Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/442

 whom he will restore its former military glory, feels with satisfaction that there is a soldier at its head.

Ernest-Louis-Octave Courtot de Cissey, born in Paris December 23d, 1810, is now sixty-one years of age. He belongs to a noble family of Burgundy; his grandfather was a lieutenant-colonel in the dragoons of Segur, and chevalier of Saint-Louis. His father, also a chevalier of Saint-Louis, served in the same regiment with the rank of captain.

The first part of the career of General de Cissey was passed exclusively in Africa.

Admitted to Saint-Cyr December 2d, 1830, he left a member of the staff in 1832, and made his first campaign in Africa from 1836 to 1838. Remarkable from the first for his intrepidity and presence of mind, he received his first citation in the order of the army after the two expeditions of Constantine. Captain on the 27th February, 1839, serving in turn as aide-de-camp the Generals Dejean, Rumigny, and Tarlé, he continued to take part in different expeditions, and his name is continually to be found in the reports of the Governor-General and in the order of the day of the army.

On the 28th of May, 1840, particularly, he distinguished himself in the expedition of Médéah; June 5th, at Tegdempt and Mascara; May 3d, at Milianah, where he had a horse killed under him, after having slain with his own hand several Arabs. Captain de Cissey became major of cavalry July 19th, 1845; lieutenant-colonel June 14th, 1850; colonel May 10th, 1853; employed at the headquarters of the staff at Algiers from 1840 to 1850; he was successively aide-de-camp of General Pélissier, governor par interim of Algeria, and then sous-chef of the staff of the army of Africa. It was at this time that he married in Algiers the daughter of Rear-Admiral Rigodit, commanding the marine.