Coming from a former military family, Lucien de Montagnac, born May 17, 1803, is one of the greatest criminals in colonial France in the 19th century.<\/p>\n
After the republican insurrection in Paris in June 1832, which he severely suppressed, Captain Montagnac was sent to Algeria in 1840 and with his regiment garrisoned at Oran. He will be illustrated by his brutality towards the local populations. Here is a letter he sent to his nephew extolling the atrocities against the native population he had committed with his troops:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are established in the center of the country, burning, killing, sacking, everything in our path. Some tribes still resist, but we are tracking them from all sides in order to take their wives, their children, their cattle. For the women, some are kept as hostages, the others are exchanged for horses.<\/p>\n
Here is my good friend, how to wage war on Arabs.<\/p>\n
Kill all the men up to the age of 15, take all the women and children, load the boats with them, send them to the Marquesas Islands or elsewhere. Do away with everything that won’t break like dogs at our feet.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, all the populations that will not accept our conditions must be razed. Everything must be taken, ransacked, regardless of age or sex.<\/p>\n
THE GRASS SHOULD NO LONGER GROW WHERE THE FRENCH ARMY PUT THE FEET. ”<\/p>\n
It was on September 23, 1845 at the battle of Sidi Brahim that Colonel Montagnac was killed by the men of L\u2019\u00c9MIR Abdelkader.<\/p>\n
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