Camille Armand Jules Marie, Prince de Polignac
Prince Camille Armand Jules Marie de Polignac (February 16, 1832 – November 15, 1913) was a French nobleman who served with the Confederates in the American Civil War, living on to become the last surviving Confederate major-general.
Major-General Prince Camille Armand Jules Marie de Polignac | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Prince Polecat |
| Born | February 16, 1832 Millemont, Seine-et-Oise, France |
| Died | November 15, 1913 (aged 81) Paris, France |
| Buried | Hauptfriedhof, Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
| Allegiance | Second French Empire Confederate States |
| Service/ | French Army Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1853–1859, 1870–1871 (France) 1861–1865 (CSA) |
| Rank | Brigadier General (France) Major General (CSA) |
| Battles/wars | Crimean War American Civil War Franco-Prussian War |
After service in the French army in the Crimea, Polignac was travelling in America at the outbreak of war, when he sided with the South. He distinguished himself as a brigadier in the Red River Campaign, notably at the Battle of Mansfield, after which he was promoted to the rank of divisional commander. Polignac was affectionately known by his troops, unable to decipher how to pronounce his name, as "Prince Polecat". which he apparently found amusing.
Returning to France, he commanded a division in the Franco-Prussian War, before devoting himself to the study of mathematics and music.