Battle Of The Col Des Beni Aïcha (1837)
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The Battle of the Col des Beni Aïcha or Battle of Thenia, which broke out on 19 April 1871, was a battle of the
Mokrani Revolt The Mokrani Revolt (; ) was the most important local uprising against France in Algeria since the French conquest of Algeria, conquest in 1830. The revolt broke out on March 16, 1871, with the uprising of more than 250 tribes, around a third of ...
between the Algerian rebels, and the France, which was the colonial power in the region since 1830.


Presentation

After the Algerian rebels took control of Palestro on 14 April 1871 after the
Battle of Palestro The Battle of Palestro was fought on 30–31 May 1859 between the Austrian Empire and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and Second French Empire, France. The Franco-Piedmontese forces were victorious. It was fought just sout ...
, they wanted to conquer Mitidja and the city of
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
. In order to achieve this,
Cheikh Mokrani Sheikh Mohamed El-Mokrani (; ; d. 1871), also known as Mohand Amokrane, was one of the principal leaders and the namesake of the Mokrani Revolt of 1871 against the French Algeria, French occupation of Algeria. Early life El-Mokrani was a desce ...
's troops had to bypass the region of Réghaïa via Lower Kabylia, while the spring of 1871 had begun and the Oued Isser was in flood. The Algerian soldiers went up from Palestro towards the northeast, far from the French garrisons and bivouacs from April 14, 1871, to reach after three days the French colony of Laazib Zamoum on April 17 where they lit wood fires all around this bud of French town. The French settlers and soldiers began after the
Battle of Laazib Zamoum A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...
to flee the
Issers Isser, formerly spelled Issers (, ) is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 27,990. As of the latest census it has 32,580 residents. Isser is located on the ...
plain towards
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
, but the Algerian rebels pursued them towards
Bordj Menaïel Bordj Menaïel (from the Arabic برج - bordj, "tower" and Berber ''imnayen'' "cavaliers") is a town in the Boumerdès Province in Algeria. It is located in the western Kabylie region at and is 30 km away from the city of Boumerdès. As o ...
which was burned during the Battle of Bordj Ménaïel, and similarly during the Battle of the Issers.


Settlement of the Col des Beni Aïcha

Since 17 May 1837, Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg and his French soldiers during the
Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha The Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha, or the Expedition of Thénia, or simply Beni Aïcha Expedition, was a expedition in May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria. This event pitted the troupes coloniales under Colonel Maximilien Jos ...
understood that control of the
Col des Beni Aïcha A col is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks; a mountain pass or saddle. COL, CoL or col may also refer to: Computers * Caldera OpenLinux, a defunct Linux distribution * , an HTML element specifying a column * A collision sig ...
region was crucial for the pacification of eastern Algiers and
Kabylia Kabylia or Kabylie (; in Kabyle: Tamurt n leqbayel; in Tifinagh: ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵍⴻⵇⴱⴰⵢⴻⵍ; ), meaning "Land of the Tribes" is a mountainous coastal region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is ...
. Several battles followed one another in this region until 1857 when Kabylia was pacified and the process of human and agricultural colonization began on the sequestered and despoiled land of the natives. Thus in July 1860, colonist ''Paul Just'', a native of Embrun in the Hautes Alpes, by order of Governor General
Patrice de MacMahon Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta (; 13 June 1808 – 17 October 1893), was a French general and politician who served as President of France from 1873 to 1879. He was elevated to the dignity of Marshal ...
, arrived on the ''Col des Beni Aïcha'' escorted by a military garrison to found an agricultural concession. Followed by several other settlers, ''Paul Just'' built wooden houses to found the new settlement, hence the name "Wooden Village". The ''Col des Beni Aïcha'' colony quickly became a stage coach, and a café was opened there as well as a wooden chapel and a distillery. The colonial village thus evolved slowly from 1860 until 1871 when the
Pieds-Noirs The (; ; : ) are an ethno-cultural group of people of French and other European descent who were born in Algeria during the period of French colonial rule from 1830 to 1962. Many of them departed for mainland France during and after the ...
lived on the meager product of the land and the stopping of travelers at the stage of the diligence.


