Gaston Alexandre Auguste, Marquis de Galliffet

Photo of the marquis de Galliffet by Nadar.

Gaston Alexandre Auguste, Marquis de Galliffet, Prince de Martignes (Paris, January 23, 1830 - July 8, 1909), was a French general, best known for having taken part in the repression of the 1871 Paris Commune. He was Minister of War in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet at the turn of the century, which caused a controversy in the socialist movement since independent socialist Alexandre Millerand also took part in the same government, and was thus side by side with the Fusilleur de la Commune ("Commune's executor").

Military interventions and Minister of War

Gaston Galliffet entered the army in 1848 and was commissioned as sub-lieutenant in 1853. He served with distinction at the Siege of Sevastopol in 1855, in the Austro-Sardinian War of 1859, and in Algeria in 1860, after which for a time he served on the personal staff of the emperor Napoleon III.

During Napoleon III's intervention in Mexico, Galliffet displayed great gallantry as a captain at the siege and storming of Puebla, in Mexico, in 1863, when he was severely wounded. When he returned to France to recover from his wounds he was entrusted with the task of presenting the captured standards and colors to the emperor, and was promoted chef d'escadrons. He went again to Algeria in 1864, took part in expeditions against the Arabs, returned to Mexico as lieutenant-colonel, and, after winning further distinction, became in 1867 colonel of the 3rd Chasseurs d'Afrique.

In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 he commanded this regiment in the Army of the Rhine, until promoted to be general of brigade on August 30. At the battle of Sedan, which marked the defeat of Napoleon III and the subsequent dissolving of the Second Empire, he led the brigade of Chasseurs d'Afrique in the heroic charge of General Margueritte's cavalry division, which earned him the admiration of the old king of Prussia. Made prisoner of war at the capitulation, he returned to France during the siege of Paris by the French Army of Versailles, and commanded a brigade during the repression of the 1871 Paris Commune. He was henceforth one of the most criticized figures in French public life, along with Adolphe Thiers who had directed the assault.

In the suppression of the Paris Commune he did his duty, as he saw it, rigorously and inflexibly, and earned a reputation for severity, which, throughout his later career, made him the object of unceasing attacks in the press and the chamber of deputies. In 1872 he took command of the Batna subdivision of Algeria, and commanded an expedition against El Golea, surmounting great difficulties in a rapid march across the desert, and inflicting severe chastisement on the revolting tribes.

On the general reorganization of the army he commanded the 31st infantry brigade. Promoted general of division in 1875, he successively commanded the 15th infantry division at Dijon, the IX army corps at Tours, and in 1882 the XII army corps at Limoges. In 1885 he became a member of the Conseil Supérieur de la Guerre. He conducted the cavalry maneuvres in successive years, and attained a European reputation on all cavalry questions, and, indeed, as an army commander.

Decorated Grand Officer of the Légion d'Honneur in 1880 by Léon Gambetta, he was appointed governor of Paris. He was latter also decorated with the Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur, in 1887, and received the Military Medal for his able conduct of the autumn manoeuvres in 1891. After again commanding at the manoeuvres of 1894, he retired from the active list.

Afterwards he took an important part in French politics, as war minister (22 June 1899 to 29 May 1900) in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet, and distinguished himself by the firmness with which he dealt with cases of unrest in the army in the midst of the Dreyfus Affair. Galliffet then retired into private life, and died on July 8, 1909, aged 79.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• "A Book on Galliffet", New York Times, October 9, 1910, pC-4

Bibliography

• André Gillois, Galliffet le fusilleur de la Commune, Paris, France-Empire, 1985 (French)

See also

• France in the nineteenth century
• French Second Empire
• French intervention in Mexico
• French rule in Algeria
• 1870 Franco-Prussian War
• 1871 Paris Commune
• René Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet

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Name	Galliffet, Marquis de
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Date of birth	1830
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Date of death	1909
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