Edouard-Jean-Etienne Deligny
See also: Deligny (homonymy)
Edouard-Jean-Etienne Deligny (born the December 12th 1815 with Ballan (Indre-et-Loire) - died in 1902 with Ballan, in its property of Goupillière) was a French soldier of the 19th century, which was major general of infantry and Grand Cross of the Légion of honor.
Biography
Admitted with the military royal School of the Arrow in 1827, Edouard-Jean-Etienne Deligny continued then his military formation with Saint-Cyr military school in 1832. It was named second lieutenant the April 20th 1835 with the 12 {{E}} light. In Algeria since the May 12th 1840, it made many forwardings in the province of Oran and that of the Morocco in 1844, finished by the Bataille of Isly.
Campaigns with the colonies
Lieutenant the December 27th 1840, captain the October 19th 1844, it obtained to pass with his rank to the battalion of the indigenous riflemen to Oran, the May 8th 1848; promoted major a few months later, it did not leave any more the colony but in May 1859. It accepted the cross of officer the July 28th 1849, and the shoulder pads of lieutenant-colonel to the 75 {{E}} of line the May 10th 1852.
Colonel the December 30th 1852, it made in 1854 the forwarding of the Sebaou, in which it was wounded of a shot to the head, the June 20th, between the village of Taourirt and the Djemma-if-Saïd. He carried out the retirement, after being himself returned Master of all the villages of the Ath Menguelet, when the Kabyles sprang of all shares, climbed with as much heat than of agility the peak, as the French troops were withdrawn some, and, benefitting from the least obstacles than offered the ground to them, directed a fire of sharpest against the last French levels. It was in one of these engagements that colonel Deligny, with most extremely of the fray, was dangerously wounded with the head. It was going to fall to the capacity from the Kabyles when, by a supreme effort, the soldiers who were near him managed to draw it with their hands.
He becomes brigadier general in 1855.
Cité à l' order of the army of the August 13rd and in the report/ratio relating to the fight against Kabyles of the Djurdjura, it was named, the July 29th, commander in reward of his beautiful control.
General the July 31st 1855, it was placed at the disposal of the governor of the Algérie, which charged it with the reorganization of the circle of Tizi-Ouzou. The Ath-Raten of Larbaa Nath Irathen, the most important tribe of the Kabylie of Djurdjura, and which in 1834 had made a pretense of tender to divert the storm which threatened them, and they employed, to move away the moment from their final tender, all the means in their capacity, seeking to sow the discord among the tribes of the one and other bank of the valley of Sébaou attached to the cause of France. Various measurements were taken to paralyze Ath-Raten. But it was a whole plan of organization which it was necessary to thwart their attempts. The Deligny general, who knew the Kabyles perfectly, their passions, their weaknesses, but also their qualities, came from Dellys in Tizi-Ouzou to supervise the reorganization of the circle. In little time it could restore the calm one or at least a relative peace in the valley. The status quo was maintained in Kabylie, thanks to him, until the following year.
In September 1856, the Deligny general contributed strongly to the tender of the confederation of the Guetchoulas, the village of Djemma, leant with the last buttresses of the Djurdjura, surrounded on the two other sides of deep ravines, is accessible only on one of its faces: it is there that Kabyles had solved to be defended. To seize some, it directed against the enemy an attack in rule. Four battalions under the orders of the Deligny general approached the height in two columns, but made themselves main from there only after one fierce combat which cost a rather great number of killed and casualties.
Deligny made in 1857 the forwarding of the Grande Kabylie, of the marshal Randon. The July 11th, with the combat delivered on the escarpée peak of the Illiten, this general officer, going to the enemy with the head of his brigade, was seriously wounded of a ball in the top of the chest. Put at the order of the body, it was called in France in 1859, after 19 last years without interruption in Africa. Eight month later on October 1st, it returned in Algérie.
It took share with the forwarding of the Morocco in 1859.
Major general in 1860, large officer of the Legion of honor the December 30th 1862, Grand Cross the June 7th 1865, and ordering province of Oran of which it was 10 years governor. It was called to order the camp of Trawl-nets in 1869, after being themselves distinguished in Isly and in Italy. It made in 1870 the countryside of Germany, fought under Metz and was made prisoner with Munster. Placed at the framework of reserve the December 13rd 1880, the Deligny general took his retirement the December 12th 1881.
It was called thereafter by Mr. Thiers in all haste with Versailles, which offered the command of the troops to him to go on Paris where the Commune had burst. But he proudly answered Mr. Thiers that never he would not accept similar work and that he could seek in his entourage of the soldiers more ambitious than able, who would not ask to better find an advance fast on this occasion.
As for him, without staff, tired it regained Touraine.
It had then the command of the 4 {{E}} body which it founded in Mans in 1873, then it was named general inspector in 1879.
He died in his property of Goupillière in 1902 with Ballan, where he had withdrawn himself in his ground of family to his retirement.
Grand Cross of the Legion of honor, the Deligny general, in all humility, had prohibited that the honors were returned to him military to which it had right, having ordered as a chief in front of the enemy. He asked simply, not to disturb the troops of Tours, to be carried out of ground by the firemen of Ballan, where its tomb is.
With Colonel Géry it took part in the first incursion into the Oranian South in 1843. Lieutenant-colonel, he is Directeur of the Arab Businesses of the Area.
Thus the founded military station in 1852 on order of the Pélissier General and whose first stone was posed the November 25th 1852 by Lieutenant Segretain failed to be called “Delignyville. ”
In December 1853, the Pélissier General, in a letter with Lieutenant Segretain ordered: “I decide that the station that you build will call Geryville and the detached Tower will name Deligny. ”
Of a very great bravery, it was wounded several times, inter alia with the seat of Laghouat, where its men the believer died on the battle field, trailed it like a corpse to tear off it with the hands of the Berbères. It regained consciousness in its death chamber, 48 hours after, at the moment when one prepared oneself to bury it!
Wishing to choose a virile and qualified heart to educate the imperial prince, the Emperor Napoleon III convened the Deligny general to entrust this delicate task to him. This one went to the convocation, but feeling too old and of a too hard military temperament for similar and so frightening load, declined in spite of the insistence of the Emperor, which was quoted to him.
Then the Emperor took on his work table a small bronze bust of his son and gave it to the Deligny general while saying to him: “ Here for you, in recognition of your services for the Empire. Serve it! ”