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Alfred Chanzy | |
|---|---|
 Antoine Alfred Eugène Chanzy | |
| Born | (1823-03-18)18 March 1823 |
| Died | 4 January 1883(1883-01-04) (aged 59) Châlons-en-Champagne, France |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of FranceFrench Second RepublicSecond French EmpireFrench Third Republic |
| Branch | French Army |
| Years of service | 1843–1883 |
| Rank | Général de Division |
| Commands | XVI Corps VII Corps XIX Corps |
| Battles / wars | Franco-Austrian War Franco-Prussian War |
| Awards | Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur Médaille militaire |
Antoine Eugène Alfred Chanzy (French pronunciation:[ɑ̃twanøʒɛnalfʁɛdʃɑ̃zi]; 18 March 1823 – 4 January 1883) was a Frenchgeneral, notable for his successes during theFranco-Prussian War[citation needed] and as a governor ofAlgeria.
Born inNouart in the department ofArdennes, France, the son of a cavalry officer, Chanzy was educated at the naval school atBrest, but enlisted in the artillery. He subsequently attended the military academySaint Cyr, and was commissioned in theZouaves during 1843. He participated in a good deal of fighting in Algeria, and was promoted lieutenant in 1848, and to captain in 1851. He becamechef de bataillon in 1856, and served in theSecond Italian War of Independence, being present at the battles ofMagenta andSolferino. He participated with theSyrian campaign of 1860–61 as a lieutenant-colonel, and as colonel commanded the 45th Regiment at Rome in 1864. He returned to Algeria as general of brigade, assisted to quell the Arab insurrection, and commanded the subdivisions of Bel Abbes andTlemçen in 1868.[1]
Although Chanzy had acquired a good professional reputation, he was in disfavor at the war office because of suspected contributions to the press, and when the war with Prussia began he was refused a brigade command. After the revolution, however, the government of national defence recalled him from Algeria, made him a general of division, and gave him command of theXVI Corps of theArmy of the Loire.[1]
The Loire army won the greatest success of the French during the entire war atCoulmiers, and followed this with another victorious action at Patay; in both engagements General Chanzy's corps performed the best. After theSecond Battle of Orléans and the separation of the two wings of the French army, Chanzy was appointed to command that of the west, designated the second army of the Loire. His enemies, Grand DukeFriedrich Franz II ofMecklenburg-Schwerin, PrinceFrederick Charles ofPrussia, andGeneral von der Tann, all regarded Chanzy as their most formidable opponent.[1]
Chanzy displayed conspicuous moral courage and constancy, not less than technical skill, in the fighting from theBattle of Beaugency to the Loire.[1] Nevertheless, his army of badly armed conscripts suffered a great defeat at theBattle of Le Mans in January 1871. Chanzy successfully retired toLaval behind theMayenne but his forces had been depleted severely.[citation needed]
He was made a grand officer of theLegion of Honour, and was elected to theNational Assembly. At the beginning of theCommune rebellion, Chanzy, then in Paris, was captured by the insurgents, by whom he was forced to give his parole not to serve against them. It was said that he would otherwise have been appointed instead ofPatrice MacMahon to command the army of Versailles. A ransom of £40,000 was also paid by the government for him.[1]
In 1872, Chanzy became a member of the committee of defence and commander of the VII Corps, and in 1873 was appointedgovernor of Algeria and commander ofXIX Corps, where he remained for six years. In 1875, he was elected alife senator, in 1878 received the grand cross of the Legion of Honour, and in 1879, without his consent, was nominated for the presidency of the republic, receiving a third of the total votes.[1]
From 1879 to 1882 Chanzy wasambassador to Russia, during which time he received many tokens of respect, not only from the Russians, but also from theGerman emperor, William I, andPrince Bismarck.[citation needed] He died suddenly, while commanding the VI Corps (stationed nearest to the German frontier), atChâlons-sur-Marne now Châlons-en-Champagne, only a few days afterLeon Gambetta, and he received a state funeral.[1]
Chanzy was the author ofLa DeuxièmeArmée de la Loire (1872). Statues of General Chanzy have been erected at Nouart and Le Mans.[1]
Chanzy was immortalized inAnatole France's classic fictionThe Wicker Work Woman.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chanzy, Antoine Eugène Alfred".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 849.