Battle of Mazagran

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Battle of Mazagran
Part of the French conquest of Algeria
The Siege of Mazagran by Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux
Date Early February 1840 Location Mazagran, near Mostaganem, French Algeria Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Emirate of Mascara
Commanders and leaders
Captain Hilaire Lelièvre Lieutenant Colonel Dubarrail	Ben Khami
Strength
123 Light Infantrymen	1,200[1][2][3] 2 cannons
Casualties and losses
3 killed, 16 wounded[4]	500 to 600[5][6][7][non-primary source needed]

The Battle of Mazagran was a combat between Arab and Berber forces against French troops during the

While the standoff was a relatively minor affair, the French press touted the event as a great success. Captain Lelièvre was rewarded for his success, and a medal was struck commemorating the action. The battle of Mazagran became the anniversary of the

In 1839, the

According to some sources, Algerian resistance forces under the command of Ben Khami (one of Abdal-Qādir's lieutenants) began arriving and surrounding the fort as early as the evening of 1 February, with actual organized assault beginning either then or the next day. Other sources place the arrival of these forces on 2 February, with attack commencing the next day. The duration of the battle is reported to be either three or four days.

Khami's force, initially reported by the French as numbering anywhere from ten to twenty thousand (although later analysis suggests it was considerably smaller) consisted primarily of cavalry. The army had two eight-pound guns, but was apparently not able to use them effectively. For about two days, the battle raged around the fort, but the disciplined garrison was able to repulse all of the attacks.

There was then a break in the fighting, so Lelièvre inventoried the remaining supplies, and determined that only 10,000 rounds remained. He proposed to his men to continue fighting until the ammunition was exhausted, and then to blow up the barrel of gunpowder as their last stand. This proposal was enthusiastically agreed to by his men, and the battle was once again joined. The battle persisted for two more days, until Dubuessil finally sent a relief column, prompting the Algerians to withdraw.

Aftermath

Newspapers in Paris were filled with news of the battle, and it was the talk of the city. A copy of the fort at Mazagran was erected on the

Accusation of hoax

Exasperated by French sarcasms over the British

• Chambers' repository of instructive and amusing facts, vol 2
• The United Service Magazine, Volume 41
• (in French) Dictionnaire de la conversation et de la lecture inventaire raisonné des notions générales les plus indispensables à tous, Volume 13
• (in French) Revue des deux mondes, Volume 128

35°53′44″N 0°04′17″E / 35.8956°N 0.0714°E / 35.8956; 0.0714