Statue du Général Margueritte

The family of General Margueritte, which bears the name of a town in the vicinity of Nîmes, is originally from the Gard, but the chances of life gave birth to it in the department of Meuse in 1823.
A brilliant cavalry officer, he took part in the Mexican campaign (1867) before taking command of the 1st African Chasseurs Regiment in Algeria. Called back to France as Brigadier General, he was appointed Major General on August 29, 1870 to head the 2nd Reserve Cavalry Division, formed in haste from 4 elite regiments and two artillery batteries. It was when the cavalry was about to rush against the enemy infantry that he was mortally wounded, at the beginning of the afternoon of September 1st.
Transported to Belgium, he died in Beauraing on September 6. This beautiful statue full of tragic ardor, returned to France by Algeria, (in 1968) was transported from Kouba to Floing to be placed in the very heart of the commune: it is that of an exemplary leader who, with his riders, sacrificed himself so that honor 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…”