He did his infantry training with the 58th line in Algeria in 1843, passed to the 3rd chasseurs the following year, and was attached to the Bourges division in 1847.
He returned to Algeria, then took part in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in particular in the battles of:
Battle of Mars-la-Tour, in Moselle (August 16–18, 1870): where heavy fighting broke out between the French forces and the Prussian troops commanded by General August Karl von Goeben;
Battle of Gravelotte (August 18, 1870): Where Bazaine had to retreat to Metz after conceding a defeat from the French forces.
He was taken prisoner in Germany with 17 other officers and then escaped from prison, while he was ranked as lieutenant-colonel in the general staff.[9]
Mokrani Revolt
He participated in Algeria in the repression of the Mokrani revolt from April 1871.[10]
A commemorative monument was raised to him by public subscription in 1885, in the St. Eugene Cemetery, on land granted in perpetuity by the city of Algiers.[14]