NapOleon's Mamelukes
CONTENTS
ROMALD ..loWLY wa. born In ~ ~lum.l" 195fl ..,.. .tII '""'" and works there. He is ~ e...
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NapOleon's Mamelukes
CONTENTS
ROMALD ..loWLY wa. born In ~ ~lum.l" 195fl ..,.. .tII '""'" and works there. He is ~ e.qlert on 19th __urt m1l1h1ry ponraltu....
He .. tM author of tlMl monuIMnbl
"-fomJ' of.
~
Red
t..ncen:
N.~lc
,..",.", (Crowood P......
11981, and of I Itudy 01 N.poleonlc veter.n.' tomb. In "",Ium. HI. prevlou. title. tor Oaprey Include Men It AnM 378: Hepoleon'. Ou,vd. HofIou" Men·.t·Arm. 389: M,t,poMon .. Red Unce,..; and ............."...405: HlJI)OIeon'.
e'
e-..........
p ...~tce COURCELLE was bom In notthem France In 1950 and hi. been • profHSlon.lllIu.lrator for _ 20 )'flllra. Entirety .elf· taught. he h•• lllualfllted meny booQ end m!t9*:llne artie... for Conllnenhll ~ end hi. work , . . . In e number of public: ..,.. ..,..,... collections. HI.
...
*-tic: end Iuckt etyM, _...,~
edIMo ation In tM flekt .. ......, lIh...
nuon.
ORIGINS
3
NAPOLEON'S EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN
5
• The battle of the Pyramids - the S\r1.1Il expedition the b,."utle of .\boukir • t:g'\'PI dfler Bonapanc .nle ),Iameluke craze
MAMELUKES IN FRENCH SERVICE
9
• Or~..anilalion - costume - the C.onsular Cuard - problems of a(ijllsuncnt - commanders - reduction in numbers. 180-1 • The Imperial Guard • Ethnic origins • Personalities
CAMPAIGNS
21
·1805- 1806-1807 • Spain. 1808: ~ladri(1, 2 r>.la)'-lknavcl1te. 29 December • 1809 - Russia. 1812- Cermany. 1813- France. 1814 • The First ReslOralion • The Ilundred Da\'S • The Second ReslOration: the \\'litc Terror • Standards and honours
THE PLATES
45
INDEX
48
Men-at-Arms' 429
Napoleon's Mamelukes
Ronald Pawly . Illustrated by Patrice Courcelle s.."
I!
0> hood, it was nOl long before this most clTecove elemelll of Lhe Egyplian army took power for themseh"Cs, As earl) as 1252. after ani, 1\\'0 decadt."S of existence. the ~Iamellikes assassinated Sultan Ashmf ~'Ioussa and created a Mamcluke dynasty', which nile
du ChlitelKl de MIla-110ft)
4
status at first remained nonhereditary. and sons were striclly pre\t"llled from fol100\ing their fathers into po\\'er. As the nlnks of Ihe corps were COIlSL11l11} refreshed \\ilh ne\\ L.:tpthcs, so po\\'er passed to a mcce~iol\ of the ~trong('st am,rs - the regional miliran governors set up b\ Saladin during his reorganization of the Eg-.·ptian arnn in the ,ears after 1I 70. In 1281, during the reign of Ogedei's ncphe\\ Kublai Khan. the ~Iamelule Sultan Kala'tm defealed a ~Iongol ad\'ance into Syria althe battle of Horns: and bl 1291 the~ had dri\'en the last of the Christian cms.1del"S from the Ilol\' Land, BUI alread\, far to the nonh-east in Ihe badlands on the B\7.antine frontiel' in eastern Analolia. their e\'emua! nemesis \\'as stirring - a Turkish \\..man was caning out his firSl small kingdom. With astonishing speed and \igour this expanding state copied, defeated and absorbed the best regional armies 10 gro\\' into tile mighty Ottoman Empire. moutHing conquests b, land and sea and leading the region in the use of gunpo\'oder weapons. B\ the mid-15th celli un the Ouomans had s,\-ept a\\cI"SOnal scn"lr1lS, lhis f.ld spread like 'jz.'tt.