"France's first black general once fought a cavalry..." Topic

… squadron by himself — and emerged unscathed.

"General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas was covering the retreat of his 30 dragoons and light infantry across a bridge in the Italian village of Klausen when his horse was shot out from beneath him.

With his aide-de-camp severely wounded, Dumas found himself alone on the narrow bridge as an entire Austrian cavalry squadron closed in. Using his dead horse as a barricade, and armed with only a sword, he stood and fought the squadron singlehandedly for several minutes.

When reinforcements finally arrived, sending the Austrians fleeing, they were likely amazed at the scene before them…"
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Amicalement
Armand

totally wrong, Dumas is certainly not the "France's first black general", he was mulatto, so half-white half black, there were many cases of mulattos and true black French generals in these years, but they were not the fathers of Alexandre Dumas them…

Horatius at the bridge?

…there were many cases of mulattos and true black French generals in these years…

Do you have a listing or, if not, do you have a source?

I' curious too… real black French Generals?… that's really new for me…

Please… enlight us my friend…

Amicalement
Armand

>>he stood and fought the squadron singlehandedly for several minutes.

And in all that time not one had a carbine to pop at him??
Dead horse only 60cm high; sabre only 65cm long, narrow bridge so NOT a squadron available… nah fluff…
d

Fluff or whatever aside, would there be any other nations at the time in which what would be now termed a "mixed race" soldier might have attained a rank other than "bandsman"?

Was Toussaint Louverture a general in the French Army? I think he was all black

Maybe the Spanish Army would have had mixed race officers. Didnt the Spanish have a lot of locally raised units in Argentina during the Napoleonic period?

Toussaint Louverture was a Black General who fought AGAINST the french Army.

No black Generals in the Spanish Army… nor Indians… etc..

San Martin has a Regiment of black Libertos… Colonel Falucho was the most ranking soldier in this unit… he died wrapped in the Argentine flag in the fortress of Callao when the Spaniards were about to capture it.

He threw himself into the sea avoiding the capture of the flag.

There is a small square with a monument to his name and action near my home.

Virtually all blacks in Argentina died in the Liberation Wars, in the War of Paraguay and because of the Yellow Plague … that's why there are practically no blacks in Argentina.

Amicalement
Armand

Thanks, Armand; I sought some more details about this Falucho, a Corporal it seems, and it appears there are several versions of his story. The statue certainly has presence, a good stance for a command base, and what I think must be a broken musket underfoot.

Toussaint Louverture was of course a black French general of the French Army until 1802 exactly like Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe
he was général de brigade since 1795 then général de division in 1796 of the French Army

it is like to say that Bolivar or San Martin were not Spanish officers because both fought against Spain

his nephew Moïse and son Paul Louverture reached also the rank of general
Jean Pierre Baptiste L'Eveillé black born in Africa
André Rigaud mulatto
Antoine Chanlatte mulatto, served until 1810 under Napoleon in the camps of Boulogne Saint Omer
Louis-Jacques Beauvais but only a quarteron
Martial Besse
Jean Louis Vialatte mulatto
Charles Belair mulatto
Augustin Clairvaux, Bardet, Domage, Laplume, Maurepas, Pierre Michel, Vernet…

for others Armies
At least the unexpected case of the Russian Army in 1742 with the Major General Abraham Hannibal born in 1696 in Africa, probably today Camerun, then Lieutenant General in 1755 then General in 1759…

Toussaint Louverture was a Black General who fought AGAINST the french Army.

I would have said he fought both for and against the French, depending on the moment. My understanding like Lilian's is that he as a general in the French army at one time. How regular his appointment was though I am not sure.