Battle of Sig
The Battle of Sig took place from the 26th to 27 June 1835 in the forest of Moulay Ismael near Wadi Sig. French forces, assisted by the Douair and Smela tribes, opposed Algerian resistors led by Emir Abdelkader.
The battle June 26
The fighting lasted two days. Eventually, unable to resist the Algerian assaults, the men of General Camille Alphonse Trézel retreated. A further withdrawal was also initiated at Arzew, but Trézel's forces were swiftly overtaken. The Algerian cavalry which were faster, more mobile and above all more numerous, blocked the French at the Macta. While the Foreign Legion succeeded in containing their attackers and pushing them back, the Algerians continued their attacks.
The ambush June 27
The next day, on June 27, the Algerian forces ambushed the French at the Macta marshes, formed by the confluence of the Sig and the Habra, between the river and the forest. The heavy wagons of the convoy were destroyed and the wounded from the previous night's battle were slaughtered, while the troops of the escort were annihilated. The Foreign Legion again stepped in, freeing the way toward Arzew, but the attack by the Algerian horsemen cost the French forces, with 52 men killed and 189 wounded.
References
- Abel Hugo, France militaire. 1838. Histoire des armées françaises, Volume 5, p.360. In French.