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French War Cemetery 1870 Floing

Cemetary French-German War.

On 1 September 1870, French cavalry led by General Margueritte attempted to break the encirclement of Sedan near the plateau of Illy. In less than two hours, more than a thousand cavalrymen died here during a huge firefight with the German troops on the flanks of Mount Terme.

The Prussian King William watching the carnage from the hill near the village of Frénois is reported to have said " die Tapferen Leute ", as much as "Les Braves Gens".

After this catastrophe, the French troops retreated to the citadel of Sedan, after which the French Prince-President Napoleon III raised the white flag as a surrender of the town to avoid civilian casualties. In the process, he and his troops were captured which led to the end of the 2nd Republic.

In this cemetery, the fallen from these battles are buried, not individually but by the name of their unit.

The cemetery is a rectangle with one main stele "Mort pour la France" and eight steles with the units on both sides.

On the left wall there is a plaque bricked in for the vet Pierre Louis Constant Chauvin.

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Source

  • Text: Francky de Rous
  • Photos: Francky de Rous