The Dreyfus Affair

Chronology


Source: Theodore Reinach, Histoire Sommaire de l’Affaire Dreyfus. Paris, Ligue des Droits de l’Homme, 1906;
Translated: for marxists.org by Mitchell Abidor;
CopyLeft: Creative Commons (Attribute & ShareAlike) marxists.org 2006.


1847

December 16 – Birth of Ferdinand Walsin-Esterhazy

1859

October 10 – Birth of Alfred Dreyfus

1876

Esterhazy, Maurice Weil, and Henry at the Intelligence Office

1878

Dreyfus at the Ecole Polytechnique

1881

Esterhazy in Tunisia

1889

Dreyfus at the Ecole de Pyrotechnie in Bourges

1890

Dreyfus at the Ecole de Guerre

1892

Dreyfus at the General Staff – Esterhazy a major in Rouen
June 23 – Morès-Mayer Duel

1893

December 3 – Mercier Minister of War

1894

March 14 – Project for a firing manual
May 17 – Memo advising the trainees at General Staff that they will not be going to fall maneuvers
May 20-25 – Cadres maneuvers, in which Esterhazy participates
Late June – General Staff voyage, in which Dreyfus participates
Beginning of August – Esterhazy writes the bordereau
August 5-12 – Firing school at Chalons, in which Esterhazy participates
September 24 – Henry makes known the discovery of the bordereau
October 6 – Dreyfus suspected by d’Abboville
October 15 – Arrest of Dreyfus
November 1 – La Libre Parole announces Dreyfus’ arrest
November 2 – Panizzardi dispatch
November 3 – Initiation of legal proceedings against Dreyfus
December 19-22 – Trial and condemnation of Dreyfus

1895

January 5- The degradation
January 6 – Munster goes to Caimir Perier
January 15 – Resignation of Casimir Perier
January 18 – Dreyfus at the Ile de Ré
February 21 – Embarkation of Dreyfus
March 15 – Dreyfus on Devil’s Island
July 1- Picquart Chief of the Intelligence office

1896

March – Discovery of the “petit bleu."
August 5 – Picquart warns Boisdeffre
Augist 6 – Basel meeting (Lauth, Henry, Cuers)
August 31 – Picquart’s certainty
September 8 – Dreyfus is put under double lock
September 14 – Article in the Éclair (revelation of the secret piece)
October 29 – Salles confesses to Demange
October 30 – Gonse takes from Picquart the secret dossier
November 1 (?) – Fabrication of Henry’s forgery
November 10 – Article in Le Matin (facsimile of the bordereau)
November 16 – Picquart’s departure on mission
November 18 -Interpellation by Castelin

1897

May 31 – Henry’s threatening letter to Picquart
June 29 – Picquart confesses to Leblois
July 13 – Leblois goes to see Scheurer-Kestner
August 17 – Esterhazy taken off active duty
October 23 – Meeting at Montsouris (Esterhazy, Du Paty, Henry)
October 30 – Scheurer-Kestner goes to see Billot
November 11-12 – “Speranza” and “Blanche” telegrams
November 15 – Mathieu Dreyfus denounces Esterhazy
November 25 – Picquart brought to Paris
November 28 – Le Figaro publishes Esterhazy’s letters to Mme de Boulancy
December 4 – Initiation of legal proceedings against Esterhazy. Interpellation by DeMun
December 7 – Interpellation by Sheurer-Kestner
December 12-14 – Articles in l’Intransigeant (imperial letters)
December 26 – Expert report.

1898

January 1 – Ravary report
January 7 – Le Siecle publishes d’Ormescheville’s report
January 10-11 – Trial and acquittal of Esterhazy
January 13 – Picquart in custody. Zola’s J’Accuse letter
January 22 – Cavaignac’s interpellation concerning the confessions
January 24 – Bulow’s declaration
January 30 – Picquart before the investigatory board
February 7- Beginning of the Zola trial
February 9 – Rochefort condemned for defamation of J. Reinach (the affair of the “Otto” letter)
Bebruary 12- The “Let’s go” of Henry
February 23 – Zola’s condemnation
February 24 – “Meline’s “This must end."
Febraury 26 – Picquart discharged from the army
February 28 – Dreyfus’ petition
March 5 – Henry-Picquart duel
April 2 – Annulment of the Zola verdict
May 23 – Zola at Versailles. Judet publishes Colonel Combe’s letter
June 4 – The Ligue des Droits de l’Homme
June 14 – Fall of Méline
June 30 – Brisson Ministry
July 7- Cavaignac’s speech
July 12 – Esterhazy and Marguerite Pays arrested by Bertulus
July 13 – Picquart’s arrest. He is locked up at La Santé
July 18 – Second condemnation and flight of Zola
July 28 – Bertulus declares himself competent in the DuPaty affair
August 5-12 – The Chamber of Accusations repeals Bertulus’ ordinances. Esterhazy freed
August 13 – Cuignet discovers Henry’s forgery
August 24 – Estehazy before the investigatory board
August 30 – Interrogation, confession and arrest of Henry. Bosideffre resigns
August 31 – Henry’s suicide. Discharge of Esterhazy
September 1 – Appeals court annuls and condemns the decision of the Chamber of Accusations
September 3 – Mme Dreyfus’ request for a revision
September 4 – Cavaignac’s resignation. Zurlinden Minister of War
September 12 – Du Paty put on retirement from duty
September 17 – Zurlinden’s resignation. Chanoine Minister of War
September 21 – Picquart, accused of forgery, is transferred to Cherche-Midi
September 27 – Sarrien notifies the Appeals Court of the demand for a revision
October 25 – Fall of Brisson
October 29 – The Criminal Chamber decides for the acceptability of the request for revision
November 3 – Charles Dupuy ministry
November 15 – Dreyfus told of the acceptance of the revision
November 24 – Order for the trial of Picquart
December 4 – Request by Picquart for a judge’s ruling
December 19 – The communication of the secret dossier is discussed in the Chamber
December-January – The red lists (Henry monument). Ligue de la Patrie francaise.

