Colonel Raphaël Vienot (1804 – 1855) | French Foreign Legion Information

Colonel Raphaël Vienot was a distinguished French officer who concluded his military career as a colonel in the French Foreign Legion during the Crimean War. One of the Legion’s most important figures in history, Vienot became renowned not only for his leadership abilities but also for the bravery and dedication he demonstrated in service to France, ultimately sacrificing his life during the night assault of May 1–2, 1855.

Foreign Legion Etrangere - 1er RLE - 1er Regiment - 1st Regiment - Colonel Raphaël Vienot - 1959

Born in 1804 in the town of Fontainebleau, France, Vienot began his secondary military education at the prestigious Prytanée Militaire in La Flèche, where he studied for nine years. In 1823, he was admitted to the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, France’s elite military academy. Upon graduating, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 4th Line Infantry Regiment, where he served for over twenty years, earning a reputation as a disciplined and reliable officer. With this regiment, he participated in campaigns in Algeria, North Africa, during the 1830s. In 1842, in recognition of his military merits, then-Captain Vienot was awarded the Legion of Honor, France’s highest military distinction.

In 1846, he was promoted to the rank of major and transferred to the 20th Light Infantry Regiment, where he took command of a battalion. His experience and personal authority led to further advancement. In 1852, as lieutenant colonel, he was appointed second-in-command of the 1st Regiment of the Foreign Legion (1er RLE).

At the time, the Legion was considered an elite unit, renowned for toughness, discipline, and esprit de corps of its men. It was based in Algeria and consisted of two regiments. The headquarters of the 1st Foreign Legion Regiment was located in Sidi Bel Abbès, a modern town recently built from the ground up by legionnaires in western Algeria. The regiment’s primary mission was to pacify and maintain order in the region.

In 1854, France entered the Crimean War – a conflict pitting Russia against a coalition of France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey), and the Kingdom of Sardinia. It was one of the first wars of the modern era, marked by the use of emerging technologies such as the telegraph and railways. The fighting was concentrated primarily on the Crimean Peninsula, particularly around the siege of Russia’s strategically vital port city of Sevastopol.

The French Foreign Legion played a significant role in this campaign, spreading its reputation beyond North Africa. It was heavily engaged in trench warfare, securing forward positions, and launching direct assaults.

On September 5, 1854, Raphaël Vienot replaced Colonel Bazaine and assumed command of the 1er RLE. Just eight months later came a critical assault on Russian fortifications outside Sevastopol, a moment that sealed Vienot’s legacy in Legion history.

The assault on the night of May 1–2, 1855, was one of the most intense operations faced by the Legion during the Crimean campaign. Orders were given to seize enemy positions threatening French trenches and obstructing the path for future attacks. Four companies from the 1st Foreign Legion Regiment and two from the 2nd were assigned the mission, fully aware they would face ambushes, close combat, and fierce resistance. Following a heavy artillery barrage, the legionnaires launched their attack at 9 p.m. (21.00), quickly overwhelming the first Russian lines in brutal hand-to-hand fighting. But soon after, determined Russian counterattacks forced the deployment of the reserve forces.

Colonel Vienot, observing the battle with increasing concern, took immediate action. Sword in hand, he led the reserve companies through the shattered trenches to the front line. Calmly directing disciplined volley fire amid the chaos, he stood at the center of the fight. Suddenly, a bullet struck him in the forehead, killing him instantly – his hand still tightly gripping his sword. Vienot became the second commanding officer of the Legion to fall in battle, following Colonel Conrad in Spain (1837). His death reaffirmed the Legion’s tradition of commanders standing and falling alongside their men.

The ferocity of the fighting was reflected in the scale of the losses: along with Colonel Vienot, two captains and 44 legionnaires were also killed, while ten officers and 73 legionnaires were wounded.

In honor of his bravery, the main barracks of the Foreign Legion in Sidi Bel Abbès were named after him, Caserne Vienot. When the Legion relocated to France in 1962, the 1st Foreign Regiment’s new garrison in Aubagne was also named in his memory: Quartier Vienot.

Foreign Legion Etrangere - 1er RLE - 1er Regiment - 1st Regiment - Colonel Raphaël Vienot - mort - death - 1855 — Colonel *Raphaël Vienot*’s death near *Sevastopol*, Crimea, on May 2, 1855. Watercolor by *Lucien Rousselot*.

Foreign Legion Etrangere - 1st Foreign Regiment - Caserne Vienot - Sidi bel Abbes - Algeria - 1956 — Caserne Vienot in *Sidi Bel Abbès*, Algeria, 1950s.

Foreign Legion Etrangere - 1st Foreign Regiment - Quartier Vienot - Aubagne - France - 2009 — Parade ground inside the Quartier Vienot in *Aubagne*, France.

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