< wildfire. Honapane's stepson and fUlure Viceroy of hal}', . . Eugene Bcaulmmais. the fmure marshals Mannolll, -;:..;~ j.:( Lannes, SoUll, Bcssicl'es, and cven Napoleon's brother 1 Joseph, the future King of Sp on 16 Febrwll')' 1807, he servcd tl11lil 1815, but sickness kepI him in Paris durillg the Waterloo campaign; he was discharged frolll actin: service 011 J October 1815. Daoud Habaibi, brother of Sheikh YaJ...oub. was born in Chefa-Amr, S)'ria, 011 25 SeptembeJ' \ i77. Serving with Lhe Anllee d'Orient, he was commissioned ,wILHil'llfetuwl, lieulenant. and. after 'lni,ing in Fmllce, flrsl licutenalll of the 2nd Colllpanv of f\lamc1uL.t-"S. ~all1ed a knight of the Legion of Honour aftci' AuslCrlill. \'ohere he was w·ollndt.'d in the groin b, a bilYOnel thrusl, he was promoLed capl\ Napoleon for hi~ cOl1rnge at the baule of E)lau. Seriousl, wounded once Ol!,rain - b\ t11ree
17
sahr~ Cllts - al Bena\ellte in December 1808, he was obliged 10 remain at Melun ....hen the rest of the M:uuclukcs marched ofT to Austria in 1809. I-Ie was appointed an officer in ...he Legion of Honour on 15 March 1809. Inn I'cmained inacthe at Melun, dying in Paris on 8 February 1824. Yakoub Habaibi, Sheikh of Chefa-Amr and brother of Daoud (sec above), chose the French side during Cell Bonaparte's S)Tian campaign - a decision that had calaslrophic consequences for his family. since a large number of his reJati\~ were siaugillered b). the Turks in reprisal. He became colonel of the lsI. Company of Spian Janissaries. and fled to France when the remnants of the Armee d'Orient retllmed home. Mter arri\i.ng in France the Janissaries .....ere amalgamated with the Mamelukes; Yakoub's high rank bcrame a problem. since there was no \'3cancy for a colonel, and he ....-as placed on the non-actin~ IisL He retired to Melun; after his brother Daoud was seriously wounded in Spain, Yakoub offered his services to the Emperor once more. He was listed as a eMfd'ts€odron Ii 10 sull~ on 17 July 1813. Hejoined the Mamelukes al Dresden and served in all the battles of the second pari of the Saxon campaign. In 1814 he followed the Young Guard Company to Flanders, '\here he sen'ed in Cen Maison's 1st Army (ArmCe dll Nord). distinguishing himself by his courage on morc than one occasion. During the First Restoration Yakoub became commandnnJ dilnn.t:J of ~fcllln; he was placed on half-pay on 30 January 1816. Elias Massaad, a Syrian, was born at Ramleh, some 12 miles from Jaffa in Palestine, on 26 June 1776. He entered sen'ice in the Army of tllC Oricnt as an imerpreter, wor'king very closely with Cen Bonaparte and later Gens Kleber and Mcnou. lie followed the laller to Fr,l.nce; upon the organi/.mion of the Mamclukes of the Firsl Consul Elias was commissioned a second lieutenanl, and created a knight in the Legion of Honour among the first nominations. lie was known as a 'sabre rt!dvlIlllble; and Napoleon pmmotcd him to captain after the battle of Eylau on 16 February 1807. On 2 May 1808, in Madrid, he Wd.S wounded in tlte upper jaw. Elias took pan in nearly all Napoleon's campaigns. ending his career after Waterloo. where he suffered another wound. Discharged on 31 December 1815, he retired to Mclull .....'itlt a list of 17 battle scars and three ribs missing due 10 grapeshm wounds. Elias died in July 1835. Ibrahim - whom we ha,'C already met in the unfortunate encounler in the 'quartier de 101 Halle de hie' in P.lriS - was born at Deir-e1-Kamar in S}Tia, and t1'3\'elled to Fr.tnce in 1801. A knight of the Legion of Honour since 14June 1804. he had to give up his company command on 1 October 1806. and a month laler leff Mellin to live in Marseille with the nonpicall) appmximate spellings of Oriental nallles) we find, for inSL.U1Ce, Fou.,..,.