Alfred Dreyfus stripped of rank and sent to Devil's Island (1895)

Alfred Dreyfus, a French artillery officer convicted of treason in a closed court martial on 22 December 1894, was publicly degraded in Paris on 5 January 1895. Following a month of imprisonment on Île Royale, he was transferred to Devil's Island in French Guiana on 14 April 1895 to serve a life sentence. The horrors of the penal settlement were later publicised during the Dreyfus affair.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. On 22 December 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus was summarily convicted of treason in a closed court martial and sentenced to life imprisonment to be served on Devil's Island in French Guiana. Under the French military custom of the time, a convicted officer underwent a formal degradation, or cashiering, before transportation. This ritual involved cutting the rank insignia, buttons and braid from his uniform and breaking his sword.

Degradation Ceremony. On 5 January 1895, Dreyfus was cashiered in the courtyard of the École Militaire in Paris. His uniform buttons, braid, and rank insignia were cut away, and his sword was broken. The ceremony occurred before silent ranks of soldiers, while a crowd of onlookers shouted abuse from behind railings. This public humiliation served as the final act of his military disgrace.

Transportation to Devil's Island. After the degradation, Dreyfus was imprisoned on Île Royale for one month. He was subsequently transferred to Devil's Island on 14 April 1895. The horrors of the penal settlement were publicised during the Dreyfus affair, the political controversy surrounding his case.

People involved

Sources

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