Papal Zouaves - The Battle of Mentana

The Battle of Mentana

One thousand five hundred Papal Zouaves assisted in the notable Franco/Papal victory at the Battle of Mentana, fought on November 3, 1867 between French-Papal troops and Italian volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi.

In his report to the Pope, the commander of the Papal forces, General Kanzler, praised the elan of the Zouaves, citing a determined bayonet charge as a particular example.

The Zouaves suffered the brunt of the fighting, sustaining 81 casualties in the battle, including 24 killed (the Papal forces suffered only 30 dead in total) and 57 wounded. The official French report of the battle prepared by the French commander, General de Failly, also cited the bravery of the Papal Zouaves. The youngest victim, aged seventeen, was English Zoave Julian Watts-Russel.

The Zouaves are mentioned in Victor Hugo's poem Mentana.