Jean-François Klobb
Encyclopedia
Jean-François Arsène Klobb (1857–1899) was a French
colonial officer.
Born on June 29, 1857 in Ribeauvillé
in the department
of Haut-Rhin
in Alsace
, he was sent as an officer to French Sudan
(today Mali
). He participated to the long war against the local ruler Samory Touré, and was in 1892 the Chief of Staff of Colonel
Louis Archinard
, governor of French Sudan.
He returned to French Sudan
with the rank of Major
in July 1895, distinguishing himself against the Tuaregs, that he defeated in a series of battles fought in 1897–98, that helped to secure French control on Timbuktu
, endangered by the massacre near the city of a platoon of Sipahi
s in June 1897. http://www.cosmovisions.com/ChronoSoudanFrancais.htm
Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, he was made chief administrator of Timbuktu
; he held this position when he met there in 1898 Captain Paul Voulet, commander of the Voulet-Chanoine Mission
marching to Lake Chad
, whom he provided him with 70 Senegalese Tirailleurs
and 20 spahi
cavalry (both colonial troops recruited in West Africa). When in April 1899, he knew of the misdemeanors committed by the expedition, orders were given to Klobb assemble a small mission, reach Voulet's column and assume the command of the expedition.
Klobb followed the trail left by the "infernal column's
" passage; a trail of burned villages and charred corpses. He passed trees where women had been hanged, and cooking fires where children had been roasted. He also found the corpses of the expedition's guides; those that had displeased Voulet had been strung up alive in a position that the foot went to the hyenas and the rest of the body to the vultures.
On July 10, after a pursuit of over 2000 kilometres, Klobb arrived at Damangara, near Zinder
, where the villagers informed him that Voulet and his men were just a few hours march ahead. He sent an African sergeant with two soldiers to give Voulet a letter in which he informed him that he had been removed from his position and was to return home immediately, to which Voulet replied that he had 600 guns against his fifty, and would use them if he dared to come near.
Klobb did not believe the other officers or the riflemen would dare to kill, or let be killed, a superior officer; he didn't know that Voulet and Chanoine had kept the orders from Paris
secret, and that they had made sure that the other officers were not present. Consequently on July 14 Klobb proceeded with his men to Dankori, where Voulet waited. Klobb, after telling his men not to open fire under any circumstances, in full-dress uniform and with his Légion d'honneur
pinned on his chest, proceeded alone toward Voulet, who kept telling him to go back. To emphasise his warnings Voulet ordered two salvos fired in the air. When Klobb addressed Voulet's men, reminding them of their duties, Voulet threatened them with a pistol and ordered them to open fire. Klobb fell, wounded, still ordering Meynier not to return fire; but his words were truncated by a new salvo that killed Klobb and wounded his second, Octave Meynier
, while Klobb's soldiers fled.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
colonial officer.
Born on June 29, 1857 in Ribeauvillé
Ribeauvillé
Ribeauvillé is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Its inhabitants are called Ribeauvillois.The picturesque town is located around north of Colmar and south of Strasbourg.-History:...
in the department
Départements of France
The departments of France are French administrative divisions. The 101 departments form one of the three levels of local government, together with the 22 metropolitan and 5 overseas regions above them and more than 36 000 communes beneath them...
of Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, he was sent as an officer to French Sudan
French Sudan
French Sudan was a colony in French West Africa that had two separate periods of existence, first from 1890 to 1899, then from 1920 to 1960, when the territory became the independent nation of Mali.-Colonial establishment:...
(today Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
). He participated to the long war against the local ruler Samory Touré, and was in 1892 the Chief of Staff of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Louis Archinard
Louis Archinard
Louis Archinard was a French Army general at the time of the Third Republic, who contributed to the colonial conquest of French West Africa. He was traditionally presented in French histories as the conqueror and "Pacifier" of French Soudan . Archinard's campaigns brought about the end of the...
, governor of French Sudan.
