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Belgian Legion

January 23, 2023

Several military units have been known as the Belgian Legion. The term "Belgian Legion" can refer to Belgian volunteers who served in the French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars, Revolutions of 1848 and, more commonly, the Mexico Expedition of 1867.

Belgian Legion in Mexico.
Grenadier in Mexico, 1866.
Sous-lieutenant in Mexico, 1865-7.

French Revolutionary era

The French Revolutionary armies incorporated a number of "legions" of foreign volunteers during the French Revolutionary Wars after 1792. These included a number of units recruited among exiles from the failed Brabant (1789–90) and Liège revolutions (1789–91). A number of separate units were organised, including:

These units incorporated a number of influential revolutionary figures, including Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau and Louis Lahure who both served in the Belgian Legion.

Restoration

Temporarily regaining control of the Southern Netherlands, on 2 March 1814, Austria formed several military units from regional recruitment. This volunteer force was known as the Légion belge (Belgian Legion) and initially was intended to strengthen the Austrian position in their former provinces in the event of a counterattack from France. With the full occupation of the Southern Netherlands by Austria, Prussia and the United Provinces (Holland), a provisional government was established under the Duke of Beaufort and local levies continued to be recruited separately by each of the three allies. The largest of these was the Belgian Legion which, under the command of the Belgian born Austrian General Count von Murray, was now intended to keep local order.[1] Administrated by the Baron Poederlé, secretary general for armaments, this Legion was made up of 4 line infantry regiments (from Brabant, Flanders, Hainaut and Namur), a light infantry regiment, two cavalry regiments and an artillery regiment.

This unit merged into the army of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 1 September 1814, when that nation annexed the territory that would later form Belgium.

French Revolution of 1848

In March 1848, during the French Revolution of 1848, Belgian workers living in Paris formed an "Association des démocrates belges" (94, rue de Ménilmontant), led by Blervacq a wine merchant and an old officer called Fosses. This gave rise to a new Belgian Legion. Informally supported by Ledru-Rollin, Caussidière and other members of the French government dreaming of a Republican uprising in the Southern Netherlands and a subsequent French annexation of that area, this Legion's aim was to overthrow the monarchy and establish a Belgian republic. Commanded by Blervacq, Fosses and Charles Graux and escorted by students of the École Polytechnique, a troop of 1100 to 1200 unarmed men in three corps departed Paris on 25 March. Passing via Douai then Seclin (27 March), they were resupplied by the commissioner of the Nord department, Charles Delescluze, and by general Négrier.

However, France's Minister for War Cavaignac, alerted by a recent incident provoked by Belgian workers who had returned to the frontier at Quiévrain by train, demanded that Négrier give no assistance to any violation of the Belgian frontier. Négrier obeyed by ordering the Polytechniciens to turn back and closing the gates of Lille. On the evening of 28 March, however, the Legion broke camp and seized the arms and ammunition gathered by Delescluze before crossing the frontier between Neuville-en-Ferrain and Mouscron. They then confronted Belgian troops under General Joseph Fleury-Duray in Risquons-Tout (then a hamlet in the commune of Rekkem, but now part of Mouscron) and were defeated, with 7 killed, 26 wounded and 60 captured, a skirmish known as the Risquons-Tout incident. Some of the captured democrats were imprisoned in the Citadel of Huy and 17 of them condemned to death and executed at Antwerp.[2]

Mexico Expedition

During the Mexico Expedition 1,500 Belgian volunteers were formed into a Belgian Legion to fight in the army of Emperor Maximilian, whose wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, was Leopold I of Belgium's daughter.

Composition

 
Fanion of the Belgian Legion.

Officially "The Belgian Expeditionary Corps" this Legion comprised an infantry regiment of two battalions - the "Empress Battalion" of grenadiers and the "King of the Belgians' Battalion" of voltigeurs. The officers and non-commissioned officers were mainly drawn from the regular Belgian Army as were some of the other ranks.[3] The Belgians formed part of a much larger "Imperial Mexican Corps of Austrian and Belgian Volunteers", though they served separately from the Austrian contingent which was brigaded with Mexican Imperial troops.[4]

In action

The first detachment of the Belgian Legion, numbering 604 men, embarked for Mexico on 16 October 1864. Three further contingents were sent over the next three months, bringing the total force up to about 1,500. The Legion's first encounter with the Mexican Republican forces was at the Battle of Tacámbaro on 11 April 1866, where a Belgian detachment of 300 men was forced to surrender after losing up to a third of its strength. The remainder of the Belgian Legion performed well in subsequent clashes but by the late summer of 1866, with the French army preparing for evacuation, morale amongst the foreign contingents attached to the Mexican Imperial army was low. Thirty Belgian officers petitioned to return to Europe on the grounds that their contracted terms of service were about to expire. Others transferred to mixed Mexican/foreign units.[5] On 12 December 1866 the Legion was disbanded and 754 of the contingent returned to Belgium where they dispersed.[6]

Aftermath

A small group of elderly survivors of the Belgian Legion escorted the coffin of Charlotte after her death at the Castle of Bouchout in 1927.[7]

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    "The Belgian Legion in Mexico", painting by Charles Dominique Oscar Lahalle, 1869.

