Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1970 Prince Camille De Polignac: the Life of a Soldier. Roy Odell Hatton Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Hatton, Roy Odell, "Prince Camille De Polignac: the Life of a Soldier." (1970). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 1856. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/1856 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 71-6576 HATTON, Roy O d ell, 1936- PRINCE CAMILLE DE POLIGNAC: THE LIFE OF A SOLDIER. The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Ph.D., 1970 History, modern University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan @ 1971 Roy Odell Hatton ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PRINCE CAMILLE DE POLIGNAC; THE LIFE OF A SOLDIER A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of History by Roy Odell Hatton B,A., Northwestern State College, 1960 M.A., Northwestern State College, 1963 August, 1970 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Sincere thanks to Dr. T. Harry Williams and to Mrs. Stephanie Ann Rose. 1 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................... ............................... • * • i i ABSTRACT.............................................................................* .................. iv INTRODUCTION.................... ........................................... ......................... ....................... v i i C hapter I* "Serve God and King" <••••••••.... 1 II. "It is a step f o r w a r d " . * ••••«..*. 26 III. "Was not Caesar Caesar at twenty?".•••••••••....................... 41 . IV. "He has freely exposed himself to all the dangers of war".. 57 V. "A series of dinners, dances and charades, and theatricals" 74 VI. "Above all forbear to whistle, to drink wine, spit, talk German or swear".••••••••••.»••.•••.»*•••............. 36 VII. "A damn frog-eating Frenchman"...••••••••••••••••••••••••.. 112 VIII. "I will show you whether I am 'polecat* or 'Polignac'" ..... 135 IX. "My boys, follow your Polignac"...... ••••••••••«•• 145 X. "The last days of the Confederacy"..•••..••••••••• •••• 171 XI. "300,000 men, 10,000 officers, 4 marshals, and 1 emperor".. 189 XII. "Their voices are hushed, but their memories shall live"... 210 XIII. Conclusion................................................................................. ........................ 219 Bibliography. •••••••••••••••••••.•••••••• • 224 i i i ABSTRACT L ittle is known about the thousands of foreigners who fought in the American Civil War. This study deals with one of those aliens, a French aristocrat, Prince Camille Armand Jules Marie de Polignac. Camille de Polignac was a romantic figure from a romantic age—the nineteenth century. He was versatile and talented and re­ ceived recognition as a scholar, engineer, soldier, mathematician, and musician. He was of noble birth, descended from a family of rebels with a history of involvement in political affairs in France. His father, Jules, was the last prime minister of Charles X, and his grandmother, the Duchess de Polignac, was governess of Marie Antoinette's children. Camille de Polignac distinguished himself as a soldier in the Crimean War, the American Civil War, and the Franco-Prussian War. The Prince was the highest titled European to play a significant role in the American Civil War. A Confederate general at the age of thirty-two, he was the only person owing allegiance to a foreign flag to attain the rank of major general in either army. Until now the story of Polignac*s war experiences has remained untold. He is generally unknown to Civil War enthusiasts because he fought in secondary campaigns and because significant sources in France, relating to his military career, were unavailable. iv Polignac served the South with distinction during the Confederate invasion of Kentucky in 1862* Later, in 1864, during the Red River campaign, he distinguished himself by his skill and gallantry, specifically during the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant H ill. The Confederate victory at Mansfield, the decisive battle of the campaign, can be attributed in a large degree to the ability of Camille de Polignac. He had been a determining influence in stopping, repelling, and finally driving the Federals out of the Red River country. In January, 1865, the Prince was sent on an unsuccessful diplomatic mission to France, in an effort to secure aid for the Confederate cause. He never returned to the United States. Like most Civil War commanders, Polignac learned by experience. His story is one of frustration at first, and later of adjustment to a new and different kind of war, fought by a new and different kind of military personnel~the citizen soldier. Considering his background, he did rather well; he became a good commander at the division level. Given the chance, he could have probably commanded larger numbers of tro o p s. This then is not another story of a hero, an all-victorious commander, who always led his men in decisive battles to great victories. Nor is this a complete biography; it should not be regarded as such. The brief coverage of Polignac's life preceding and following his adventure in the United States has been presented merely to help the reader understand the man and his actions during the American conflict and to give some basis for evaluation. To write a full length biography would be impossible without research in French archives, and even then it might be impossible to make a detailed study. Sources on Polignac*s life before and after the Civil War are not available. This, then, is an account of the military experiences of a colorful and dynamic man who made a significant contribution to the Confederate cause in the American Civil War, and who fought with distinction in the Crimean War and the Franco-Prussian War under the flag of his native France. v i INTRODUCTION Few of the thousands of foreigners who fought in the American Civil V/ar rose high enough in rank to affect significantly the outcome of battles and campaigns. The grand exception was a young French aristocrat, Camille Armand Jules Marie, Prince de Polignac. At the age of thirty-two and without the benefit of a formal military edu­ cation he achieved the rank of major general in the Confederate army. Although the North and the South welcomed assistance of foreigners, both governments, but particularly the South, were re­ luctant to bestow high ranks on any but the native-born. Polignac's accomplishment is especially noteworthy since only seven foreign-born citizens in both armies attained the rank of major general-—six from the North and one from the South. The story of Camille de Polignac's Civil War career and his contribution to the Confederate cause has remained untold until now, because he fought in secondary campaigns and because significant sources in France, relating to his military career, were unavailable. Fortunately, the Prince kept a diary during the war. He returned to France with the diary, and its existence remained unknown to historians for nearly a century. In 1962 this diary, together with a short journal of his activities during the Franco-Prussian War and several hundred family letters, was made available to the author by the Prince's v i i daughter, the Marquise de Crequi Montfort de Courtivron, of Paris, France. These sources, along with the voluminous The War of the Rehellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (1890-1901), as well as many personal accounts by contemporaries, enabled the author to reconstruct the Prince's military career in America. Even with this abundance of material there are s till un­ avoidable gaps in the Polignac story. Sources on his life before and after the Civil War are simply not available. A full-length biography would be inconceivable without research in French archives; and then, since he was a minor figure, a larger work might be superfluous. However, the author feels that it is necessary to provide some biographical information, since Civil V/ar enthusiasts know so little about Polignac. Those chapters relating to Polignac*s personal life have been included to help the reader understand the man and his actions during the American Conflict and give some basis for evaluation. There are still legitimate questions that can be raised about Polignac's m ilitary experiences in America. What, for example, motivated him to join the Confederacy? Because Polignac fought in the Crimean Y/ar, the Civil War, and the Franco-Prussian War, one is tempted to think of him as merely a soldier of fortune, who followed a m ilitary career wherever there was promise of adventure, pleasure, or profit. For such a man, fighting is as the breath of life. But there were many wars other than the three mentioned that Polignac could have taken part in if he had been so inclined. That he did not, therefore, precludes one from categorizing him as simply a soldier of v i i i fortune. All of his military experience except in the Civil War was in the service of his native France. He ended his military career at the age of thirty-nine. Such action is hardly characteristic of a soldier of fortune. There is no evidence that Polignac was attracted to war for the pleasure of fighting and killing, although in keeping with class and family tradition, he did love the glory and distinction one might gain on the battlefield. Polignac was an adventurous man of principle, a knight-errant, who fought in the Civil War because he believed in the Confederate cause and because he wished to exhibit his military skill and prowess.