Camerone: The French Foreign Legion's Greatest Battle [Hardcover]

James W. Ryan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275954900 | ISBN-13: 978-0275954901 | Publication Date: March 30, 1996

The first detailed account in English of the battle that defined the elite unit's "fidelity to the mission." The battle was fought at Camerone, some 40 miles west of Vera Cruz, Mexico, on April 30, 1863; the opponents were the half-strength 3d Company, 1st Battalion, of the Legion opposed by more than 2,000 Mexican regulars and guerrillas. After several fights against the Mexican lancers just beyond the deserted La Trinidad Hacienda at Camerone, the 3d took cover behind the old walls of the hacienda. There, for ten hours the Legion withstands repeated assaults from a Mexican force that grew to more than 2,000 men. Finally, the surviving officer and four men of the 3d charge into the midst of the massed juaristas. The officer is mortally wounded, two men are killed, the other two captured. The Legion has never regarded Camerone as a defeat but rather as the prime example of "fidelity to the mission." Annually, on April 30, Legion units, whether in peace or war, commemorate the gallantry of the 3d of the 1st.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Ryan, who toured the site twice, has provided the first detailed account in English of the battle of Camerone. It is a gripping narrative aimed at the general reader.”–Quincy Patriot Ledger

“What the Alamo is to Texans, Camerone is to the French Foreign Legion. [This is] an epic of bravery masterfully recreated by James W. Ryan.”–Bernard E. Trainor, Lt. Gen. USMC (Ret.) Director, National Security Program JFK School of Government, Harvard University

About the Author

JAMES W. RYAN is the author of ten books, most of which are military histories.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (March 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275954900
• ISBN-13: 978-0275954901
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,068,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, August 28, 2007

By 

Steven E. Garcia "stev1dr" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Camerone: The French Foreign Legion's Greatest Battle (Hardcover)

Good read, but way too pricey for quality. Several pictures and plates lack any color and don't show up well at all.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Legion's defining battle., September 23, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Camerone: The French Foreign Legion's Greatest Battle (Hardcover)

In Aubagne France, on April 30 of every year, a wooden hand is solemnly paraded in a ceremony commemorating the most sacred battle of the French Foreign Legion. In a dusty hamlet in a remote corner of Mexico, Captain Danjou, the owner of the hand, and 64 other Legionnaires held off a force of over 2000 Mexicans, until the last handful of survivors, wounded and out of ammunition, prepared a bayonet charge. Camerone exemplifies the courage and sacrifice of the Legion, in a tradition which is carried forth even today. The story is told well here,with clear maps and illustrations.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Legion Etrangere!, July 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Camerone: The French Foreign Legion's Greatest Battle (Hardcover)

Men have fought in many guises and in many places for their honor, for that of their comrades and for a cause, regardless of cost, something civilians don't seem to understrand. Belleau Woods was such a battle against overwhelming fire power, as was Normandy, Iwo Jima, Hue City, and Khe Sahn.

One such battle that cost the lives of those defending was fought at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio de Bexar, Texas, in 1836, where some 83 Texicans fough for independence against the overwhelming odds of Santa Ana's army - some 5,000 strong. Another desperate battle, strangely enough against overwhelming Mexican odds of some 2,000, was that fought in 1863 by a battered company of 62 French Foreign Legionnaires at Cameron, about 30 miles from Vera Cruz.

The 62 Legionnaires fought galiantly to the last, killing an estimated 500 Mexican soldatos and guerrilleros during their stand. The last act of bravery, when their ammunition ran out, was a bayonet change by not more than a handful of the remaining Legionnaires.

This book by Ryan captures not only the spirit of brave men in a desperate battle, but also the spirit of the Foreign Legion, which is celebrated by Legionnaires, wherever they are, on April 30.

An excellent story that, like the story of the Alamo, proves truth is not only stranger than fiction, it is often more readable.

Via la Legion and Seper Fi Legionnaires!