Solomon Braun (1868–1899) was a French

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

of artillery, born at

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1868 and died in

Togbao On October 10, 1898 a French military expedition commanded by the ''Lieutenant de vaisseau'' Henri Bretonnet and the Lt. Solomon Braun left France directed to Chad, at the time dominated by the Muslim warlord Rabih az-Zubayr. With the missions we ...

, Chad, in 1899. His father, a poor peddler, observing Solomon's capacity for learning, made the greatest sacrifices to give him a good education. Solomon successfully passed the competitive examination for the ''

École Polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

'', whence he graduated as lieutenant of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. In 1897 he obtained permission from the

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

to join the perilous expedition for the exploration of Lake Chad under Lieutenant

Henri Bretonnet Henri-Etienne Bretonnet (1864–1899) was a French naval officer, killed with most of his men in the battle of Togbao. Second Mizon mission Bretonnet entered in the navy by attending the École Navale, the Navy Academy in charge of the education o ...

. The expedition was surprised by the forces of

Rabih az-Zubayr Rabih az-Zubayr ibn Fadl Allah or Rabih Fadlallah ( ar, رابح فضل الله ,رابح الزبير ابن فضل الله), usually known as Rabah in French (c. 1842 – April 22, 1900), was a Sudanese warlord and slave trader who establish ...

, ruler of the region, and almost every member of the mission was killed, Solomon included.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Solomon People of French Equatorial Africa 19th-century French Jews French military personnel killed in action 19th century in Chad Military personnel from Paris 1868 births 1899 deaths 19th-century French military personnel