1863-1934

French soldier and explorer who investigated the African interior. Marchand was best known for his explorations into Niger, West Sudan, and the Ivory Coast—all in West Africa. During a journey into Central Africa in 1898, he precipitated a French-British crisis by hoisting the French tricolor flag at Fashoda, on the White Nile. Marchand reached the rank of general in the French army, serving with distinction in World War I.