Jean Danjou
Capitaine Jean Danjou (born April 15, 1828 in Chalabre , France , † April 30, 1863 in Camarón de Tejeda ( Battle of Camerone ), Mexico ) was an officer in the French Foreign Legion .
In the period between 1863 and 1867, Emperor Napoléon III. the attempt to use military force in Mexico to found a satellite state under the rule of the Habsburg Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria . In the course of this fight, on April 30, 1863, in the hamlet of Camarón de Tejeda , a battle between 62 Foreign Legionnaires and 3 officers under the command of the one-armed or one-handed Captain Danjou and 2,000 supporters of the republic took place . Capitaine Danjou made every legionnaire swear, except for the last cartridgeto fight. After hours of firefight, only three men stood on their feet, but the legionnaires had won the deep admiration of their enemies: They are not soldiers, they are demons ! exclaimed the commander of the Mexican soldiers, Colonel Francisco de Paula Milán .
The Mexicans lost over 300 men. Emperor Napoléon III. had the honorary name Camerone affixed to the flags of the Premier Régiment in 1863 . In 1892 a memorial was erected on the battlefield. The inscription reads:
ILS FURENT ICI MOINS DE SOIXANTE OPPOSES A TOUT UNE ARMEE SA MASSE LES ECRASA LA VIE PLUTOT QUE LE COURAGE ABANDONNA CES SOLDIER FRANCAIS LE 30 AVRIL 1863
Translation: Less than sixty men faced a whole army. Her bulk crushed her. Life left these soldiers of France with courage. April 30, 1863
Individual evidence
- ↑ Cf. MacDonald, Peter: Foreign Legion - Training, Armament, Use , Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1998.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Danjou, Jean |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Officer of the French Foreign Legion |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 15, 1828 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chalabre , France |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 30, 1863 |
| Place of death | Camarón de Tejeda , Mexico |