Famous Last Stands, Last Act of Camerone

Gentlemen,
I recently bought a book about the French Foreign Legion ,to go with my other FFL Library,whearas the other books in my collection concentrate on the Airborne troops primarily 2 REP .
This one focussed on the Legion Infantry and though I have heard of Captain Danjou before, this book portrayed vividly the actions of a small Legion force facing overwhelming Mexican oddsback in the Mexican adventure of 1867
Captain Danjou's unit was taken unawares by a much larger Mexican force and forced to defend a small farm around Camerone.
One by one the Legionairres were picked off,a la Beau Geste, including Captain Danjou, who was sniped whilst trying to galvanise his troops.
What really grabbed me though was that the last 5 legionnaires standing ,fixed bayonets and decided to charge the enemy!What guts!!
Apparently ..the remaining NCO a Corporal Main,insisted they would only surrender if they werea llowwed to keep their weapons and tend to their wounded
A request to which the french speaking Mmexican in charge requested.
The last survivors wew a Lt Maudet,Cpl Main and Legionarys Wenzel (A Prussian) and Constantin
To this day,Capt Danjous wooden hand is wheeled out on Camerone day.
A real embodiement of Legion Spirit!!What courage and guts!!!
What historical last stands inspire you gentlemen the most.Can you think of any more?
I,m going to put a post in about the stand of the 25th Foot (Kings Own Scottish Borderers)at the Battle of Minden 1759 later on in this post
Plus what about the 300 Spartans at Thermopalye?
I,d love to hear more about that battle!
Look forward to hearing from you all

the only american ones that realy come to mind are the Alamo and Little BigHorn. Of course the Fort Pillow massacre could be considered, seeing of how all the blacks were put to the sword, maybe their white officers were too.

Thermopolye is a definant.
Alamo is a definant.
Vicksburg, I think it was called.
Goliad is also a good example of why never to trust youre enemy, would have been grand had the garrison not surrendered.
Little big horn wasnt really a last stand. It was a attack made by an egotist based on false intelegence that didnt exactly go according to plan, which brings me to say, not all last stands were in passes nor forts, some of the large, last hoorah type battles were as heroic as many other battles.
Falkirk, Waterloo, Battle of the Bulge, good in thier own rights.

Adobe Walls, around 100 US Infantrymen and frontiersmen and 20 Cavalrymen fight to the last man against around 1000 Indian braves.
around 6 civil war veterans held a desperate reargaurd action killing around 3 times thier number before they were taken down.

It was the biggest american loss prior to Little Bighorn

The Battle of Liege WW1

Belgium forces held out againist the germans longer than anyone expected, in the end the general of the belgium forces was carried ff the battlefield unconcious from the german bombardment

This post has been edited by vizigothe on Aug 23 2005, 09:49 AM

Dien Bien Phu in 1954

A failed French attempt to bring about a change in the war and defeat the Viet Minh.

Oh and on the Battle of The Little Big Horn, I think history gives Custer the shaft, because it was to be a Three pronged attack, the largest of the three prongs turned around after being attacked Un known to Custer. Custer charged into the battle not knowing that he was not to get the support that he needed.

I regard the Ft. Pillow "massacre" as a myth in many ways. Does anybody who has called it such realize what usually happened after a siege?

This isn't so much a last stand, but Pavlov's house in Stalingrad, where Sgt Yakov Pavlov and about 30 Red Army troops held off German attempts to take the house for 8 weeks. Pavlov is known to this day as the Landlord of Stalingrad.

the one out of the film zulu i think it was called rourkes drift it was during the boer wars im suprised bl didnt mention it other than that i dont know many although the legend of chuchullain was the ultimate last stand but thats only a legend

1st Zulu War Cliomdubh!!!
Boer War was 1899 -1901,(although there was a 1st Boer War fought 1881)
Many thanks for your input chums!
I suppose we could digress a little,as well as "Last stands" we could include "Victories against Overwhelming Odds"?
I hear Robert Rodriguez is allegedly making a film about the 300 Spartans at Thermopalyae tentatively titled "The 300" Does anyone know any more?

In 1755 at The Battle of Monongahela.General Braddock was ambushed by French and Indians while on his way to Fort Duquesne.British/American force numbered 1500 and the Indians had between 300-600 plus 30 French Colonials.

Casulties: British and American: 26 officers killed, 37 wounded. 430 soldiers killed and 385 wounded.

French and Indians: probably less than 30 killed. Wounded unknown.

General Braddock was killed and is buried near Uniontown Pa.There is a hugh monument not far from Fort Necessity.

It was the most deaths of white soldiers in one single battle of the Indian Wars in America.

If you like French and Indian War, here is the story.

http://www.britishbattles.com/braddock.htm

I live in the middle of the campaign (not far from Fort Logonier).It was the Frontier in Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War.

This post has been edited by Arminius the Terrible on Aug 26 2005, 12:31 AM

Sounds like that great battle scene from the film "Last of the Mohicans".
Its probably based on that incident no doubt.....

What the Story does not tell you is that George Washington was commander of the Virginia Militia.He managed to escape and change history.

(Western Pennsylvania was part of Virginia Colony then.)

Another famous person was at the battle and survived.

Daniel Boone.

He was a mule skinner.

For the USA I would offer....

1.) The Battle of Mogadishu

2.) The Maine regiment that held the Union left at Gettysburg, and then charged with bayonets when they ran out of ammo

3.) The Siege of Khe Sanh

How is Mogadishu a last stand?

Yes, i would reccomend Rorkes Rift, i've read about it an played many games about it Well, lead miniatures.

PyrrhusIV