Frecheh, where in advance they had sent their women, their children, their old people, their flocks and their furniture. Colonel Pélissier, says an official document, invested the cave. This operation cost him a few men, Arabs and French. When the investment was complete, he attempted to parley through the Arabs who were in his camp; the parliamentarians were fired upon, and one of them was killed. However, we managed to open the talks; they lasted all day, without achieving anything. The Ouled-Rhia always replied: Let the French camp withdraw, we will go out, and we will submit. » It was in vain that they were repeatedly promised
There was, moreover, no shortage of materials. The execution by fire was premeditated. Fifty mules were loaded with combustible materials. The soldiers had been employed for several days, by order, chopping wood and collecting straw. However, of the three openings of the cave, only one had initially been stuffed with fascines. Then the Arabs could still come out to fight in the open or to surrender. But their torture was resolved. Soon after, the same day, a fire was lit in front of the two openings on the west side. By a singular circumstance, the wind also pushed the flames and the smoke inside, without almost anything appearing outside, so, says one witness,
These are two auto translated statements from william buckett dictionnaire de la conversation tome 7 second edition
Colonel Pélissier did not have time to wait until hunger chased these fanatics from their lair,
This was the justification from "Revue des deux mondes XXI Annee - nouvelle periode"
the Algerian Moniteur, an article which justified it, and addressed, on the 18th, the following letter to the Minister of War: “I regret, Mr. Marshal, that you thought it necessary to blame, without any correction, the conduct of Mr. Colonel Pélissier. I take responsibility for his actions. If the government judges that there is justice to be done, it must be done on me. I had ordered Colonel Pélissier, before separating us at Orléansville, to use this means to the last extremity. And, in fact, he only used it after having exhausted all the resources of conciliation. I can rightly call the questions at the session of the 11th deplorable, although the principle is laudable; they will produce a very painful effect on the army, which can only be aggravated by the furious declarations of the press. Before administering, civilizing, colonizing, the populations must have accepted our law. A thousand examples have proven that they only accept it by force, and even force is powerless if it does not reach people and interests. By rigorous philanthropy, we would prolong the war in Africa at the same time as the spirit of revolt, and then we would not even achieve the goal of philanthropy. »
Le correspondant tome cent soixante-troisieme de la collection Nouvelle serie. - Tome Cent Vignt-Septieme.
Pelissier was consequently promoted to the rank of general of brigade. In this capacity he directed several campaigns with his usual energy, and in 1848 General Cavaignac placed him at the head of the province of Oran. In 1850 he was made general of division, and in 1851 interim-governor of Algeria. In this capacity he accepted the coup-d'état of December, but was soon after replaced by General Randon, and returned to his post as gover- nor of Oran. In 1854 he received the grand-cross of the Legion of Honour,
The Popular encyclopedia Edited by Charles Annandale, M.A, LL.D Volume X
the previous year Cavaignac had to smoke. “If these rascals,” wrote Marshal Bugeaud to Colonel Pélissier in an order of June 11, 1845, which the Duke of Malakoff kept secret and which was only known in 1898, retire into their caves, imitate Cavaignac at the Sbéhas, smoke - them excessively like foxes. »>
Inseignements coloniaux et documents publie par le Mite de l'Afrique Francaise et la comite du Maroc. Anee 1911
The death count is estimated to be between 780 and 1800 people, That was the entire tribe. France hasn't paid any reparations.
This post was mostly made through auto translating paragraphs from various old books talking about the massacre, I shamelessly took the sources from this video that quotes the books, it goes too fast and he doesn't put the sources in the description.
