Siege of Medina Fort

Siege of Medina Fort
Part of the French colonial wars

Eugene Mage's view of the lifting of the siege of Fort Medina, from Voyage dans le Soudan occidental (1868)
Date20 April - 18 July 1857
Location
Médine, present day Mali
Result French victory[1]
Belligerents
Second French Empire French Empire
Khasso		 Toucouleur Empire
Commanders and leaders
Paul Holle
Louis Faidherbe		 Omar Saidou Tall
Strength
1,000 soldiers (64 with modern firearm knowledge)
4 cannons
Relief force:
800 soldiers and 2 gunboats		 15,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
31 killed
95 wounded[2]		 2,000 killed[3]
many wounded

The siege of Fort Medina took place in 1857 at Médine, on the left bank of the Senegal River in present-day Mali. The Toucouleur forces of Omar Saidou Tall unsuccessfully besieged native and French colonial troops commanded by Paul Holle. After 97 days of siege, a relief force under French Governor Louis Faidherbe lifted the siege and forced the Toucouleur army to retreat.

  1. ^ Robinson 1985, p. 210.
  2. ^ Robinson 1988, p. 203.
  3. ^ Robinson, David (1988). La Guerre sainte d'Al-Hajj Umar: le Soudan occidental au milieu du XIXe siècle, Volume 9 de Hommes et sociétés. KARTHALA Editions. p. 203. ISBN 9782865372119.