Battle

During the day of 19 April 1837, the Algerian rebels sprang from the south of the colonial village of ''Col des Beni Aïcha'' coming from liberated ''Palestro'', and arriving from the
Issers Isser, formerly spelled Issers (, ) is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 27,990. As of the latest census it has 32,580 residents. Isser is located on the ...
and the heights of the ''Iflissen'', and invaded the entire periphery of the future '' Menerville'' then '' Thenia''. The rebels were commanded in this battle by the Marabout
Cheikh Boumerdassi Cheikh Mohamed El-Boumerdassi () was one of the principal leaders of the popular Mokrani Revolt uprising of 1871 against the French occupation of Algeria. Early life ''Mohamed ben Hamou ben Abdelkrim El-Boumerdassi'' was a descendant of the ma ...
, Cheikh of the ''
Zawiyet Sidi Boumerdassi Zawiyet Sidi Boumerdassi () or Zawiyet Ouled Boumerdès is a Zawiya (institution), zawiya located within Boumerdès Province in Algeria. Construction The zawiya of Ouled Boumerdès was built in 1714 in the southern heights of the current town of ...
'', and Marabout Cheikh Boushaki, Cheikh of the ''
Zawiyet Sidi Boushaki Zawiyet Sidi Brahim Boushaki () or Zawiyet Thénia is a Zawiya (institution), zawiya of the Rahmaniyya Sufi brotherhood located at Boumerdès Province, in the lower Kabylia region of Algeria. Construction The zawiya of Soumâa was built in 1442 ...
'', who led this Algerian attack against the French colonies in Lower Kabylia. The rebels of the Iflissen (Flissas), the Issers, the Beni Aïcha, the Beni-Amran and the Khachnas then went to the colonial village of the Col des Beni-Aïcha, from which the settlers were able to escape in time, but who was looted, then set on fire. Indeed, around noon on 19 April 1871, almost all the French colonists had left the village of the ''Col des Beni Aïcha'', and almost immediately the hamlet was invaded by Algerian rebels.
Cheikh Mokrani Sheikh Mohamed El-Mokrani (; ; d. 1871), also known as Mohand Amokrane, was one of the principal leaders and the namesake of the Mokrani Revolt of 1871 against the French Algeria, French occupation of Algeria. Early life El-Mokrani was a desce ...
, for his part, remained entrenched in liberated ''Palestro'' and gave his orders to the rebel troops, while orchestrating and preparing the coveted capture of Algiers.


Counter attack

After the
Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) took place during the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septe ...
turned to defeat against the Algerian rebels on 23 April 1871, after the arrival of Colonel Alexandre Fourchault and his French reinforcements from Algiers, the Algerians entrenched themselves at the
Col des Beni Aïcha A col is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks; a mountain pass or saddle. COL, CoL or col may also refer to: Computers * Caldera OpenLinux, a defunct Linux distribution * , an HTML element specifying a column * A collision sig ...
to try to rebound again on
Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'', an upcoming film by Sally Potter * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' ( ...
. This is how Colonel ''Alexandre Fourchault'', after having recaptured ''Alma'', walked energetically on the ''Col des Beni Aïcha'' which he took up again after sharp clashes on 30 April 1871 with the rebels. But the Algerians continued until 8 May 1871 to attack the hamlet of ''Col des Beni Aïcha'' from all sides, since it is located in a basin surrounded by mountains to the north and south. Colonel ''Fourchault'' had barricaded himself in the burnt and looted village while waiting for reinforcements from General Orphis Léon Lallemand who had gathered in Alma to rush on the ''Col des Beni Aïcha'' to free it from the insurrection of
Cheikh Mokrani Sheikh Mohamed El-Mokrani (; ; d. 1871), also known as Mohand Amokrane, was one of the principal leaders and the namesake of the Mokrani Revolt of 1871 against the French Algeria, French occupation of Algeria. Early life El-Mokrani was a desce ...
. Without hesitating a second, and without waiting for reinforcements, General ''Lallemand'' left ''Alma'' with his head down, and the next day, Tuesday 9 May 1871, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, his military column was encamped at the ''Col des Beni Aïcha'', which gives access to Great Kabylia.


