Charles Minart was born in Bergues, 19th
September 1824 and entered the Ecole Militaire on 10th November
1841; promoted Sous-Lieutenant in the 27e Ligne 1st
October 1843; Lieutenant in 27e 3rd May 1848; Captain 13th
August 1852; Capitain-Adjutant-Major in the 27e 23rd
September 1855; Chef de Bataillon 2e Regiment Tirailleurs Algerien
27th December 1861; Lieutenant Colonel 72e Ligne 1869. He
commanded the 72e at Sedan (1st September 1870) and
retired in 1871. He died in 1902.
Alfred Minart was born in Bergues 21st December 1828;
engaged as a volunteer in the 26e Ligne 16th June 1848;
passed into the 27e Ligne as corporal 18 September 1849; promoted to
sergeant major 7th June 1852; Sous-Lieutenant and Porte-Drapeau 20th
December 1855; Lieutenant 25th November 1857; Captain 20th
June 1866. He was killed at the Battle of Sedan, 1st September 1870.
Edouard Minart was born in Bergues 19th
November 1833 and engaged as a volunteer in the
64e Ligne 27th December 1850; promoted
to corporal 11th September 1851; transferred to the 1e
Regiment Zouaves 1st March 1852; promoted to sergeant 26th
March 1855; Sous-Lieutenant in 1e Zouaves 20th June 1859.
He was killed at Solferino four days later.
Letter from Captain Charles Minart, 27e Infanterie de Ligne, to his mother.
The Camp of
Balaklava, one league from Sebastopol, 29 September 1854.
My dear mother,
…The 20th the entire army marched to stain the
gravel of the heights of the Alma. The Russian Army, a force of 42,000 men, is
on the summit of the heights under the General Menchikoff, and he flattered himself that he could hold us for fifteen days before his position. At
two o'clock we were on the banks
of Alma. I assure you that at first the position was very formidable.
Here is a small description of the
terrain. The Alma is a small river very hemmed in, steep banks, its width is about three
to four meters, its depth of one meter.
On the right bank where we were, there were vineyards and orchards, fences and dry stone walls; beyond, it
was the plain. The left bank is formed of very steep
hills and ridges. They were all filled artillery of Russian
troops. The position was very well chosen, well defended
and by other troops, it would have taken longer
to capture.
The Marshal with his army, in trying to take this position, developed
the following plan: The English were to effect a turning movement on the Russian right.
The 2nd French Division with the
Turks must proceed along the sea
and fall on the Russian left, while
the rest of the army was to attack Russians in the front.
At two o'clock the action began with the tirailleurs fighting in
the vineyards at the foot of
Alma. When we heard
the cannon of the English and the
2nd Division, we
dropped out knapsacks and we
went running up
to the river. There, we each
crossed the river: we climb the slope
and we found
oursevles on the plateau, in the beard of
the Russians.
When all the troops were reformed, we pushed
the Russians over. The English gave them a terrible beating. The retreat of the enemy was in great disorder.
What a pity we did not have cavalry! The English captured two cannons and two flags.
Battle of the Alma is really a lucky shot, nothing can resist an army like
ours. The English are good
troops, with allies like these, nothing is impossible. The fleet was powerless, they enjoyed looking on,
it seems that it was magical.
While the
battle lasted two hours, it gives us an
immense moral and material advantage;
the Russian army
is demoralized and yet half of the army no
longer takes a shot. The battlefield is covered
with the dead of the wounded, this is
a painful spectacle,
but one had to close the heart and
go forward. Our battalion was our all time
behind or near
a battery, so
he received bullets and shells a-plenty. All
these shots don’t make much of an effect, we salute them despite
ourselves. Finally, all three of
us are healthy. Edward
has had his baggy pants torn by a shell-splinter but without any harm
to him, and a ball grazed the thigh, but
without harm.
The Russian army is has lost 5,000
or 7,000 men killed or wounded. The English 2,000 to 2,500; the French 1,500 to
1,800… General Canrobert was very lightly wounded by a shell-splinter but he is
good.
I have had a beautiful anniversary
of my birth, because you do not doubt, dear
mother, putting myself in the
world, thirty years ago, that for
the thirtieth anniversary
of my birth, I would be in the middle of the scrap.