-in Pierre \'eslel, aged 39 and bonl at Dunkirk, killed: Bngrulln' Ho\'hannes Annenie, bom in Chouchia, Annenia, in 1781, .....ounded bv a bullet dose 10 his lerr ear; and Ahmet Kitch, born in Cairo in 1781, wounded by five bayonet stabs, one in his left side and four in his left ann. (Years later, at Altenburg in 1813, ule same Mame1uke ....' ould recei\'e a bullet wound in his right foreann.) Prussia, 1806-07 On 15 April 1806, during the campaign againsl Prussia, lhe company count.ed 13 officers and 147 lroopers. \...'ith A~';lo1l"'~ lhe Prussian army beaten atJena and Auerstadl - where lhe Mamclukes were not engaged - lbey arrived on 27 OClober 1806 in Berlin, where They were ordered to parade inTO lhe Prussian capital in full dress. Following lhe reu'eating remnanlS of lhe Prussian army, the Mamelukes panidpaled in several inconclusive baltles like thai at Pultusk in Poland on 25 December 1806. The company was hc::a\ily engaged against Russian Cl\'al'1" and casualties were three officers (including their commander) and 17 troopers .....ounded. In a repon to lhe regimelll's colone1-in-chief Prince Eugene all their part in the battle, Col Dahlmann, commander of tile Mounted Chasseurs, lislS the details of tile Mameluke .....ounded - these give a \;\;d picture of ta\-alry fighung of the period:
22
Offiurs: Dclailre, Squadron leader. light contusion to thigh. Merat, standard-hearer: lighl sabre cut to arm.
A pletu,. from a por1nlt of
'lam.I(,
tl'OOpM
In the Cotpa: de,
M~uk.', ft"om the
the
erunon
"',_tlorl t"'l. us wa'
an:hlvn of additloNol ~ this
Col~;
~ntld
by ~ at 23 August
F o n ~ on
1805. Note the w. colt. on the benkhIs, a ,. .tuno whk::h bees",.
~
lloftWSt'ds" and fts em~
from t808 ~
* ' " - ; the
daSI9tt'
u.ekld UncMf" the wMt ...... on hi. right Np, and tM pistol on tlls ..ft; and the Mameluke atyle of ",apendTng the . .b,.. Tha whit. turban would be wom o",.r. low red t.rtIo4Ic:htI. I,mall, born In aatnlahem, mo.. not appe.r In tha I>OInlnal roll'; the,. .nothar trooper of tha uma n.ma, born In Cairo tn 1780, who da..rtlld on 1 JanUIIIl' t8Oe. {Courtesy
11I'.'
MuH8 de l'EmpMllfonnef" arunon Collectlon, Salon-deP~I
AIxIala [sic]. 2nd Lielllella11l: 6 light sabre cut.s to ann and body. SeOl:
Anna Koubrousy (sIc), Sgt: bullet wound to head. SGlphanie, Sgt sabre cut to ann. Azaria Ie Grand, Cpl: sabre cut to left hand. Quanis Guirban. Cpl: sabre cut to right forearm. Abouambard [sic]. Gpl: 2 sabre cuts to head. MamtluJra:
