Louis Faidherbe
Encyclopedia
Louis Léon César Faidherbe (3 June 1818 – 29 September 1889) was a French
general and colonial administrator. He created the Senegalese Tirailleurs
when he was governor of Senegal.
. He received his military education at the École Polytechnique
and at Metz
, and entered the engineers in 1840. From 1844 to 1847 he served in Algeria
, then two years in the West Indies, and again in Algeria, taking part in many expeditions against the Arabs.
as sub-director of engineers, and in 1854 was promoted chef de bataillon and appointed governor of the colony on December 16. He held this post with one brief interval (1861–1863) until July 1865.
The work he accomplished in West Africa
constitutes his most enduring legacy. At that time France possessed in Senegal
little else than the town of Saint-Louis
and a strip of coast. Explorers had, however, made known the riches and possibilities of the Niger
regions, and Faidherbe formed the design of adding those countries to the French dominions. He even dreamed of creating a French African empire stretching from Senegal to the Red Sea
.
came to dominate metropolitan interests in West Africa. In practice this meant free access by French interests to African markets and resources, in which conditions, prices, and products to be produced by Africans were enforced by European coercion. Since the 18th century, attempts to circumvent the traditional African controlled and taxed trade routes into the interior met with little success. Faidherbe, under the justification of extending security for Europeans, made the French military the engine of expansion.
. The plan specified in detail the creation of forts along the Senegal river to end African control of the acacia gum trade from the interior. Faidherbe's push to build fortifications farther out, his conflicts with Protet, and his protests to Paris over Protet's inaction earned him the governorship in 1854.
Within three months of his appointment as Governor, he had begun work on the first in a series on inland forts up the Senegal River
, at Médine
just below the Félou waterfall (1855). By 1860, Faidherbe had built a series of forts between Médine and St. Louis, launching missions against the Trarza
Moors
in Waalo
(north of the Sengal river), who had previously collected taxes on goods coming to Saint-Louis from the interior.
empire along the Niger River, and the Cayor
in the south. . By sending emissaries to sign protectorates with weaker states (Bubakar Saada of Bondu
, King Samba
of Khasso
) and by completing the "pacification" of Casamance
and the Wolof peoples through what is now northern Senegal, Faidherbe quickly came into direct conflict with these states.
.
, the Muslim
ruler of the countries of the middle Niger. By advancing the French outposts on the upper Senegal
, and particularly by breaking Umar Tall's siege of Medina Fort
, Faidherbe stemmed the Muslim advance. Striking an advantageous treaty with Umar in 1860, Faidherbe brought the French possessions into touch with the Niger. He also brought into subjection the country lying between the Senegal river
and Gambia.
. In 1857, the French seized the inland region between these two from the Lebu Republic, and rechristened their capital Ndakarou as the new colonial city of Dakar
. Work was begun on the Dakar-Saint Louis railway, as well as a rail line along the Senegal into the interior.
Faidherbe's large-scale projects included the building of bridges and provisioning of fresh drinking water. But Saint-Louis' place as a door of French trade into an African interior began to wane with the expansion of direct colonial rule. Access to its port became increasingly awkward in the age of the steamship and the completion of the Dakar-Saint Louis railroad in 1885 meant that up-country trade effectively circumvented its port. Large French firms, many from the city of Bordeaux
, took over the new commercial networks of the interior, marginalizing the Métis
traders who had always been the middle men of upstream commerce.
Faidherbe also placed under direct French control large scale seasonal Groundnut
cultivation near the fort systems, and then along the rail lines. This created the navétanes system of seasonal labor migration, first in Cayor, then spreading along the rail lines to Baol
and Sine-Saloum
, and eventually along the Thies-Kayes railway
. This would be a pattern spread throughout French West Africa
and French Equatorial Africa
well into the 20th century.
.
In 1863 he became general of brigade. From 1867 to the early part of 1870, he commanded the subdivision of Bona
in Algeria
, and was commanding the Constantine
division at the commencement of the Franco-Prussian War
.
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and his French Imperial Army by the Prussian
Army in the summer of 1870, colonial officers such as Faidherbe were recalled to France and increasingly promoted to higher ranks to command new units and replace generals killed or captured in battle. Faidherbe was promoted to general of division
in November 1870, and on 3 December he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Army of the North by the Government of National Defence
.