Punishment of villages

On 7 May 1871, Colonel ''Fourchault'' was thus instructed to go and burn the villages of the ''Ammal'' on the left bank of the Oued Isser, which were abandoned by their inhabitants, and he had to operate with a light column of infantry without bags and cavalry. Left at 11 a.m. to chastise the rebel villages and try to capture the two Sheikhs, he returned to Alma camp at 7 p.m., and had earlier sent a report to General Lallemand where he said that everything was 'had gone for the best. The two villages (decheras) to which Lallemand wanted to inflict punishment were razed and burned without any gunshot, with the exception of two Algerians who were taken with arms and who were executed on the spot. The skirmishers burned a few gourbis, and the Turcos and Zouaves took charge of the loot collected. On May 8, 1871, at 5 a.m., General Lallemand's column set out for the Beni-Aïcha pass, following the ridges which form the dividing line between the Isser valley and that of Corso. This road had the advantage of leading to the pass through the ridge line, avoiding the difficulties that would have had to be overcome if we had to force the passage directly. A big stop was made at the fountains of Azela and Tilfaouïn. The Khachna of the civilian territory had made their submission and sent hostages; they had returned to their villages, where they were not disturbed. Shortly before arriving at the Beni Aïcha pass, General Lallemand had doubts as to whether the villages of
Soumâa Soumâa or Thala Oufella is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria. Location The village is surrounded by Meraldene River and Isser River, and also the town of Thenia in the Khachna mountain range. Zawiya * Zawiyet Sidi Boush ...
, Gueddara, Meraldene, Tabrahimt and Azela had really provided hostages. Colonel Fourchault, who marched in the vanguard, asked the native affairs officer who accompanied him for information on this subject; the latter replied that he was not sure about it, but that General Lallemand was not far behind and that it would be easy to consult him. The people of these villages came out of their houses unarmed and came to meet the column to make an act of submission. Colonel Fourchault, considering that these villagers were among the rebels who looted the houses of the Beni-Aïcha pass, ordered them to be slashed by the peloton of hunters on horseback who marched as scouts on the village, followed by a group of infantry. The hunters surrounded the people of
Soumâa Soumâa or Thala Oufella is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria. Location The village is surrounded by Meraldene River and Isser River, and also the town of Thenia in the Khachna mountain range. Zawiya * Zawiyet Sidi Boush ...
, Gueddara, Meraldene, Tabrahimt and Azela who had advanced and began to fire rifle shots at them almost at close range. They were so taken by this macabre reception, which they were far from expecting, that they did not even think of fleeing and fifteen of them fell dead one after the other. Fourchault marched on the village which was pillaged and his soldiers shot at the women who were fleeing in the ravines with the men who had not been hit. One of the villagers who had fallen under the bullets was only wounded and he remained motionless pretending to be dead, and when the shooters went to take off his burnous, he took his course in the ravine and managed to escape, but five other men from the villages were similarly killed, and a woman was also killed while fleeing into the ravine. After this raid of punishment, the column of Fourchault established its bivouac at the deserted Col des Beni-Aïcha, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon after having traveled 20 kilometers, and it found water there at the fountain of the village and to a fairly abundant spring located above the camp. Orders were given to rally the convoy and the luggage left at the Alma to spend the day of May 9 resting at the Beni Aïcha pass before continuing to hunt down the rebels.


Captures of Cheikhs

Before reaching the ''Col des Beni Aïcha'', General ''Lallemand'' had given on 8 April 1871 the orders to intercept and capture
Cheikh Boumerdassi Cheikh Mohamed El-Boumerdassi () was one of the principal leaders of the popular Mokrani Revolt uprising of 1871 against the French occupation of Algeria. Early life ''Mohamed ben Hamou ben Abdelkrim El-Boumerdassi'' was a descendant of the ma ...
and Cheikh Mohamed Boushaki in their entrenchments and hiding places in the mountains of '' Khachna'' and ''
Ammal Ammal is a town and commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 8,567. Villages The villages of the commune of ''Ammal'' are: History French conquest * Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha ...
''. Finally
Cheikh Boumerdassi Cheikh Mohamed El-Boumerdassi () was one of the principal leaders of the popular Mokrani Revolt uprising of 1871 against the French occupation of Algeria. Early life ''Mohamed ben Hamou ben Abdelkrim El-Boumerdassi'' was a descendant of the ma ...
, his brother Abdelkader Boumerdassi, as well as Cheikh Mohamed Boushaki were flushed out and captured before being imprisoned. Cheikh ''Mohamed Boumerdassi'' was deported to
New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
in 1874, aged 56 at the time and whose name was ''Mohamed ben Hamou ben Ali Boumerdassi'', with the order number: 130133. After the complete stifling of this insurrection of Sheikh Mokrani, the orders of sequestration and spoliation of the lands of the Algerian insurgents were promulgated. If insurgents were then sentenced to the death penalty or to hard labor for life, others were simply deported to New Caledonia after being taken prisoner at Fort Quélern, then transported by the ship La Loire to on board thirty-four Algerian political deportees via the ninth convoy that left the port of Brest on 5 June 1874 and arrived at the port of Nouméa on 16 October 1874.


See also

*
Zawiyet Sidi Boumerdassi Zawiyet Sidi Boumerdassi () or Zawiyet Ouled Boumerdès is a Zawiya (institution), zawiya located within Boumerdès Province in Algeria. Construction The zawiya of Ouled Boumerdès was built in 1714 in the southern heights of the current town of ...
*
Zawiyet Sidi Boushaki Zawiyet Sidi Brahim Boushaki () or Zawiyet Thénia is a Zawiya (institution), zawiya of the Rahmaniyya Sufi brotherhood located at Boumerdès Province, in the lower Kabylia region of Algeria. Construction The zawiya of Soumâa was built in 1442 ...
*
Cheikh Boumerdassi Cheikh Mohamed El-Boumerdassi () was one of the principal leaders of the popular Mokrani Revolt uprising of 1871 against the French occupation of Algeria. Early life ''Mohamed ben Hamou ben Abdelkrim El-Boumerdassi'' was a descendant of the ma ...


External links

* * * * * *


Bibliography


(fr) Un Épisode de l’insurrection Kabyle. — L’Alma, Palestro


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Col des Beni Aïcha, Battle of the Conflicts in 1871 1871 in Algeria April 1871 Battles of the Mokrani Revolt History of Thénia