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    Uniforms of officers and soldiers of the Belgian regiment: bodyguards of Empress Charlotte.

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    "Heroic defense of the Belgian battalion commanded by Major Tydgadt in Tacamburo, April 11, 1865." Draft by M. A. Martin representing the Battle of Tacámbaro.

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    Photograph of Belgian Legion soldiers, 1866.

See also

References

  1. ^ Ronald Pawly, pages 4-6 "Wellington's Belgian Allies 1815, ISBN 1-84176-158-3
  2. ^ Louis-Antoine Garnier-Pagès, Histoire de la Révolution de 1848, 2e éd., t. 4, vol. II, Paris, Pagnerre, 1866, chap. 6, XVI-XXV, pp. 263-273.
  3. ^ Paul Legrain, page 124 "Les Soldats de Leopold Ier et Leopold II", D 1986/0197/03
  4. ^ Rene Chartrand, page 35 "The Mexican Adventure 1861-67" ISBN 1-85532-430-X
  5. ^ McAllen, M.M. Maximilian and Carlota. Europe's Last Empire in Mexico. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-59534-263-8.
  6. ^ Rene Chartrand, pages 36-37 "The Mexican Adventure 1861-67", ISBN 1-85532-430-X
  7. ^ Gene Smith, page 292 "Maximillan and Carlota", ISBN 0-688-00173-4

Further reading

  • Duchesne, Albert (1967). L'expédition des volontaires belges au Mexique, 1864-1867 (in French). Brussels: Musée royal de l'Armée et d'histoire militaire.
  • Bénit, André (2015). "Il y a 150 ans... La triste épopée de la légion belge au Mexique. Histoire et fiction". Cuadernos de Investigación Filológica. 41: 103–128. doi:10.18172/cif.2735.
  • Maréchal, P.; Van Schuylenbergh-Marchand, P. (1993). "Les volontaires belges au Mexique (1864–1867). Impressions et visions du Nouveau Monde". In Stols, E. (ed.). Les Belges et le Mexique. Dix contributions à l'histoire des relations Belgique—Mexique. Leuven: Presses universitaires de Louvain. pp. 37–78. ISBN 90-6186-580-8.
  • Blumberg, Arnold (1964). "United States and the Role of Belgium in Mexico, 1863-1867". The Historian. 26 (2): 206–227. ISSN 0018-2370. JSTOR 24441351.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Belgian Legion.
  • Austrian and Belgian Volunteers Serving in Mexico at United States Combined Arms Research Library