Faidherbe quickly proved himself to be the most able of the generals fighting Prussian forces in the French provinces, and won several small victories against the Prussian First Army at the towns of Ham
, Hallue
, Pont-Noyelles
, and Bapaume
. Despite his military skills, Faidherbe was never able to form an army strong enough to seriously worry the Prussians, as his army, composed of raw recruits, suffered immense supply difficulties and low morale in the freezing winter of 1870/71. The Army of the North performed remarkably well by being able to strike isolated German forces and then retreat behind the belt of fortresses protecting the Pas-de-Calais, but the army was ultimately destroyed at St Quentin
when, ordered by Minister of War Leon Gambetta
, Faidherbe rushed his army into an open battle with Prussian forces, which shattered Faidherbe's forces.
for the département of the Nord, He resigned his seat prior to the end of his term in 1888.
For his military services he was decorated with the grand cross, and made chancellor of the order of the Legion of Honor. In 1872 he went on a scientific mission to Upper Egypt
, where he studied the monuments and inscriptions. An enthusiastic geographer
, philologist
and archaeologist
, he wrote numerous works, among which may be mentioned Collection des inscriptions numidiques (1870), Epigraphie phenicienne (1873), Essai sur la langue poul (1875), and Le Znaga des tribes sénégalaises (1877), the last a study of the Berber language. He also wrote on the geography and history of Senegal and the Sahara
, and La Campagne de l'armée du Nord (1872).
He was elected a senator in 1879, and, in spite of failing health, continued to the last a close student of his favorite subjects. He died on 29 September 1889, and received a public funeral. Statues and monuments to his memory were erected at Lille, Bapaume
, Saint-Quentin
and Saint-Louis, Senegal
. Numerous streets are named after him and also a subway station in Paris (Faidherbe-Chaligny)
.
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...
general and colonial administrator. He created the 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...
when he was governor of Senegal.
Background
He was born in LilleLille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
. He received his military education at the École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
and at Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, and entered the engineers in 1840. From 1844 to 1847 he served in 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...
, then two years in the West Indies, and again in Algeria, taking part in many expeditions against the Arabs.
West Africa
In 1852 he was transferred to SenegalSenegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
as sub-director of engineers, and in 1854 was promoted chef de bataillon and appointed governor of the colony on December 16. He held this post with one brief interval (1861–1863) until July 1865.
The work he accomplished in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
constitutes his most enduring legacy. At that time France possessed in Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
little else than the town of Saint-Louis
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...
and a strip of coast. Explorers had, however, made known the riches and possibilities of the Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
regions, and Faidherbe formed the design of adding those countries to the French dominions. He even dreamed of creating a French African empire stretching from Senegal to the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
.
Militarization of the colonies
Faidherbe's primary legacy was the means by which French colonialism expanded. Under the French Second Empire, the ideology of opening foreign markets to Free TradeFree trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
came to dominate metropolitan interests in West Africa. In practice this meant free access by French interests to African markets and resources, in which conditions, prices, and products to be produced by Africans were enforced by European coercion. Since the 18th century, attempts to circumvent the traditional African controlled and taxed trade routes into the interior met with little success. Faidherbe, under the justification of extending security for Europeans, made the French military the engine of expansion.
Direct control of the Senegal River
Faidherbe's actions were not of his own creation, but were an implementation of "The Plan of 1854": a series of ministerial orders given to Governor Protet that originated in petitions from the powerful Bourdeaux based Maurel and Prom company, the largest shipping interest in St. LouisSaint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...
. The plan specified in detail the creation of forts along the Senegal river to end African control of the acacia gum trade from the interior. Faidherbe's push to build fortifications farther out, his conflicts with Protet, and his protests to Paris over Protet's inaction earned him the governorship in 1854.
Within three months of his appointment as Governor, he had begun work on the first in a series on inland forts up the Senegal River
Sénégal River
The Sénégal River is a long river in West Africa that forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania.The Sénégal's headwaters are the Semefé and Bafing rivers which both originate in Guinea; they form a small part of the Guinean-Malian border before coming together at Bafoulabé in Mali...
