1860 : Captain ::* 1865 : First Captain ::* 1876 : Lieutenant Colonel ::* 1879 : Colonel ::* 1884 : Brigadier General ::* 1889 : Major General

Decorations

::*1863

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 ...

::*1863 Knight of the

::*1865 Knight of the Order of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico) ::*1865 Knight of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus (Italy) ::*1869

(Spain) ::*1871 Officer of the

::*1890 Commander of the

::*1894 Grand Officer Nicham Iftikar (Tunisia) ::*1894 Commander of the

(Japan) ::*1894 Commander 2nd class of the

Order of Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known as ''White Knights'' t ...

(Denmark) ::*1895 Grand Officer of the

Notes

References

*2004 (Fr) Général André Bach, ''The Army of Dreyfus. A Political History of the French Army from Charles X to The Affair'', Tallandier, () *1981 (Fr)

Jean-Denis Bredin Jean-Denis Bredin (born Jean-Denis Hirsch: 17 May 1929 – 1 September 2021) was a French attorney and founding partner of the firm Bredin Prat. He was widely admired as an author-commentator, both for his novels and for his non-fiction work ...

, ''The Affair'', Fayard, Paris, 1993 (1st Edition 1981) () *1994 (Fr) Jean Doise, ''A Secret well guarded; Military History of the Dreyfus Affair''. Le Seuil, collection : 225p. () *2009 (Fr) Serge Doessant, ''General Andre in the Dreyfus Affair and the Fiches Affair'', Editions Glyphe, 396 p {{DEFAULTSORT:Mercier, Auguste 1833 births 1921 deaths People from Arras French generals People associated with the Dreyfus affair People affiliated with Action Française Ministers of war of France French senators of the Third Republic École Polytechnique alumni Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Knights of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus 19th-century Roman Catholics 20th-century Roman Catholics Senators of Loire-Atlantique