Battle of Macta
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Macta was fought on 28 June 1835 between French forces under General Camille Alphonse Trézel
and a coalition of Algerian Berber
tribal warriors under Emir Abd al-Qadir during the French conquest of Algeria
. The French column, which had fought an inconclusive but somewhat bloody battle with al-Qadir a few days earlier, was retreating toward Arzew
to resupply when al-Qadir attacked in the marshes on the banks of the Macta River in what is now western Algeria
. The French panicked and fled to Arzew in a disorganized rout.
The disaster led to the recall to France of Trézel and the comte d'Erlon, the first military governor-general of the French possessions in Africa, and helped al-Qadir gain influence over tribes throughout Algeria.
Camille Alphonse Trézel
Camille Alphonse Trézel was a French général de division, Minister for War and peer of France during the July Monarchy...
and a coalition of Algerian Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
tribal warriors under Emir Abd al-Qadir during the French conquest of Algeria
French conquest of Algeria
The French conquest of Algeria took place between 1830 and 1847. Using an 1827 diplomatic slight by Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Ottoman Regency of Algiers, against its consul as a pretext, France invaded and quickly seized Algiers in 1830, and rapidly took control of other coastal communities...
. The French column, which had fought an inconclusive but somewhat bloody battle with al-Qadir a few days earlier, was retreating toward Arzew
Arzew
Arzew or Arzeu is a port city in Algeria, from Oran. It is the capital of Arzew District, Oran Province.-Antiquity:Like the rest of North Africa, the site of modern-day Arzew was originally inhabited by the Berbers...
to resupply when al-Qadir attacked in the marshes on the banks of the Macta River in what is now western Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. The French panicked and fled to Arzew in a disorganized rout.
The disaster led to the recall to France of Trézel and the comte d'Erlon, the first military governor-general of the French possessions in Africa, and helped al-Qadir gain influence over tribes throughout Algeria.