Jean-Baptiste Marchand
Jean-Baptiste Marchand (born November 22, 1863 in Thoissey , † January 14, 1934 in Paris ) was a French officer and Africa explorer .
youth
Marchand was born in the Ain department . The family was poor and he had to leave school early. At the age of 13 he became an assistant at a notary, where he worked until his mother's death seven years later. On October 1, 1883, he joined the army and later became a non-commissioned officer . His superiors were very fond of him, so he was able to attend the officers' school in Saint-Maixent in 1886 and in March 1887 became a lieutenant .
Africa
In January 1888 he was transferred to Africa and took part in research trips to Senegal and Central Africa. In 1890 he researched the sources of the Niger in West Africa. He became famous for the expedition that he led from Brazzaville to Faschoda on the White Nile as a major from 1896 to 1898 , exploring the Ubangi , Uelle and Barh rivers and triggering the so-called " Faschoda crisis ". To his great disappointment, his troops had to evacuate Faschoda. After returning to France, he was received triumphantly. He received the gold medal of the Société de Géographie .
Further career
On January 5, 1900 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and transferred to China in September of the same year . He took part in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion and left China in April 1902. On May 17, 1904, he resigned from the army. He tried his hand at journalism with modest success and got married. At the beginning of the First World War , he was drafted as Colonel of the Reserve in August 1914 and became Governor General of Belfort . On February 20, 1915, he was promoted to brigadier general . Marchand was wounded several times during the war and promoted to Général de division . From June 1915 until the end of the war he led the 10e division d'infanterie coloniale on the western front with one interruption . He left the army on April 4, 1919. After his death in Paris he was transferred to his birthplace Thoissey.
literature
- Quirin Engasser (ed.): Great men of world history. 1000 biographies in words and pictures . Neuer Kaiser Verlag, Klagenfurt 1987, ISBN 3-7043-3065-5 , p. 290
Web links
- CV ( memento of April 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (French)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Marchand, Jean-Baptiste |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French officer and Africa explorer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 22, 1863 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Thoissey |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 14, 1934 |
| Place of death | Paris |