, at Médine
Siege of Medina Fort
The Siege of the Fort du Médine took place in 1857 at Médine near Kayes modern-day Mali, when the Toucouleur forces of al-Hājj Umar Taal unsuccessfully besieged French colonial troops under General Louis Faidherbe, governor of Senegal.-Origin:...
just below the Félou waterfall (1855). By 1860, Faidherbe had built a series of forts between Médine and St. Louis, launching missions against the Trarza
Emirate of Trarza
The Emirate of Trarza was a precolonial state in what is today southwest Mauritania, which has survived as a traditional confederation of semi-nomadic peoples to the present day. Its name is shared with the modern Region of Trarza. The population, a mixture of Berber tribes, were later conquered...
Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
in Waalo
Waalo
The Kingdom of Waalo was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what are now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean...
(north of the Sengal river), who had previously collected taxes on goods coming to Saint-Louis from the interior.
Conflict in the interior
French Military forces had previously avoided conflicts with the most powerful states in the area, the ToucouleurToucouleur
The Toucouleurs are a Fula agricultural people who live primarily in West Africa: the north of Senegal in the Senegal River valley, Mauritania, and Mali.-History:...
empire along the Niger River, and the Cayor
Cayor
The Kingdom of Cayor was the largest and most powerful kingdom that split off from the Empire of Jolof , in what is now Senegal. Cayor was located in north and central Senegal, southeast of Waalo, west of the kingdom of Jolof and north of Baol and the Kingdom of Sine.In 1549, the king, or...
in the south. . By sending emissaries to sign protectorates with weaker states (Bubakar Saada of Bondu
Bondu
Bondu was a state in West Africa, later a French protectorate dependent on the colony of Senegal. It lay between the Faleme River and the upper course of the Gambia River, that is between 13 and 15 N., and 12 and 13 W.-Description:...
, King Samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
of Khasso
Khasso
Khasso or Xaaso was a West African kingdom of the 17th to 19th centuries, occupying territory in what is today Senegal and the Kayes Region of Mali. Its capital was at Medina until its fall....
) and by completing the "pacification" of Casamance
Casamance
Casamance is the area of Senegal south of The Gambia including the Casamance River. It consists of Basse Casamance and Haute Casamance...
and the Wolof peoples through what is now northern Senegal, Faidherbe quickly came into direct conflict with these states.
.
War with the Toucouleur
To accomplish even the first part of his design, he had very inadequate resources, especially in view of the opposition from El Hadj Umar TallUmar Tall
El Hadj Umar ibn Sa'id Tall , , born in what is now actual Senegal was a West African political leader, Islamic scholar, and Toucouleur military commander who founded a brief empire encompassing much of what is now Guinea, Senegal, and Mali.-Name:Umar Tall's name is spelled variously: in...
, the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
ruler of the countries of the middle Niger. By advancing the French outposts on the upper Senegal
Upper Senegal and Niger
Upper Senegal and Niger was a colony in French West Africa created in 1904 from Senegambia and Niger. Niger became a separate military district in 1911 and a separate colony in 1922, Upper Volta was split off in 1919, and the remainder reorganized as French Sudan in 1920...
, and particularly by breaking Umar Tall's siege of Medina Fort
Siege of Medina Fort
The Siege of the Fort du Médine took place in 1857 at Médine near Kayes modern-day Mali, when the Toucouleur forces of al-Hājj Umar Taal unsuccessfully besieged French colonial troops under General Louis Faidherbe, governor of Senegal.-Origin:...
, Faidherbe stemmed the Muslim advance. Striking an advantageous treaty with Umar in 1860, Faidherbe brought the French possessions into touch with the Niger. He also brought into subjection the country lying between the Senegal river
Sénégal River
The Sénégal River is a long river in West Africa that forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania.The Sénégal's headwaters are the Semefé and Bafing rivers which both originate in Guinea; they form a small part of the Guinean-Malian border before coming together at Bafoulabé in Mali...
and Gambia.
Economics
Saint-Louis was placed under formal military control, and a telegraph and road link was set up between it and the French colonies in Gorée Island and RufisqueRufisque
Rufisque is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula. It has a population of 179,797 . In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but is now a suburb of Dakar....
. In 1857, the French seized the inland region between these two from the Lebu Republic, and rechristened their capital Ndakarou as the new colonial city of Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
. Work was begun on the Dakar-Saint Louis railway, as well as a rail line along the Senegal into the interior.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, took over the new commercial networks of the interior, marginalizing the Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
traders who had always been the middle men of upstream commerce.