Nicolas Saboubc: 6 sabre Ctlts to difTerelll parI.'! of body. Anne! L.... fleur: leg Ixme broken by bullet. Joseph Chame: sabre cut to left hand, Michel Ilollb>TOis: sabJ'e cut to left shoulder,' Saman Koutsy: 2 contusions to head and one wound from a swab [i.e. an artillery tool I Joseph Souhoube: 3 deep sabre CUI.'!- I 10 head. I to hand and another to elbow. Lambre George: sabre cut to left shoulder. '-:icole I'apaoglou: sabre Ctlt to left forearm. Cherkt.'S Gt.'Orge: bullet wound to left side of chest. .\Iusician.s: Lou. Cpl-Trumpeter: 19 sabre cul.'!- 9 to the head, the others to the body. Perrot, Tptr: sabre cutta right forearm. Crislophe Oli,ier, Tplr: bullet wound through right shoulder. On 21 January 1807 the strength of lhc unit was 10 officers of which 90n detached dut). and 105 rdnkcl1l of which 72 detached, M:lluclukes \\ho had recenu} died, apparently of illness. were Corandis. holll in Constantinople, who died in hospital on 22 September 1806. and HO\hannes Magot. born in Circassia (Armenia) in 1779, who died in Waf5:twon 13Jallll:lry 1807. With Berlin taken, the French ."ltill followed the ."lurvi\"ing remnants of the Prussian arm~ llorth and Cil."iL King Frederick William III fled to hi."l alh Russia; and instead of laking to their winter quarters, lhe French found lhemseh'e."l forced to facc a Russian threat from the Bailie coast. III terrible wealher conditions of frost and blinding: snow, Cen Iknnigsen's Russian and Napoleon's French annies met ncar Prussischc.s-E),lau on 7-8 FebJ'Uary 1807. Napoleon had 45,000 l11en and 200 gUllS at hi."l di."lposal, plu."l the hope of the !WO ann)' c0'l)~ of Davout and Nt'} approaching in support (a \'ain hope. in Ncy's case). while tJle Russiall."i were able to field 67,000 lIlen ....·iul 400 gum. Dangerously oUUlumbered, Napoleon accepted battJe in \\ealher tJ131 blinded botJl amlies to each otJler's dispositions and 11l00ement."i. TIle eng-otgement was eXlremel)'costJy 10 both ."lidcs. as hea,)' artillery bomb.·u·dmelll.'! were the domin:ult feature. TIle French faced serious probleln."i in holding their lines, and their predicament worsened as lhe battle wore 011. To sa\'e the ."limation. Napoleon ordered Marshal Murat 10 lead his I"t:serve s.... MocI'IIf' (born III Bogar III _ bJ' blow ~
'~
1o:Im. MIIlI
_
.~i.it.
_
10 .~,
on 2S _
_.,.,....,,In
11~
Arm.nlan bom In Baghdad
on 2 F.bruary 1111, who .aa .mong the fl,..t to .nll.t In the Corps 01 Marneluk... H. . .",lid In n. .rty .11 their e.m~lgn.
until Pte . . . killed at Dreedetl on 21 Augu.t 1813.
~
1 - ' _ _,-*" bI*Il """""' III ~ WI __ in ~ A1 ~ In 1813 hIi would _ twO _ _ cuu. ",. III It» right IIic'- 01 till ...ck _ no-.......,.. do not ....mion !'IiI ItIcIuIlW """""' .c PulluM.
~.1P'
Detail from Beron G6nml" Au.tarlltz P11lntlng, .howlng Oen A.pp retumlng to the Emperor to report tha eucceae 0' hi. CMrge, bringing wfth him Au.-..n prbonen end tMnnen. This Mam.Iuk. c.me. • Au..ten .~rd, white hls wounded horse col~. Not. the tumect-bec:k cuffs, the dagger In hfs ••lst _h, .nd 1M coni pouch belt. We .van know hi. ",me: thl. ls MU.t.pM BlI{ldouna, .n
a. 23
llMo c ....rge of tIM Mounted
Chaueu,.. -.1d M.meIuk. . of the ImperiIIl GlUlrd .t Aust.nlb., by MytbIleh. n.. artist ~ the M .......... with both types of IIIuobnqu-e - Orlenhol, -.1d French light cav.l..... n.. wlcle . . . . , . . I~ conwct fOf' tIM chtl; and r>otkl the offie« m fTont, _ring ~ kind of IohoUkter ~ntl that ....-mb'embl'Oldentd 'lw.llowt' -.11' lcomp.~ with Pt.tl A21. Thl fug lhlnd.rd w.' thought by Myrb-.ch l.nd ot"-r .001,t,) to .ppl'Ol.lmlll to I ~lm..,I.1 'E.gII', .lthough In fsct tlMr wI~ MlCond.ry to the aqulldl'On guidon; thl Mlmeluk. . did nol rKltvl thllr Eigil until .ftlr Au,tlnlb.,
