Melchior Joseph Eugène Daumas (4 October 1803 in

Delémont Delémont (; ; , ) is the capital of the Swiss canton of Jura. The city has approximately 12,000 inhabitants . History The area of the municipality was already settled in the middle Bronze Age. Fifteen urn burials have been discovered in the ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

– May 1871 in Camblanes) was a French general and writer.

Biography

Eugène Daumas entered the army in 1822. He became an officer in 1827 and went on to the cavalry school in Saumur. In 1835 he was posted to

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, which

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

had invaded in 1830. But the new colony proved difficult to subdue. Under the orders of Marshal

Bertrand Clausel Bertrand, Comte Clauzel (; 12 December 1772 – 21 April 1842), was a French soldier who served in the French Revolutionary Wars, Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic wars. He saw service in the Low Countries, Italy, Haiti, and Spain, wh ...

, Daumas took part in the campaigns in of Mascara and Tlemcen. While in Algeria, Daumas learned the Arab language and became one of the French army's best experts on the Arab culture in North Africa. Tribesmen came to respect him for his skills on horseback. Between 1837 and 1839, Daumas resided in Mascara as consul and personally got to know

Abd El-Kader Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir () is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' Qadir''. The name means 'servant of who can do everything'. ''Al-Qādir'' is one of the names of Allah in the Qur'an, which ...

, the Emir of Mascara, who once called Daumas his "friend" in a letter. General Christophe Juchault de Lamoricière, upon becoming commander-in-chief of the restive colony for a short period, created the ''affaires arabes'', the Arab affairs department, and put Daumas in charge of the province of

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

. When

Thomas Robert Bugeaud Thomas Robert Bugeaud, marquis de la Piconnerie, duc d'Isly (15 October 178410 June 1849) was a Marshal of France and Colonial heads of Algeria, Governor-General of Algeria during the French colonization. Born an aristocrat, he has a complex le ...

became governor general of Algeria in 1840, he reinstated the ''

bureaux arabes The Arab Bureaux () was a special section of colonial France's military in Algeria that was created in 1833 and effectively authorized by a ministerial order on 1 February 1844. It was staffed by French Orientalists, ethnographers and intelligenc ...

'', the main instrument to administer cooperative tribes during the insurgency, on 17 August 1841. The same day Daumas was named the head of the colony's entire Arab affairs program. One of his explicit tasks was to gather intelligence about potential unrest. In April 1850 he became director of Algerian affairs in the Ministry of War in Paris. On 14 January 1853 he was promoted to divisional general. On 12 August 1857 he was named a Senator. Several of Daumas' works were translated into English in the 19th century. His book on horses was particularly appreciated among contemporaries.R.L. Playfair (1878) ''Handbook for Travellers in Algeria and Tunis'', London:John Murray, p.72.

Major works

* ''Le Sahara algérien études géographiques et historiques sur la région au sud des établissements français en Algérie'', Paris, Langlois et Leclercq, 1845 * ''La Grande Kabylie'', Paris, Hachette, 1847 * ''Le Grand désert ou itinéraire d'une caravane du Sahara au pays des nègres'', Paris, Chaix et Cie, 1848 * ''Les Chevaux du Sahara et les mœurs du désert'', Paris, Lévy, 1851 * ''Moeurs et coutumes de l'Algérie'', Paris, Hachette, 1853 * ''La Vie arabe et la société musulmane '', Paris, Lévy, 1869

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daumas, Eugene 1803 births 1871 deaths People from Delémont French Army officers French male writers