Today is Camerone Day
The French Army was besieging Puebla.
The mission of the Legion was to ensure the movement and safety of the
convoys, over an 80 mile distance. On the 29th of April 1863, Colonel
Jeanningros was informed that an important convoy was on its way to
Puebla, with a load of 3 million francs, and material and munitions
for the siege. Captain Danjou, his quartermaster, decided to send a
company to escort the convoy. The 3rd company of the Foreign Regiment
was assigned to this mission, but had no officers available. So
Captain Danjou, himself, took the command and 2nd lieutenants Maudet,
company guide, and Vilain, the paymaster, joined him voluntarily.
On the 30th of April, at 1 a.m., the 3rd company was on its way, with
its 3 officers and 62 men. At 7 a.m., after a 15 mile march, it
stopped at Palo Verde in order to get some rest. At this very moment,
the enemy showed up and the battle began. Captain Danjou made the
company take up a square formation and, even though retreating, he
victoriously drove back several cavalry charges, inflicting the first
heavy losses on the enemy .
By the inn of Camerone, a large building with a courtyard protected by
a wall 3 meters high, Danjou decided to stay, in order to keep the
enemy and so delay for as long as possible, any attacks on the convoy.
While the legionnaires were rapidly setting up the defense of the inn,
a Mexican officer demanded that Captain Danjou surrender, pointing out
the fact that the Mexican Army was greatly superior in number.
Danjou's answer was: "We have munitions. We will not surrender." Then,
he swore to fight to the death and made his men swear the same. It was
10 a.m. Until 6 p.m., these 60 men who had had nothing to eat or drink
since the day before, in spite of the extreme heat, of the thirst and
hunger, resisted against 2,000 Mexicans: 800 cavalry and 1,200
infantry.
At noon, Captain Danjou was shot in the chest and died. At 2 p.m., 2nd
lieutenant Vilain was shot in the head. About this time, the Mexican
colonel succeeded in setting the inn on fire.
In spite of the heat and the smoke, the legionnaires resisted, but
many of them were killed or injured. By 5 p.m., only 12 men could
still fight with 2nd lieutenant Maudet. At this time, the Mexican
colonel gathered his soldiers and told them what disgrace it would be
if they were unable to defeat such a small number of men. The Mexicans
were about to give the general assault through holes opened in the
walls of the courtyard, but Colonel Milan, who had previously asked
2nd lieutenant Maudet to surrender, once again gave him the
opportunity to. Maudet scornfully refused.
The final charge was given. Soon, only 5 men were left around Maudet;
Corporal Maine, legionnaires Catteau, Wensel, Constantin and Leonard.
Each had only one bullet left. In a corner of the courtyard, their
back against the wall, still facing the enemy, they fixed bayonets.
When the signal was given, they opened fire and fought with their
bayonets. 2nd lieutenant Maudet and 2 legionnaires fell, mortally
wounded. Maine and his 2 remaining companions were about to be
slaughtered when a Mexican officer saved them. He shouted:
"Surrender"!
"We will only if you promise to allow us to carry and care for our
injured men and if you leave us our guns".
"Nothing can be refused to men like you"!, answered the officer.
Captain Danjou's men had kept their promise; for 11 hours, they had
resisted 2,000 enemy troops. They had killed 300 of them and had
injured as many. Their sacrifice had saved the convoy and they had
fulfilled their mission.
Emperor Napoleon the 3rd decided that the name of Camerone would be
written on the flag of the Foreign Regiment and the names of Danjou,
Vilain and Maudet would be engraved in golden letters on the walls of
the Invalides, in Paris.
Moreover, a monument was built in 1892, at the very place of the
fight. The following inscription can be read there :
Ils furent ici moins de soixante
Opposés à toute un armée,
Sa masse les écrasa.
La vie plutôt que le courage
Abandonna ces soldats Français
Le 30 avril 1863.
"Here there were less than sixty opposed to a whole army. Its mass
crushed them. Life abandoned these French soldiers before courage. The
30th of April 1863."
The Legion, and all infantry around the world celebrate Camerone Day.
**CRASH**
--
Douglas E. Berry Do the OBVIOUS thing to send e-mail
Atheist #2147, Atheist Vet #5
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as
when they do it from religious conviction."
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Pense'es, #894.
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