Tombe d’un Turco

During the terrible winter of 1870-71, when Orléans fell to the Prussians, the forest of Orléans was the scene of heroic acts that have left their mark on people's memories: Chanteau has faithfully preserved the memory of one of them. The Algerian riflemen, known as "Turcos" at the time, had courageously taken part in the fighting of 1870, in particular within the Loire Army. Their valour had struck the people of the region, who remembered their feats of arms for a long time, such as that of the Turco of Chanteau. This soldier, whose name we do not know, was certainly part of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Division of the XVth Corps which, after having fought at Santeau, Chilleurs-aux-Bois and Neuville, had retreated in disorder, on the evening of December 3rd, to Cercottes and Orléans.