Faidherbe also placed under direct French control large scale seasonal Groundnut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
cultivation near the fort systems, and then along the rail lines. This created the navétanes system of seasonal labor migration, first in Cayor, then spreading along the rail lines to Baol
Baol
The Kingdom of Baol or Bawol in central Senegal was one of the ancient kingdoms of the Serer people pre-the Jolof Empire, an Empire it would later join voluntarily just like the other States. However it gained prominence after the split-up of the Empire in 1555...
and Sine-Saloum
Sine-Saloum
Sine-Saloum is a region in Senegal located north of The Gambia and south of the Petite Côte. It encompasses an area of 24,000 square kilometers, about 12% of Senegal, with a population in the 1990s of 1,060,000....
, and eventually along the Thies-Kayes railway
Dakar-Niger Railway
The Dakar–Niger Railway connects Dakar, to Koulikoro, . It serves many cities in Senegal and Mali...
. This would be a pattern spread throughout French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
and French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
well into the 20th century.
Legacy in French colonialism
When he resigned his post French rule had been firmly established over a very considerable and fertile area and the foundation laid upon which his successors built up the position occupied after 1904 by France in West AfricaFrench West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
.
The first half-century of French colonialism in Senegal produced neither solid political control nor economic gains. However, it established the basic principles for the later French advance. Senegal became the principal French base, not Guinea. French expansion was aimed towards the interior (which also encouraged expansion south in Algeria), and Faidherbe's vision of empire was confirmed.
In 1863 he became general of brigade. From 1867 to the early part of 1870, he commanded the subdivision of Bona
Annaba
Annaba is a city in the northeastern corner of Algeria near the river Seybouse. It is located in Annaba Province. With a population of 257,359 , it is the fourth largest city in Algeria. It is a leading industrial centre in eastern Algeria....
in 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...
, and was commanding the Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
division at the commencement of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
.
Franco-Prussian War
After the defeat of Napoleon IIINapoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
and his French Imperial Army by the Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
Army in the summer of 1870, colonial officers such as Faidherbe were recalled to France and increasingly promoted to higher ranks to command new units and replace generals killed or captured in battle. Faidherbe was promoted to general of division
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in November 1870, and on 3 December he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Army of the North by the Government of National Defence
Government of National Defense
Le Gouvernement de la Défense Nationale, or The Government of National Defence, was the first Government of the Third Republic of France from September 4, 1870, to February 13, 1871, during the Franco-Prussian War, formed after the Emperor Louis Napoleon III was captured by the Prussian army. The...
.
Faidherbe quickly proved himself to be the most able of the generals fighting Prussian forces in the French provinces, and won several small victories against the Prussian First Army at the towns of Ham
Ham, Somme
Ham is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Ham is situated on the D930 and D937 crossroads, some southwest of Saint-Quentin, in the far southeast of the department, near the border with the department of the Aisne....
, Hallue
Battle of Hallue
The Battle of Hallue was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War on December 23 and 24, 1870.The battle was fought between 40,000 French under General Louis Faidherbe and 22,500 Prussian troops under Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel. The French lost heavily in the village lying in front of their position....
, Pont-Noyelles
Pont-Noyelles
Pont-Noyelles is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated at the junction of the D929, D30 and D115 roads, some northeast of Amiens, in the valley of the small river Hallue.-Population:-History:...
, and Bapaume
Battle of Bapaume (1871)
The Battle of Bapaume was a battle during the Franco-Prussian War which defeated French attempts to relieve the besieged city of Péronne. The battle was fought on January 3, 1871 near the town of Bapaume....
. Despite his military skills, Faidherbe was never able to form an army strong enough to seriously worry the Prussians, as his army, composed of raw recruits, suffered immense supply difficulties and low morale in the freezing winter of 1870/71. The Army of the North performed remarkably well by being able to strike isolated German forces and then retreat behind the belt of fortresses protecting the Pas-de-Calais, but the army was ultimately destroyed at St Quentin
Battle of St. Quentin (1871)
The Battle of St. Quentin was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War in which Prussian forces defeated French attempts to relieve the besieged city of Paris....
when, ordered by Minister of War Leon Gambetta
Léon Gambetta
Léon Gambetta was a French statesman prominent after the Franco-Prussian War.-Youth and education:He is said to have inherited his vigour and eloquence from his father, a Genovese grocer who had married a Frenchwoman named Massabie. At the age of fifteen, Gambetta lost the sight of his right eye...