Later, of course, we take to bury the woundedon the battlefield and to aide to the wounded men. I saw many wounded
Russians, almost all of whom were wounded in the head. In the beginning,
when we wanted the help them, they thought we were going to finish them.
Letter from Sergeant-Major Alfred Minart 27e Infanterie de Ligne, to his mother.
At the camp of
Balaklava, 24 September 1854,
My dearest Mother,
I had written you a long letter of five pages, and awaited
the courier; at the moment when I had finished it, a drunk Chasseur d’Afrique lays down at the door of my tent, I put the nose out to see what
is happening, at the same time,
the wind blows my letter that falls dan the
fue. I well-cursed
this cavalryman!.
Charles is constantly on the division for council of war which
he is secretary so I do not see him. Edward is ten minutes from here. I do
not see him often because he
is so high perched...
We had a terrible storm the
night before last, the wind begins to batter the three tents
of Colonel. He crieslike hell for someone to come to
his assistance, but no one could go
outside without the risk of being
blown away by the storm. Luckly, the sappers had pity on him and gave
him a small tent where he could spend the day. The tents of other officers had
the same fate and were blown away. Only that of Charles survived,
and was quickly invaded
by other officers who came to
seek asylum. Other
refugees went to Balaklava,
hoping that myladies would let themselves be seduced by the piteous of our
officers: but the ladies do not
have the heart as sensitive as
ours, and the
conquerors returned crestfallen.
I laughed comic scenes
caused by the hurricane. Thecantinieres who had taken refuge in their
wagons, they took the position without horses
and descended into
the ravines.
On the morrow, the wind ceased and they could rebuild their homes.
We are making
barriers to stop the
wind, and making underground houses. The government has just sent us the sheepskin
overcoats, we look like vertiable Eskimos. I have a victim of a big deception, I was proposed for promotion
to second lieutenant with the number 2,
because we had three vacancies, most of the rewards
of Alma just
arrived. I well hoped be named a
place in the depot in France. But the man proposed:
indeed, if Colonel favours him, he will go far with a commission, he did appoint, but from two noncommissioned officers of the Zouaves, Division
of Prince Napoleon. One of the newly promoted arrived a few days ago, they made him welcome, but
he disappeared. The next day we learned that he was
found dead, from a
gunshot to the heart. We do not know the motives
of his act of
despaire.
Letter from Corporal Edouard Minart, 1e Regiment des Zouaves, to his mother
Before the walls of Sebastopol 10th
October 1854
My dearest and best mother,
…On the 19th, after a
long and very fatiguing march in grass and scrub that was
waist-high, we saw Russian
sharpshooters. Immediately we have put ashore bag
and Nouse are
in scope to cover
before the main guard was going to install. In
the evening, the enemy
Cavalry wanted to spend, but the cannon began
to shoot and it
was dspersee. Le
Marechal Saint-Arnaud came to see the artillery, then my battalion that
supported. We started to shout "Vive le
Maréchal" but the
brave men told us: "Go and rest, my children, because tomorrow we will have to play a good battle, and
shout “Long live the Zouaves, instead of "Vive le Maréchal! "
Indeed, the next day,
after two hours of walking, we were greeted by bullets: our sharpshooters have
declined by advancing Russians. in this case,
a wretch who was
next to me was
shot in the mouth, which broke
his jaw. Another was struck in the chest and died.
We dropped out knapsacks
and we were told to lie down on our bellies behind a low rise. Bullets whistled above our
heads, but I stooped not, something told me that
I would not be reached. Finally, after fifteen
or twenty minutes, we stood up
and we were given orders to clear
the enemy position. It was great struggle, and
well defended with 10,000 Frenchmanagainst100,000
Russians. Finally forty-eight minutes after we reached the heights, the Russians retreated before
our bayonets, and we planted the flag of the regiment on a ruined tower which dominated
heights. The Marshal came to us
and said "My
children, we never saw anthing
like it, taking sucha
position in forty-eight minutes" We drew up the tents and
we have two days rest.
I forgot to tell you that on reaching the top, a shell splinter ripped my pants and brushed my left thigh but did not split the skin.
Since that day, we approached Sebastopol, marching with precuation, a small journey in the bush. We have been twenty-seven hours without eating or drinking.
Food is scarce, it is hoped that it will
get better in two o three days, when we take
Sebastopol.
