Statue du Général Margueritte

General Margueritte's family, which bears the name of a commune near Nîmes, is originally from the Gard, but the hazards of life brought him into the department of Meuse in 1823. A brilliant cavalry officer, he took part in the Mexican campaign (1867) before taking command of the 1st Regiment of African Chasseurs in Algeria. Recalled to France as a Brigadier General, he was appointed Major General on 29 August 1870 to take command of the 2nd Cavalry Reserve Division, which was hastily formed of 4 elite regiments and two artillery batteries. He was mortally wounded at the moment when the cavalry was about to attack the enemy infantry, in the early afternoon of September 1st, when he was transported to Belgium and died at Beauraing on September 6th. This beautiful statue full of tragic ardour, returned to France by Algeria, (in 1968) was transported from Kouba to Floing to be placed at the very heart of the commune: it is that of an exemplary leader who, with his horsemen, sacrificed himself so that honour would be safe, even though he knew the situation was hopeless. Some of his most beautiful words were: "My true vocation is not to be a soldier, I don't like war, I hate it... »