, Faidherbe rushed his army into an open battle with Prussian forces, which shattered Faidherbe's forces.
Political life and retirement
After the war, Faidherbe was elected 5 January 1879 to the National AssemblyFrench National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
for the département of the Nord, He resigned his seat prior to the end of his term in 1888.
For his military services he was decorated with the grand cross, and made chancellor of the order of the Legion of Honor. In 1872 he went on a scientific mission to Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...
, where he studied the monuments and inscriptions. An enthusiastic geographer
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and archaeologist
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, he wrote numerous works, among which may be mentioned Collection des inscriptions numidiques (1870), Epigraphie phenicienne (1873), Essai sur la langue poul (1875), and Le Znaga des tribes sénégalaises (1877), the last a study of the Berber language. He also wrote on the geography and history of Senegal and the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
, and La Campagne de l'armée du Nord (1872).
He was elected a senator in 1879, and, in spite of failing health, continued to the last a close student of his favorite subjects. He died on 29 September 1889, and received a public funeral. Statues and monuments to his memory were erected at Lille, Bapaume
Bapaume
Bapaume is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town located 10 miles south of Arras at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 and N30 national roads its location is...
, Saint-Quentin
Saint-Quentin, Aisne
Saint-Quentin is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. It has been identified as the Augusta Veromanduorum of antiquity. It is named after Saint Quentin, who is said to have been martyred here in the 3rd century....
and Saint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...
. Numerous streets are named after him and also a subway station in Paris (Faidherbe-Chaligny)
Faidherbe - Chaligny (Paris Metro)
Faidherbe - Chaligny is a station of the Paris Métro, named after the streets of Rue Faidherbe and Rue Chaligny.-History:The station opened on 5 May 1931 with the extension of the line from Richelieu - Drouot to Porte de Charenton. Rue Faidherbe is named after General Louis Faidherbe , who was...
.
Works by Faidherbe
- Faidherbe, L. (1854). « Les Berbères et les Arabes des bords du Sénégal », Bulletin de la Société de Géographie de Paris, 4e série, t. VIII: 89-112
- _______ (1856). «Populations noires du Sénégal et du Haut-Niger», Bulletin de la Société de Géographie de Paris, 4e série, t. XI: 281-300.
- _______ (1859). Notice sur la colonie du Sénégal et sur les pays qui sont en relation avec elle. Paris, A. Bertrand
- _______ (1863). «L'avenir du Sahara et du Soudan», Revue maritime et coloniale, juin 1863.
- _______ (1864). Chapitre de géographie sur le Nord-Ouest de l'Afrique à l'usage des écoles de Sénégambie, Saint-Louis, Imprimerie du gouvernement.
- _______ (1866). «Voyage de MM. Mage et Quintin dans l'Intérieur de l'Afrique», Annales des voyages, de la géographie, de l'histoire et de l'archéologie, t. IV : 5-21.
- _______ (1889). Le Sénégal : la France dans l'Afrique occidentale. Paris, Hachette.
- _______ (1889). Essai sur la langue poul, grammaire et vocabulaire, Paris, Maisonneuve & Cie. 1889
- _______ L. C.-. (1889, 1974). Le Sénégal : la France dans l'Afrique occidentale. Paris/Nenden, Hachette/ Kraus Reprint.
- _______ (1882, 1976). Grammaire et vocabulaire de la langue poul : à l'usage des voyageurs dans le Soudan. Paris, Maisonneuve/AUPELF : C.N.R.S. : INLCO .
Other secondary works
- Aggarwal, K. (2002). “République et colonies: entre mémoire et histoire” Research in African Literatures 33(1): 197-200
- Ancelle, J. (1886). Les explorations au Sénégal et dans les contrées voisines depuis l'antiquité jusqu'à nos jours ; précédé d'une notice ethnographique sur notre colonie, par le général Faidherbe. Paris, Maisonneuve frères et Ch. Leclerc.
- Béchet, E. (1889). Cinq ans de séjour au Soudan français. Paris, E. Plon, Nourrit.
- Murray, E. C. G. (1873). The men of the third republic or The present leaders of France. Reprinted from the London Daily news. Philadelphia,, Porter & Coates.
- Pondopoulo, Anna. La construction de l'altérité ethnique peule dans l'oeuvre de Faidherbe
- William Cohen. Rulers of Empire
- African Proconsuls. L.H. Gann & Peter Duignan, eds.