He returned to French Sudan
French Sudan
French Sudan was a colony in French West Africa that had two separate periods of existence, first from 1890 to 1899, then from 1920 to 1960, when the territory became the independent nation of Mali.-Colonial establishment:...
with the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in July 1895, distinguishing himself against the Tuaregs, that he defeated in a series of battles fought in 1897–98, that helped to secure French control on Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
, endangered by the massacre near the city of a platoon of Sipahi
Sipahi
Sipahi was the name of several Ottoman cavalry corps...
s in June 1897. http://www.cosmovisions.com/ChronoSoudanFrancais.htm
Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, he was made chief administrator of Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
; he held this position when he met there in 1898 Captain Paul Voulet, commander of the Voulet-Chanoine Mission
Voulet-Chanoine Mission
The Voulet–Chanoine Mission or Central African Mission was a French military expedition sent out from Senegal in 1898 to conquer the Chad Basin and unify all French territories in West Africa...
marching to Lake Chad
Lake Chad
Lake Chad is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Africa, whose size has varied over the centuries. According to the Global Resource Information Database of the United Nations Environment Programme, it shrank as much as 95% from about 1963 to 1998; yet it also states that "the 2007 ...
, whom he provided him with 70 Senegalese Tirailleurs
Senegalese Tirailleurs
The Senegalese Tirailleurs were a corps of colonial infantry in the French Army recruited from Senegal,French West Africa and throughout west, central and east Africa, the main province of the French colonial empire...
and 20 spahi
Spahi
Spahis were light cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The modern French Army retains one regiment of Spahis as an armoured unit, with personnel now recruited in mainland France...
cavalry (both colonial troops recruited in West Africa). When in April 1899, he knew of the misdemeanors committed by the expedition, orders were given to Klobb assemble a small mission, reach Voulet's column and assume the command of the expedition.
Klobb followed the trail left by the "infernal column's
Infernal columns
The infernal columns were operations led by general Louis Marie Turreau during the War in the Vendee, aimed at eliminating all resistance after the setback of the virée de Galerne.-Other uses:...
" passage; a trail of burned villages and charred corpses. He passed trees where women had been hanged, and cooking fires where children had been roasted. He also found the corpses of the expedition's guides; those that had displeased Voulet had been strung up alive in a position that the foot went to the hyenas and the rest of the body to the vultures.
On July 10, after a pursuit of over 2000 kilometres, Klobb arrived at Damangara, near Zinder
Zinder
Zinder is the second largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 by 2005 was estimated to be over 200,000...
, where the villagers informed him that Voulet and his men were just a few hours march ahead. He sent an African sergeant with two soldiers to give Voulet a letter in which he informed him that he had been removed from his position and was to return home immediately, to which Voulet replied that he had 600 guns against his fifty, and would use them if he dared to come near.
Klobb did not believe the other officers or the riflemen would dare to kill, or let be killed, a superior officer; he didn't know that Voulet and Chanoine had kept the orders from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
secret, and that they had made sure that the other officers were not present. Consequently on July 14 Klobb proceeded with his men to Dankori, where Voulet waited. Klobb, after telling his men not to open fire under any circumstances, in full-dress uniform and with his Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
pinned on his chest, proceeded alone toward Voulet, who kept telling him to go back. To emphasise his warnings Voulet ordered two salvos fired in the air. When Klobb addressed Voulet's men, reminding them of their duties, Voulet threatened them with a pistol and ordered them to open fire. Klobb fell, wounded, still ordering Meynier not to return fire; but his words were truncated by a new salvo that killed Klobb and wounded his second, Octave Meynier
Octave Meynier
Octave Meynier was a French military officer, born on February 22, 1874 at Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in France and died on May 31, 1961 at Algiers. He is remembered as one of two officers who took control of the Voulet-Chanoine Mission, which mutinied and rampaged through West Africa in 1899. He...
, while Klobb's soldiers fled.