cavaln of SOIIlC 80 sqlladrons (10,500 lI1en) in a chargc in t\\'o columns ag;:linst a 70-f.,"-ln Russian grand hattcn. to pierce the centre of the enemy line. Despite murderous 10'>Se~ the outcome of the baule was indecisi\e, and both armies returned to wiuter quarters, Riding behind the Mounted Grcnadier~ and Chasseurs. the l\lamelukes cmcred themselves w'itll glo..... ; Capl Renno's conduci was, as usual. magnificellt; but at the end of the da\ C.oI Dahlmann's list of casualties was enormous. Four officers of the l\lamelukes \Iere wounded: Abdallah. alreach wounded ;1( Pulcusk and pierced se\en times b} lances at Goh,nin. was wounded once more: so "ere Chahin', Daoud Habaibi and Rom'er, Other casuahies were; ,\laridlfl/ tin ibgU Hanna Kouhroussi ([sir]: see Pultusk G\Suah\ list abme), born at Nalareth 1781: bullel wound to head and sabre CUt 10 left shoulder; died :11 ~1e1Ull after ,I long illness on 24 janua.....' 1812, probolt."01I won such a decisive vktOl)' thai it brought an end 10 the war. The ~lamc1Llkes were nOt engaged at Friedland. As noted al>o\c, the nominal roll on 21 Jannal), 1807 bad lisLCd 105 men; b, ~5 JlInc it had dropped 10 74, of \\hich 15 were at the rcgimelllal depot at l\logilno. However, man}' of lhis lillIe band of brothers were 110\\' proudl}' wearing the cross or the Legion of Honour on their chests. Spain, 1808 Portugal was a t1lOrn in the Emperor's flesh. resisting his 'Continental S}:>tcm' \Ihich sought 10 close all
24
{rrml"uu'tl rm fKIgr )3,
PERSONAUTIES 1: G4kMnol Dupa., 1803-04 2: All, Mameluk. ol th40 Empre... , llO3 3: All, 2nd Mameluk. ol th40 Emp«or, '813
3
2
A
18OO-s of the t\.lamclukes and Chasscurs, lhe hastily condemncd \\cre dragged in front of the firing squads. which wOlild remain busy until the nexi day. The Second of Ma)' beC:lme an irnponant momCnt in Sp:ll1ish histOI1', inspiring anists to imagine the bloody sccnes: Lhe cOlucmporat1' paillter Coya reprcsentcd civilians allacking ~lallielukcs. showing sevcnll of them being stabbed. In facl., howcvcr, Ihe unit's casualties were fairl}' limited. Fhe officers prescm werc wounded (Daoud lIab.aibi, Elias, Chahin', Renno and Soliman). The other casualties were Allloun Chami, born in C,iro in 1784. \\'ho was monall}' wounded and .....ould die in hospilal on 16 Mar; and !he n\o Malllelukes killed and found b} !he pmrol - thoub Michalollat, alread) ....·ounded at E}lau, and I~kalis, born al Girgeh. Egypl, in 1782. Finally. at a later dalc, Petros Alak, born in Jemsalem in 1775, would be murdered in Madlid on 24Januaf\ 1809,
-
• • •
34
The company now counted 86 mcn. To fill up the ranks the Emperor agreed 10 sending LielllenalH Abdallah to visit the Eg"plian refugee
ABOVE AND OPPOSITE TWo .Iudl•• 01 M.meluk••
by $w.baeh, maO. .t
Ulm {I.ftl
and Auaterlltz (rlghtlln 1805. Th.y ahow the high OrietItll Addl. . and box·Uk. atlmJ~, and the North AMc:an-a~ .nabr1lq..... Swebeeh w_ a fI.... erattlrnan orith . . .,.. det.Ill: note ~ he _ _ wMN ~ -.'blnes, lnat.-d of the b 1 ~ 01 ~Idoft; and ~ a ahoulder belt .upportl. . not a pouch but a P'atot In a ctee~ 1Nthet" hoIatllt". Again, the turban II _ a low 1aItlouche,
'01"
~
at,..