January 23, 2023
belgian, legion, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, november, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Belgian Legion news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Several military units have been known as the Belgian Legion The term Belgian Legion can refer to Belgian volunteers who served in the French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars Revolutions of 1848 and more commonly the Mexico Expedition of 1867 Belgian Legion in Mexico Grenadier in Mexico 1866 Sous lieutenant in Mexico 1865 7 Contents 1 French Revolutionary era 2 Restoration 3 French Revolution of 1848 4 Mexico Expedition 4 1 Composition 4 2 In action 4 3 Aftermath 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksFrench Revolutionary era EditThe French Revolutionary armies incorporated a number of legions of foreign volunteers during the French Revolutionary Wars after 1792 These included a number of units recruited among exiles from the failed Brabant 1789 90 and Liege revolutions 1789 91 A number of separate units were organised including Belgian Legion Legion belge or Legion belgique with two battalions Liegeois Legion Legion liegeoise with two battalions Legion of Belgians and Liegeois Legion des Belges et Liegeois with six battalions These units incorporated a number of influential revolutionary figures including Jean Baptiste Dumonceau and Louis Lahure who both served in the Belgian Legion Restoration EditTemporarily regaining control of the Southern Netherlands on 2 March 1814 Austria formed several military units from regional recruitment This volunteer force was known as the Legion belge Belgian Legion and initially was intended to strengthen the Austrian position in their former provinces in the event of a counterattack from France With the full occupation of the Southern Netherlands by Austria Prussia and the United Provinces Holland a provisional government was established under the Duke of Beaufort and local levies continued to be recruited separately by each of the three allies The largest of these was the Belgian Legion which under the command of the Belgian born Austrian General Count von Murray was now intended to keep local order 1 Administrated by the Baron Poederle secretary general for armaments this Legion was made up of 4 line infantry regiments from Brabant Flanders Hainaut and Namur a light infantry regiment two cavalry regiments and an artillery regiment This unit merged into the army of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 1 September 1814 when that nation annexed the territory that would later form Belgium French Revolution of 1848 EditIn March 1848 during the French Revolution of 1848 Belgian workers living in Paris formed an Association des democrates belges 94 rue de Menilmontant led by Blervacq a wine merchant and an old officer called Fosses This gave rise to a new Belgian Legion Informally supported by Ledru Rollin Caussidiere and other members of the French government dreaming of a Republican uprising in the Southern Netherlands and a subsequent French annexation of that area this Legion s aim was to overthrow the monarchy and establish a Belgian republic Commanded by Blervacq Fosses and Charles Graux and escorted by students of the Ecole Polytechnique a troop of 1100 to 1200 unarmed men in three corps departed Paris on 25 March Passing via Douai then Seclin 27 March they were resupplied by the commissioner of the Nord department Charles Delescluze and by general Negrier However France s Minister for War Cavaignac alerted by a recent incident provoked by Belgian workers who had returned to the frontier at Quievrain by train demanded that Negrier give no assistance to any violation of the Belgian frontier Negrier obeyed by ordering the Polytechniciens to turn back and closing the gates of Lille On the evening of 28 March however the Legion broke camp and seized the arms and ammunition gathered by Delescluze before crossing the frontier between Neuville en Ferrain and Mouscron They then confronted Belgian troops under General Joseph Fleury Duray in Risquons Tout then a hamlet in the commune of Rekkem but now part of Mouscron and were defeated with 7 killed 26 wounded and 60 captured a skirmish known as the Risquons Tout incident Some of the captured democrats were imprisoned in the Citadel of Huy and 17 of them condemned to death and executed at Antwerp 2 Mexico Expedition EditDuring the Mexico Expedition 1 500 Belgian volunteers were formed into a Belgian Legion to fight in the army of Emperor Maximilian whose wife Princess Charlotte of Belgium was Leopold I of Belgium s daughter Composition Edit Fanion of the Belgian Legion Officially The Belgian Expeditionary Corps this Legion comprised an infantry regiment of two battalions the Empress Battalion of grenadiers and the King of the Belgians Battalion of voltigeurs The officers and non commissioned officers were mainly drawn from the regular Belgian Army as were some of the other ranks 3 The Belgians formed part of a much larger Imperial Mexican Corps of Austrian and Belgian Volunteers though they served separately from the Austrian contingent which was brigaded with Mexican Imperial troops 4 In action Edit The first detachment of the Belgian Legion numbering 604 men embarked for Mexico on 16 October 1864 Three further contingents were sent over the next three months bringing the total force up to about 1 500 The Legion s first encounter with the Mexican Republican forces was at the Battle of Tacambaro on 11 April 1866 where a Belgian detachment of 300 men was forced to surrender after losing up to a third of its strength The remainder of the Belgian Legion performed well in subsequent clashes but by the late summer of 1866 with the French army preparing for evacuation morale amongst the foreign contingents attached to the Mexican Imperial army was low Thirty Belgian officers petitioned to return to Europe on the grounds that their contracted terms of service were about to expire Others transferred to mixed Mexican foreign units 5 On 12 December 1866 the Legion was disbanded and 754 of the contingent returned to Belgium where they dispersed 6 Aftermath EditA small group of elderly survivors of the Belgian Legion escorted the coffin of Charlotte after her death at the Castle of Bouchout in 1927 7 The Belgian Legion in Mexico painting by Charles Dominique Oscar Lahalle 1869 Uniforms of officers and soldiers of the Belgian regiment bodyguards of Empress Charlotte Heroic defense of the Belgian battalion commanded by Major Tydgadt in Tacamburo April 11 1865 Draft by M A Martin representing the Battle of Tacambaro Photograph of Belgian Legion soldiers 1866 See also EditBelgian Expeditionary Corps in Russia Free Belgian Forces Belgian United Nations Command the Belgian volunteer battalion that served in the Korean War 1950 1953 References Edit Ronald Pawly pages 4 6 Wellington s Belgian Allies 1815 ISBN 1 84176 158 3 Louis Antoine Garnier Pages Histoire de la Revolution de 1848 2e ed t 4 vol II Paris Pagnerre 1866 chap 6 XVI XXV pp 263 273 Paul Legrain page 124 Les Soldats de Leopold Ier et Leopold II D 1986 0197 03 Rene Chartrand page 35 The Mexican Adventure 1861 67 ISBN 1 85532 430 X McAllen M M Maximilian and Carlota Europe s Last Empire in Mexico p 259 ISBN 978 1 59534 263 8 Rene Chartrand pages 36 37 The Mexican Adventure 1861 67 ISBN 1 85532 430 X Gene Smith page 292 Maximillan and Carlota ISBN 0 688 00173 4Further reading EditDuchesne Albert 1967 L expedition des volontaires belges au Mexique 1864 1867 in French Brussels Musee royal de l Armee et d histoire militaire Benit Andre 2015 Il y a 150 ans La triste epopee de la legion belge au Mexique Histoire et fiction Cuadernos de Investigacion Filologica 41 103 128 doi 10 18172 cif 2735 Marechal P Van Schuylenbergh Marchand P 1993 Les volontaires belges au Mexique 1864 1867 Impressions et visions du Nouveau Monde In Stols E ed Les Belges et le Mexique Dix contributions a l histoire des relations Belgique Mexique Leuven Presses universitaires de Louvain pp 37 78 ISBN 90 6186 580 8 Blumberg Arnold 1964 United States and the Role of Belgium in Mexico 1863 1867 The Historian 26 2 206 227 ISSN 0018 2370 JSTOR 24441351 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Belgian Legion Austrian and Belgian Volunteers Serving in Mexico at United States Combined Arms Research Library Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Belgian Legion amp oldid 1124215781, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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