ALFRED DREYFUS - THE PREDESTINED SUSPECT
Many aspects of Alfred Dreyfus left him vulnerable to such false accusations. They included his birthplace, religion, wealth, intelligence, personality and career path. The fact that he was the only Jew on the General Staff made him stand out, and for that reason, it was not surprising that Sandherr, lacking leads and time, would suspect his guilt.
Alfred Dreyfus was born in Mulhouse, on October 9, 1859 to a family of Alsatian Jews. (Bredin, 11) As a result of the Franco-Prussian War, the territories of both Alsace and Lorraine became under the control of Germany, and for a limited period of time, inhabitants of this region were given the option of leaving. Among those opting to do so was the Dreyfus family, who, unlike several fellow Alsatians, took French citizenship extremely seriously. (Lewis, 3) Alfred would eventually attend the Realschule in Basel, Switzerland, where, with much difficulty, he would master the German language. Instead of pursuing a career in the family business, young Alfred instead, due to his patriotism, and freedom to undertake anything he wished, decided to become a soldier in the French army.
After attending school at College Sainte-Barbe in Paris, and later in College Chaptal, Alfred would eventually qualify to attend the Ecole Polytechnique in 1878. Two years later, he graduated thirty-second in his class and entered the Army as a second lieutenant. After promotion to first lieutenant and a stint with the Thirty-first Artillery Regiment, Alfred was posted in 1883 to the First Cavalry Division in Paris, where he would excel for the next five years. (Lewis, 8) By 1889, he had been promoted to captain, and after attending artillery school in Bourges, he was accepted into the War College on April 20, 1890. (Lewis, 11)
For an Alsatian Jew like Dreyfus to attend the War College was a bit of an aberration. Also, the fact that Dreyfus had attended the Ecole Polytechnique, not St. Cyr, as the majority of his colleagues had, created yet another gulf for Dreyfus to overcome. The top students of this college were guaranteed appointment to the General Staff, and for the upper-class, predominately Catholic nobility, the idea of a Jewish officer among them was unsettling to say the least. The fact that Dreyfus was indeed third in his class did not help matters, nor did his aloof, highly confident, and intelligent demeanor. Also, Dreyfus throughout this time enjoyed a very secure and wealthy lifestyle, and this must have vexed many of his fellow officers, especially those members of the upper-class experiencing monetary difficulties.
Another factor was beyond Dreyfus’s control. His years in the Army had seen a revival of sorts for anti-Semitism and in April, 1892 several articles in La Libre Parole, a violently anti-Semitic newspaper founded by Edouard Drumont, began to warn of Jews in the Army. Drumont claimed that "The Jews hardly had a toe-hold on the Army when they began, by every means, to try to gain control of it." (Lewis, 18) He argued that this posed a very grave danger since Jews already controlled French finances, as well as the bureaucracy and judiciary. Dreyfus certainly never spoke of how disquieting such sentiment was, and he, for the most part, ignored it. This behavior was hardly surprising, not only because he was quiet anyway, but because he rarely identified himself with Jews, and was hardly a religious man. But as duels began to be fought, most notably between the Marquis Amadee de Mores and Captain Armand Mayer, which resulted in Mayer’s death, it became very hard to ignore.
Due to unfair marks from an anti-Semite, Dreyfus graduated ninth in his class, instead of third, but was still guaranteed entrance into the General Staff. Major Georges Picquart, a former instructor of Dreyfus’s who did not particularly care for him, was very weary of his presence on the General Staff. He explained later that "Anti-Semitic prejudices were already abroad in the General Staff... I knew also that by assigning a Jewish trainee to a section that did not concern itself with secret matters I would perhaps spare him certain embarrassments." (Lewis, 21)
In accordance with new regulations, Dreyfus would serve six months in each of the four bureaus of the General Staff. His service in the First Bureau earned him excellent ratings, but after moving on to the Fourth, he suffered from the anti-Semitism of both the colonel and lieutenant-colonel. They further disliked him because of his cool confidence and outspoken intelligence, and judged him as "An incomplete officer, very intelligent and very gifted but pretentious and, from the point of view of character, conscience, and service conduct, failing to fulfill the requirements necessary in order to be employed by the General Staff." (Lewis, 24) He excelled during his next tenure in the Second Bureau, and even, on one occasion, impressed the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General the Marquis Raoul Le Mouton de Boisdeffre. But it is important to note that throughout his time on the Staff, he acquired no contacts or protectors among the superior officers, as many other trainees had. Dreyfus, with his gifted military capabilities thought that they would best serve him in terms of upward mobility, and when he would eventually be arrested for treason, this lack of sympathy among his superiors would most definitely cost him.