~
communities in M:wseille and look for suitable l·eplacemelllS. Ilowcvcr, Abdallah had so little success that he selected sc\'cn sailors from the crews of three Turkish ships that were anchored in the harbour, By now, little b" little, soldiers from elsewhere v.·ithin the Empire started to arrive in the company, receiving Orielllal unifonns to fill the gaps in the mnls of the real ~Iamelukes. Ser..-ing on in Spain under "Iarshal Bessieres, tJle Mamelukes were present on 14 Julv 1808 at the battle of Medina del Rio Seco, ",-here the marshal soundh defeated the combined Spanish annies of Gens Cuesta and Blake, On 10 September the Mamelllkes greeted their new commander, Cluj d'st:adron Francois Antoine Kinllann from tlle ~Iollnted Chasseurs of the Guard; an Alsatian b' birth, aged 40, he was a hero of Erb;tch, Delmesingen and Neumark. From that date onv.-,trds command of the "lamelukes did not changc alfdin; assisted bv tlle officers Renno, Chahin·. Elias, Abdallah and Georges, Kinnann would lead his exotic company through Spain, Austria, Russia and Saxony and in the final 1814 campaign in France. At tlle end of 1808 tlle Mamclllkt.-S were to sec action against the British expeditionary force Icd In Gell Sir John ~Ioore, which was reu'eating through the snows towards the nonhern port ofConilina. On 29 December 1808 ~Ioorc's allny crossed the River Esla; pursuing them at the head of Napoleon's vanguard were three squadrons of ~Iollnted Chassellrs plus a small detachment of Mamelllkes and Lancers - about 550 troopers in all, commanded by Cen Charles Lt:fcb\1·c-Dcsnoucttes. This force cTOssed tllC Esla on tllC British rcarguard's trail, I't....fonned into squadrons, and were marching towards Benavente at a stcady pace when British cavah1' under Lord Paget. covcl'ing the retreal, caught lhem in a well-timed ambush, I'agct led SOulC 450 men of thc British IOlh Hussars in a chargc lhat hit Lcfcb\1'c-Dcsnollcltes' troopers in tlJ(~ flank. driving them against a 200-strong picket tinc from tllC 7tll and 18lh Hussars and 3rd Light Dr-dgoons, King's CCI111an Legion. The French were dri\'en back witJ1 heavy casualties: 165 men were killed, wounded or captllred - among thc laucr the unfortunate Cell LefebvreDesnouettes, whose failure was reportedly witncssed by thc Emperor himselffrOIll a hill be)'ond tlle Esla. The Mall1c1ukcs lost the 21-)car-old Armenian 2nd Lt Azalia Ie Petit, mortall)' wounded: and Mameluke Yannis Demiui, born in H}'dm in 1771 of Greek oribrin, who had had his right leg broken b) grapeshol al E)'lau, was killed at Bena\'entc. CapL."lin Daoud Habaibi was scliously wounded, and would never sec battle again, Sergeant Ho\'hanncs Anncnie, who had t3ken a bullet in tlle head at Austerlitz. was wounded again, b) fOUrs.lbre cuts to his head. Soliman ;\fouskou, rom in the Crimea and aged 48, was taken prisoner
3.
(later he escaped. re-emering the i\lamcJukes on 6 September 1810. and ~r.ing on IInol J August 1813 \\ hen he was retired 10 the refugees in ~larseiJle).
We are reminded that bblng them. Both .Ides would be sec:uHd of .trocltie. during thl. eplaode, but In t.c:t the nomln.1 roll • • how only mode.t c:a.u.ltlee among the Mameluk••,
38
The black '\Iamelul..e Calixle Joben, born in I (aiti and \\ounded more than once during his service, disappeared on 18 :-':o\ember; O\"er Ihe next IWO da\"s so did Ibrahim, born in Egypt in 1782: Isaac Daran, born in Tunis in I i9 I: and Ilanna Nia, a Georgian. Nicolas Dabollssi, a 34-rear-old Greek from Cairo, .....as taken prisoner on 27 November at Boriso\'. Deponed 10 Siberia. Daboussi returned to France b\ 10 December 1814. ha\ing lost both hands; \el despite this terrible disability, he would sene again in Algeria from 1830 to 18-11, being wounded once more in 1830, and dying in Algiers on 22Juh 1841. The melanchol)' list goes on, cheered only b\ lhe occasional exu,lordinary sunival. The 21-year-old Tunisian Da\id Toubiane disappeared on 3 December, as did Tlmlouth Choukrnllah, a Cairo COpl aged 43, and four other Caircncs - Faradj TI1aloUl.h. agcd 33; Assad Adelrnalak, aged 23; Ibrahim, aged 26. and Moussa Chanlf, aged 30. Five dars laler it Crclan, Nicolas Gree, and Gabriel Koury. a 29-rcarold from Cairo, Il'ere taken prisoner; Koury was one of lhc fcw to sun1ve, returning from caplivity on 8 September 1814 to be admitlcd into the Corps Roml des Chasseurs it Chc\'al de France, On 9 December, Anlouni Annenie, born in Chouchia in 1781, was writlen off the rolls 'dis/Janl'; so were Dimiui JafTaoui, a 32..,ear-old from Jaffa; Guirgucss