Battle of Sidi Brahim: Difference between revisions

Battle of Sidi Brahim
Part of the French conquest of Algeria
Battle of Sidi Brahim by Louis-Théodore Devilly.
Date 23–25 September 1845 Location Souahlia, Algeria Result Algerian victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of France	Emirate of Mascara
Commanders and leaders
Lucien de Montagnac † Captain Dutertre † Captain de Géreaux †	Emir Abdelkader
Strength
500	1,000 to 1,200
Casualties and losses
489	Unknown

The Battle of Sidi Brahim, 23 to 25 September 1845, took place during the French conquest of Algeria, near Souahlia in Tlemcen Province. Between 1,000 to 1,200 Algerian irregulars under Emir Abdelkader ambushed a French detachment of 500 led by Lieutenant-Colonel Lucien de Montagnac. Most of the latter were killed in the initial fighting, and only eleven were reported to have ultimately survived the encounter.

Despite their defeat, the French used the battle as a symbol of the price paid to acquire French Algeria, and in 1898, a monument to the "martyrs of Sidi-Brahim" was installed in Oran. After Algerian independence in 1962, the monument was transformed into one commemorating Emir Abdelkader, and anti-colonial resistance in general.

Background

The French conquest of Algeria began with the capture of Algiers in 1830, and over the next decade expanded along the coast. In 1840, three French provinces were created, Constantine in the east, Alger in the centre, and Oran in the west. However, intense guerrilla fighting continued in the interior, headed in western Algeria by Emir Abdelkader. Although isolated French detachments were still vulnerable to surprise attacks, by 1845 a ruthless scorched earth policy employing small numbers of fast moving troops had eliminated most remaining resistance.

In September 1845, Lieutenant-Colonel Lucien de Montagnac, commander of the garrison at Ghazaouet, was ordered to arrest Abdelkader, who was reported to be near Souahlia, twenty kilometres to the south. Taking six companies of light infantry and a squadron of hussars, totalling between 450 to 500 men, he left Ghazaouet on the night of 21 September. Allegedly unpopular with his troops, Montagnac was a hard-bitten colonial veteran, whose "own writings boast of several war crimes".

Battle

On the evening of 22 September, the French made camp near Souahlia, and just after dawn on 23 September, Montagnac spotted a small force of Algerian cavalry in the distance. Leaving only two companies to guard the baggage, he led the rest of his detachment to intercept them. This proved to be a well-planned trap, and within minutes, the entire force was killed, including Montagnac. The French later estimated their opponents numbered over 3,000, but Algerian sources suggest no more than 1,000 to 1,200.

One of the two companies in reserve tried to rescue their comrades but was also overwhelmed, leaving 79 men from the 8th Carabinier Company under Captain Géreaux, along with six hussars. Retreating into a nearby monument to a local Marabout, they were surrounded but refused to surrender. One of the French prisoners, adjutant Captain Dutertre, was then ordered to demand they comply, but instead urged them to fight to the death, and was promptly executed.

Over the next two days, the French fought off a series of assaults, but by 25 September were running low on ammunition and had no water left. Géreaux now decided to break out and and was only three kilometres from Ghazaouet, when the Algerians caught up. In the ensuing fight, Géreaux was killed and the French reduced to twenty men before being rescued by the local garrison. Some subsequently died of wounds or exhaustion and reports suggest only between eleven to sixteen men survived.

Legacy

Sidi-Brahim monument in Oran, now a memorial to Emir Abdelkader

Despite their defeat, the French used the battle as a symbol of the "blood sacrifice" paid to create French Algeria. In 1898, a monument to the "martyrs of Sidi-Brahim" was erected in Oran, but after Algerian independence in 1962, it was transformed into one of anti-colonial resistance, and the nationalist hero, Emir Abdelkader. Parts of the original monument were removed, including the statue of Marianne, which can now be seen in the village of Périssac, birthplace of Géreaux.

The remains of the French soldiers killed at Sidi Brahim were initially buried at Djemmaa Ghazaouet in the Tombeau des Braves. In 1965, these were transferred to the Musée des Chasseurs in Vincennes, and in 2000, a new memorial inaugurated as part of commemorations for the 155th anniversary of the battle. The anniversary of the battle is still celebrated each year by Chasseur units of the French Army.

Sources

• Al Arabi, Ismail (1986). The Battle of Sidi Ibrahim and the fate of its prisoners (in Arabic). National Foundation for Printing Arts, Reggae Unit - Algeria.
• Garnier, Jacques (2004). Dictionnaire Perrin des guerres et des batailles de l'histoire de France (in French). Perrin. ISBN 9782262008291.
• Horne, Alistair (1977). A Savage War of Peace; Algeria 1954-1962 (1996 ed.). Papermac. ISBN 978-0333669518.
• Holstein, Christine (2019). Walking In the Footsteps of the Fallen Verdun 1916. Pen and Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-5267-1707-8.
• Manceron, Gilles (2003). Marianne et les colonies (in French). La découverte. ISBN 978-2707138798.
• Marin, John Joseph (1847). Défense du lieutenant Marin devant le Conseil d'enquête de Perpignan, le 4 septembre 1847 (in French). Felix Mateste. Retrieved 2 January 2025.

External links

• Les Zouaves et les Chasseurs a Pied, Duc d'Aumale, Henri d'Orléans - pseudonym - M. Lévy frères - 1859 - 184 pages
• Sidi-Brahim - 23, 24, 25 et 26 septembre 1845, Esquisse Historique - Charleville - Imprimerie Nouvelle - 1889 - 58 pages