French Fighters in Africa

The attached document was published in Harper’s Magazine in 1894.  It’s 11 pages long but provides very interesting descriptions of the main military components comprising the French Armée d’Afrique.  It mainly discusses the Algerian Tirailleurs (also known as Turcos), Chasseurs D’Afrique (cavalry), Spahis and Zouaves and just a bit about the Legion.  Of special interest is that the illustrator was none other than Frederick Remington–our nation’s great illustrator of the Wild West.  Remington’s Wiki biography makes no mention of him making a trip to Algeria but he is referenced several times in this article as the official illustrator for Poultney Bigelow, the author .  I think Remington’s illustrations are some of the best depicting these soldiers and horsemen.  Now I’ll have to research his work to see if there is anything else he drew during his trip to North Africa.  The entire collection of Harper’s articles from this period can be found at Google Books.  The article on the French Fighters is extracted below and includes a cover illustration by Remington.

French Fighters in Africa_Article