Khollchoun. born in 17i9 in Aleppo: Guirgucss ~Iasri, also knO....'11 as 'George the E~lllian·. born in Cairo in 1i92 and recorded as only 4ft 2Xin Lall \,-hen he enlisled: Tnullpeter Jean Etienne Baptiste Perrol, 28, from Melun: \'iclOr Hippolrte B.'ludeuf, 25, from Brindisi in hal)': and the Sudanese Adricn Baraka, 24, from Darfur. That So.'lllle da, a So-rear-old Syrian, Youssef Zalaouni. was laken prisoner: yet he tOO managed 10 retum 10 Fmllce by 10Janual), 1815. and served ag:.lin during thc Walcrloo campaign, On 12 December lWO Abys...inians in lheir early 30s, Adel Thalouth ,md lhe black trooper Ghabrian. also disappeared. Alexandre Lecuyer, a 42-rear-old French mastcr-booun;lker, was \I'ollnded al the crossing of the Beresina; Soube Youssef. bom in ChefaAmr in 17i5, was taken prisoner. lO die of wounds in a hospital at \'jlna on 16 Februall': another 37·yeardan refugees; but during the Second Restoration \\hat was known iLS the '\\llite lerroI" \\'ould splil the COlilltn in two. Vengeful Rovalists hUllled down former Bonapartists who had helped XaJX>leon return to the throlle in 1815. During this ....;tchhunt both prominent leaders and humble soldiers would fall \;ctim to tile hatred of the restored Bourbon go\ernment or tlleir supporters among tile population. Generals and e\ell marshals were brought before courts martial and sclllenccd to dealh or exile. like Marshal Xe)' and Gen de 1....l-be
'ron!
u..
u..
'"ec:l ., u..
-.nxl"
narrow green and gold lace boI'ders on his yalek seem to
Indicate an NCO. C3: Mam.luke in non-regulation dress Reconstructed from OIiginaJ contemporary items. this rear view shows the top of a cahouk: a beniche with lower sleeve decoration and the rear vent WIth many small ball buttons; the slung blunderbuss - probably only carried on parade rathef than on campaigo; the susperlSlOO of the scimrtar from con:Is; and a decorated pouch slung in the same manner.
D: 1807-13 01: Mameluke, c.1B07 This figure is ahElf a drawing by C.G.Getssler. Note the French carbine slung from the regulatlOlll$SU8 belt. and the
·6
shabraque WIth drawn-out rear comers in light cavalry styte. From about thIS date onwards the sources show the wide sleeves of the beniche. whieh sometllnes hung over the hands, beginrnng 10 be replaced WIth a tighter-fitting
Th.tmpel... and Marneft*.. In ~ d..-. Tbe trumpet... lIett) wean • double-bree.tecl .tabltl }Kket In ay-blue _ the colaw for trumpeteR of the OYard caY.lry - end (lAY ~In9IIJgn 0Yef1I'1s vrith blKll reinforcement. His botNMt • police I\n: • ntd 'ft_' end aIly·btue 'tlIrNn'. with gold a.ee, piping, end c...eent bM!oge. TlM Mamelulle's e.p din.... In having. atll blue tUrNn .nd r-llow ttiIft; his }Kket . . .Iso d_tIl blue. wom vrith h.e8vy white c_nvu .table troUHrs. Io'uttlo.... collection; Bucquoy cerd, _tter
BoI.Hm• .,
European style. and it begins to acqUIre a low standing collar. Here the beniche is yellow; the yalek Is green with gold or yellow embroldef'y, the sarousl scarlet and the boots crimson. The most noticeable change Is the headgear; while the low scarlet tarbouche was retaIned lor undress wear, It was replaced on duty by this tallef, stiffer cahouk in green. yellow Of scarlet. Again, the turban IS shown as yelloW. 02: Chef d'escad,on Kirmann, 1809-10 The commander of lhe Mamelukes 1808-14 is pamted atler a cootemporary sketch, In hIS magrnfJcent 0nentaI finery. HIS cahouk has a gold lace top band, and bears gill star and crescent badges as well as the while pkJme of a field grade offICer. Note the shabraque and saddle cover In the style 01 KtrmaM's parent ItIglment. the MOUl1ted Chasseurs of the Impenal Guard. 03: Caplta/ne Abdallah d'Asbonne, 1813 ThIs famous and much-wounded Synan offe. IS pamted after a ponralt mIniature of that year. If'l a U....fOlm of
colours reflecting that of the Mounted Chasseurs. It is Intriguing to note the French officer's fringed epaulette worn on hIs left shoulder, a rare instance of French officers' rank dlstlnctlOfls being incorporated Into the Onental uruform. Note that, like Kirmann, he wears the cross of the Legion of Honotx, awarded in Abdallah's case as early as June 1804 The horse lurnltln is reconstructed from regulatJOnS. E: MUSICIANS, 1807-13 E1: Cymbalist E2: Kettle-drummer Both these figures are after the AIsace Cotlectlons. kettle-drummer's headdress is somehmes shown helMer decoratton. E3: Kettle-drummer, 1810-12 After an engraVIng in the Dubois de l'Etang CotIectIOfl. exaggerated uniform and harness were seen for the tllne at the wedding of Napoleon to Marie-LoUise.