1899

January 8 – Resignation of Quesnay de Beaurepaire
January 30 – Submission of the proposed lifting of immunity
February 10 – Lifting of immunity voted in the Chamber
February 16 – Death of Felix Faure
Fdebruary 18 – Loubet president of the Republic
February 23 – Funeral of Felix Faure. Attentat at Reuilly
February 28 – Vote on the lifting of immunity in the Senate
March 3 – Ruling of the Picquart judges. He is transferred again to Santé
March 31 – Le Figaro begins publication of its inquiry
    Cuignet-Chamoin report relating to the Panizzardi dispatch
May 5 – Resignation of Freycinet. Krantz minister of War
May 12 – Cuignet place on reserve duty
May 29 – Ballot-Beaupré Report
May 31 – Acquittal of Déroulède and Habert
June 3 – The Appeals Court annuls Dreyfus’ condemnation
June 4 – Attentat at Auteuil
June 5 – Dupuy proposes proceedings against Mercier
June 12 – Fall of the Dupuy ministry. Picquart freed
June 22 – Waldeck-Rousseau ministry
July 1 – Dreyfus arrives at Quiberon
July 31 – Case dismissed in favor of DuPaty
August 7 – Beginning of the trial at Rennes
August 12 – Mercier’s deposition. Arrest of nationalist and royalist chiefs
August 14 – Attack on Labori
September 8 – New declaration by Bulow
September 9 – Second condemnation of Dreyfus
September 12 – Dreyfus drops his appeal
September 19 – Dreyfus pardoned. Death of Scheurer-Kestner
September 21 – Gallifet’s order of the day: “The incident closed."
October 5 – Mosetig’s declaration concerning Czernucky’s deposition
November 17 – Submission of the proposal for amnesty.

1900

January 28 – Mercier senator
April 24 – Speech of Joseph Reinach at Digne
May 22 – Vote on the Chapuis order of the day
May 28 – Fritsch affair. Resignation of Gallifet. André Minister of War
June 2 – Vote on the amnesty law in the Senate
December 24 – Promulgation of the amnesty law
December 31 – Cuignet before the investigatory board

1901

May – Cinq années de ma vie, by Alfred Dreyfus

1902

April 27-May 11 – Legislative elections. Pressensé, Jaurès and Buisson return to the Chamber
June 2 – Mme Henry – Reinach trial
June 8 – Combes Ministry
September 30 – Death of Zola

1903

April 6-7 – Jaurès demands an inquest on the annotated bordereau
May – October – André inquest
November 26 – Request for revison by Dreyfus
November 28 – Vallé refers to the Consultative Commission with a second demand for revision
December 23-24 – Report by Mercier. Favorable vote by the commission.

1904

March 3-5 – Public audiences of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeals. (Boyer report, Baudoin conclusions, Mornard’s plea) decision of acceptability
April-November – Inquest by the Criminal Chamber
November 7 – Trial of Rollin, Dautriche and consorts. Acquittal
November 15 – Resignation of General André

1905

January 23 – Rouvier ministry
May 14 – Moras charged with issuing a report
September 25 – Death of Godefroy Cavaignac

1906

February 18 – Fallières president of the Republic
March 13 – Sarrien-Clemenceau Ministry
May 6-20 – Legislative elections. Labori, Vivivani, J. Reinach elected
June 18 – Beginning of public audiences of the combined chambers. Moras report, Baudoin requisitions, Mornard’s plea
July 9 – Gonse-Picquart duel
July 12 – Decision of the court annulling without appeal the Rennes verdict
July 13 – Vote on law reintegrating Dreyfus and Picquart
July 22 – Dreyfus decorated

1907

July 14 – Dreyfus retires

1908

June 4 – Transfer of Zola’s ashes to the Pantheon. Attack by Gregori on Dreyfus

1913

January 10 – Du Paty de Clam reintegrated into the territorial army
January 12 – Resignation of War Minister Millerand
January 31 – Viollete’s questioning in the Chamber of Deputies on the circumstances of Millerand’s resignation

1914

Jnauary 19 – Resignation of General Picquart

1918

September 26 – Dreyfus Lieutenant-Colonel

1923

May 21 – Death of Esterhazy

1935

July 12 – Death of Alfred Dreyfus