Murderers and misfits, drunkards and saints, gamblers and duelists, archdukes and derelicts, the French Foreign Legion enjoys a greater mystique than any military organization because it gathers in all of those adventurers who need to flee from some haunted past. Once in the Legion men can be born again under fire and be redeemed through acts of extraordinary valor. This 1901 book by Georges D'Esparbes captures the wild spirit of this legendary corps, France's dedicated mercenary army whose defeats go untold and whose victories add to the greater glory of La Patrie during the colonial period. While our attitudes towards colonialism have changed, the hilarious, disturbing, awful, and unlikely anecdotes describing the lives of individual warriors will remain touching and engaging at a very human level. Here you will read about a corpse eating soup, a crazy Dutchman commandeering his own mental hospital, a man who went to great length to avoid urinating in the barracks, and many more things that are very strange but true.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest
everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We
deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15.
ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.