seems very confusing and strange, but it is indeed the case.
When I was editing Zulu War " Battle of Isandlwana ", I studied the war history of the British army at that time and found that after the war, the British army tried its best to praise and publicize "the most outstanding volunteer in the war" --Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, an exiled prince from France.
Napoleon I
Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was the only son of the Emperor of the Second French Empire Napoleon IIIand his wife, Queen Eugenie. He was the crown prince of the Second French Empire, so he was also called "Napoleon IV" ".
The most famous Napoleon I in history was his father's uncle. According to the Chinese generation, the crown prince is considered the grandnephew of Napoleon I. Of course, I don't know what French would call this relationship. After the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, Napoleon III, Emperor of the Second French Empire, and his family fled to the United Kingdom. His only son, Louis, succeeded the family in 1873 and was known as "Napoleon IV" in history.
During Louis's exile in England, he studied at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich - the predecessor of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. While studying artillery at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte seemed to have inherited Napoleon I's talent for artillery combat. He graduated with excellent academic performance.
Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte - Napoleon IV
The war history says that he " As a soldier, Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was eager to acquire practical military expertise; as a member of the Bonaparte family As a member, he longed to pick up the sword that his family used to build the empire to express himself and achieve himself. Great Britain was his family's refuge, and the soldiers of Great Britain gave him a sense of familiarity and comfort at home..."
It was just right at that time. When the Zulu War broke out, the British army dispatched troops from the mainland to participate in the war in South Africa. In short, Prince Louis actively requested to go to South Africa to participate in the Zulu War to complete his graduation internship.
On February 27, 1879, Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte received the Catholic sacraments at the tomb of Emperor Napoleon III at Kisshurst, and then boarded a ship on the Danube bound for the South African battlefield. It was entirely his own decision to go to Zulu to participate in the war. His mother, Queen Eugenie, was opposed to it, but in the end she complied with her son's wishes.
Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was a young man of noble birth. He had an optimistic and sincere personality, and was kind and friendly to others. On the long voyage, Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte played games with the passengers and had a great time.
He has no princely airs. At a port in Cape Town, South Africa, a passenger saw this young man standing under a ladder, picking up the children of poor workers and putting them on a boat. People on the pier mistook a richly dressed young man for the French prince in the news, and then when a plainly dressed and humble young man stepped off the ship, he got into the waiting Governor People were very surprised when they saw the bullock cart.
Prince Louis has received permission from the British government to accompany the British army to the battlefield. The Duke of Cambridge George has written to the Commander-in-Chief of the British Zulu Forces, Baron Frederic Cecil of Chelmsford, and Sir Henry Bartle Freer about this matter.
In early May 1879, Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte entered the general headquarters of Baron Frederic Cecije of Chelmsford in a low-key manner, and participated in the topographic surveying work of the headquarters with the rank of lieutenant. . Because of his low profile, the British commander-in-chief, Baron Frederic Thesiger of Chelmsford, did not particularly strengthen his security personnel.
On May 18, 1879, Prince Louis participated in a reconnaissance patrol of the British Army. During this reconnaissance patrol, Prince Louis crossed the river with twenty-five Basuto cavalry commanded by Captain Beddington and advanced into the hinterland of the Zulu Kingdom for reconnaissance.
They camped in the valley that night and set out after dawn to find a way to march.As they approached a road that ascended to a Zulu village, they were attacked by sixty Zulus on a ridge. Captain Beddington charged up the hill with his men and horses, killed two Zulus and captured seven horses.
During this period, it is said that Prince Louis was as calm as sitting in his study from beginning to end. This was the prince's first war in South Africa, but he seemed not to have fired a single shot. In the captured Zulu villages and towns, British soldiers discovered
. However, people are not as good as God, and this time there was an accident.
The patrol set off at 9:30 on June 1, 1879. Cross the mountain pass, cross a small river - a tributary of the Itojozi River, and come to a large flat-topped mountain. Lieutenant Prince Louis ordered the soldiers to rest, and he began his work on the spot - drawing terrain maps.