The w.th
This first
F: 1807-13 F1: Mameluke, regutation Oriental dress The colours of the beniche and yale/( continue to .... ary in the sources, suggesting that the freedom and di....ersity typical of the original Mamelukes of 1802 was retained, e....en if the cut became modified: the cahouk worn for parade is usually shown as scartet. Note, agmn, the cord sling for the SCImitar, worn With the cutting edge to the rear. and the regula1ion issue French cavalry pouch and carbine belts. The yaJek is worn closed, with the sash over it and confining the sword sling. F2: Mameluke, regulation Oriental dress F3: Trumpeter, regulation Oriental dress Both these reconslJUctJoos are after the WOrtz Collection, one of the so-called Alsace Cotlectlons. Note the shabraques and valtses. The trooper wears recI leather belts for tllS pouch and weapon. hent a simulated Onental blundetbuss of the type made at the Versailles factOf)', The trumpet. wears a costume which. thoogh of OrIental design. reflects the Impenal Guard ca....alry trumpeters' regulatlOfl sky-blue, WIth mixed gold and red braJcI Oecorahon. Q: 1813-14 G1: Mameluke, campaign dress After the contemporary Freyberg manuscript. The most striking feature is the black shako worn with the turban and crescent badge, recalling the similar headgear of the so-called Lithuanian lancers, whose remnants were serving at this date With the 3rd SCouts (Eclalreurs) of the Imperial Guard. G2: Officer, campaign dress ThIs probably French offIcer wears the undress uniform of hussar style wnich was now regulation for all Mamelukes.
NCO of F......eh origin, In .n Illustr1lUon .n...... of Uta .nnwd per.o.. on the P*a \'end6me to commemorate the ~ blrtttct.y. It Mo-.. • unfform wwn et the end of the ~ , mainly In KeMt and blue, wtItt FIWnCh-styla renll and ...-rice cheYrons on the ____ ~.
dr..rinlll
m.o. '" o.n ' h _ during _
iAlrthor'w collection;
~
-rdl
The Oriental dress was probably worn only on special occasions, and in the field only when the Emperor was present in person. G3: French Mameluke, regulation Oriental campaign dress IntrigUingly, note that the axe .s still earned anached to the
-~. H: FRENCH MAMELUKES, 1813-14 H1: Officer, campaign dress This regulatlOfl everyday and IieId untform features the old cutaway habit 01 the Mounted Chasseurs. dat.ng from the earty EmPIre, worn over a scarlet wmstcoat, ahhough the coat and its piping and 8IgUilJettes are in the d8l1l. blue and cnmson reminISCent of the Polish lancers. Despite the wholly French cut of the uniform, note that the sabre IS stili slung Mameluka-style. and that the harness retains Oriental features. H2: Mameluke, campaign dress This trooper wears an oilskin co....er o....er his headdress and (oddly) its plume. and the regulatJon off-white slee....ed and caped nding cloak - manteau-capote. H3: Trumpeter, campaign dress Regulation e....eryday and field uniform - a sky-blue habit decorated in gold and red. with cnmson piping, worn over a scane! waistcoat and dark blue o....eralls striped crimson and reinforced with black leather. His trumpet cords are also in mixed gold and crimson.
.~ "
,..-
--•
47
INDEX n
kfr 17.19.
1:..0... ulr:ol"", lk) 5.6 hnl'..,;,..l Gu.ud 9, 1~16,~, It ·I.m:orl' 'n
J.."'..........
.
hiIbn:L 1I0pp0tn