SÉE, LÉOPOLD

SÉE, LÉOPOLD (1822–1904), French general. Born in Bergheim, Alsace, into a distinguished French family, Sée graduated from the military academy at St. Cyr and in 1850 was appointed   to one of the famous Zouave regiments with the rank of captain. He was sent to Algeria to fight against insurgent tribes and in 1854 his regiment was transferred to Crimea on the outbreak of war against Russia. Sée fought in the bitter battles of Alma and Inkerman and at the siege of Sebastopol. Twice wounded, he was mentioned in dispatches and received the Legion of Honor. He led a Zouave battalion in the attack on Port Malakoff. By the end of the Crimean War, Sée was a very popular figure in France and was transferred to the Imperial Guard at Versailles. In 1859 he served in the Italian campaign. On the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Sée commanded his regiment at the siege of Metz. He was wounded and taken prisoner, but was released because of the severity of his wounds. Sée became a lieutenant general in 1880 and commanded various army divisions until his retirement in 1887. Throughout his life, he was active in Jewish affairs and was a member of the French Jewish Consistory. (Mordechai Kaplan)