Then he took this ten-man British army surveying and mapping team to rest in a Zulu village. The soldiers fetched water and made coffee to drink. After the war horses ate grass and grain, they lay comfortably on the grass. Take a break.
An hour later, fifty Zulus came unnoticed and approached this small group of British troops, preparing to launch an attack.
The terrain here was very favorable to the Zulus, with a deep valley providing them with good cover. The Zulus emerged from the valley and crawled along the edge of the river, which was completely obscured by dense vegetation. The Kaffirs who were fetching water for Prince Louis and others saw a Zulu hiding and crawling. He quickly came back and reported what he saw.
At this time, Prince Louis looked at his watch and said, "You can let the horses rest for another ten minutes." However, the situation reported by the Kafirs made everyone eager to set off. They led the horses and saddled them. Everything was ready, and the prince carefully checked his horse's bit again, and then said: "Get ready to mount! Mount!"
Almost at the same time, at a distance of twenty yards, forty rifles of the Zulus opened fire together, bullets Fly among them. At this time, the soldiers formed a line close to the horses, facing east with their backs to the village, Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte at the front, closest to the Zulus.
Zulus shouted "Usutu!" "Look, British cowards!" from all directions and charged forward.
The soldiers on horseback immediately turned around and started running away. There was a panic, and the soldiers who jumped on the horses were all running away. No one thought of holding their ground and resisting, and no one cared about Prince Louis' safety.
At that time, Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was not injured, but he was unable to mount his tall war horse. The war horse was frightened by the sudden sound of gunfire. It leaned back and jumped up. Prince Louis could not get on the saddle at all. Many people saw Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte in trouble, but no one waited or offered even a little help. The soldiers galloped past on horseback.
When Private Le Tocque rode past Prince Louis, he shouted: "Hurry up! Please hurry up!" Lieutenant Carey of the 98th Regiment of the British Army was ordered to accompany the prince, but at this time he was already early He ran away fifty meters away.
The Zulus besieged the prince
As the leading lieutenant, Prince Louis, although his horse was a famous horse, had not gone through a real battle formation and did not obey the control at critical moments. Prince Louis tried his best to get on the horse. He grabbed the stirrup with his left hand and the saddle with his right hand, but he still couldn't get on. Finally, Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte made a desperate attempt to step up with the help of his pistol holster, but part of the holster was pulled off.
At this moment, the horse must have stepped on the prince's leg, threw his master to the ground, and then galloped away.
Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte immediately stood up and tried to chase his comrades, but they had already fled far away. A dozen Zulus came after him, and the prince turned, sword in hand, to face the pursuing Zulus. The prince drew his pistol and fired, but no one hit. The Zulu immediately stabbed him in the thigh and left shoulder with a spear. The lieutenant lost combat effectiveness and fell to the ground unable to move.
The prince was killed
The Zulus surrounded him and stabbed him with dozens of spears. One of them pierced the prince's eye. He should have died immediately after being fatally wounded.At this moment, the rest of the British troops had escaped 50 meters away, and no one came forward to rescue them. They watched helplessly as the prince died tragically under the spears. Two more soldiers in his squad were killed by the Zulus.
Afterwards, the British military court found Lieutenant Carey of the 98th Regiment guilty of dereliction of duty and escorted him back to the country. Queen Eugenie interceded for the hapless lieutenant, and Her Majesty Queen Victoria followed suit and ordered the release of Lieutenant Carey. However, the lieutenant's future in the British army was over.
Queen Eugenie
The prince's sword was seized by the Zulus and later sent to the hands of the Zulu King Cetshwayo. This sword was the "sacred object" used by Emperor Napoleon I when he was galloping on the European battlefield, and the deceased in the battle was the last hope of the Bonaparte family - Louis, French Prince Imperial, who was 23 years old at the time .
After the death of Napoleon IV, the Bonaparte family no longer had a worthy heir, and the great cause of restoration became the last song.
Prince’s body arrives in Durban
