Praying for Paris & Remembering a French Confederate

[Flag Pin Image obtained from 'crossed-flag-pins.com']

Less than 24 hours ago, radical Islamic terrorists attacked multiple sites in the city of Paris, France. Out of respect for the situation, I will avoid going too deep into this issue so as to not make any speculations, but more than 100 have been confirmed killed in this heinous attack, and hundreds more are said to be wounded. The Michigan Camps of the Sons of Confederate Veterans denounce this awful act, and we send out our thoughts & prayers to all of those who survived this awful attack, and also to the loved ones of those who's lives were lost. God bless France.

Many might not be aware that a native of France was a high ranking officer in the Confederate Army who was officially recognized for service worthy of distinction in the Southern Cause!

(Obtained from Wikipedia)

Camille Armand Jules Marie, Prince de Polignac was born on February 16, 1832 in a small community of the Paris region of France. His father had been the Prime Minister of France prior to his birth, and was also a close confidante of France's King Charles X. In 1853, Camille joined the French Army and served in the Crimean War from 1854-1855, and during this time he received a commission as a second lieutenant.

Upon resigning from the French Army in 1859, Camille traveled to Central America for the purpose of studying geography, political economy, and plant life. In early 1860, he made his way to the United States, and was still here when the War of 1861 broke out. Camille enthusiastically volunteered to serve in the Confederate armed forces, and with his royal ancestry & prestigious foreign connections he was almost sure to serve in the officer corps.

Appropriately he was set to serve first as a Lieutenant Colonel, and was made a staff officer under Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, who like Camille was a soldier of gallant temperament, French lineage and the Catholic faith, and then he was placed in the staff of Gen. Braxton Bragg, the commander of the Army of Tennessee. His service during the first half of the war was so as to justify a promotion to the rank of Brigadier General in early 1863, and then he was sent to serve in the Trans-Mississippi Dept. as the commanding officer of a Texas infantry brigade.

At first the Texans were a bit uncomfortable at the thought of serving under this foreigner, who they quickly dubbed "Prince Polecat" since they couldn't pronounce his name, but Camille would prove himself to his men rather quickly and the moniker they bestowed upon him would be spoken with great affection.

In early 1864, he and his Texans earned victories against Union forces in skirmishes near Vidalia & Harrisonburg in Louisiana, but his greatest moment would come during the Red River Campaign from March to May in 1864, particularly in The Battle of Mansfield. In that battle, "Prince Polecat" led his troops in person, waving his sword over his head as his troops charged screaming the famous "Rebel Yell," helping the Confederates achieve a great victory despite being greatly outnumbered by Union forces. A Union soldier who was captured would recall the Prince and his troops as "charging demons" in an assault that was "like a cyclone." The Prince's commanding officer, Gen. Alfred Mouton, was killed in this battle, leading to Polignac receiving a battlefield promotion to Major General. His actions at Mansfield would also lead to his name being placed on the Confederate Roll of Honor, the equivalent of receiving the Medal of Honor. This battle and others would lead to glorious victory for the Confederates in the campaign, and then the Prince's division would be reassigned to Arkansas.

By this point, despite some major battlefield victories, the overall war situation for the Confederacy was worsening. The Confederate government desperately sought assistance from a European power, and so Gen. Polignac was taken off of the battlefield and sent in the spring of 1865 to France in an ambassadorial role to request assistance from Napoleon III, then Emperor of France. Unfortunately the Prince arrived in France after it was too late.

The now former Confederate general was well received by his home country, and was knighted by Napoleon III. The Prince remained quite proud throughout his life of his accomplishments in the defense of the American South against Union aggression, even naming his only son after the place of his greatest battlefield victory.

Prior to the death of Camille Armand Jules Marie, Prince de Polignac on November 15, 1913 in Paris at the age of 81, he was the last living Major General of the Confederacy. In 1918, the Prince's daughter, Agnes - the Marquis de Courtrivon, agreed to join the United Daughters of the Confederacy of New Orleans. She would later organize a Paris chapter of the organization, and the Paris UDC spearheaded the erection of a monument to General Polignac at the Mansfield battlefield. The late General's son, Victor Mansfield Alfred de Polignac, helped dedicate the monument in 1925, with the General's widow also in attendance.

Once again I offer the prayers and highest hopes of these two SCV camps to the people of Paris and all of France as they deal with last night's tragedy.

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321