In Paris, 1890, an Englishman named George Manington signed up to join the French Foreign Legion. French Indochina was his destination, to help quell the rebels against colonial rule that had emerged after the Sino-French War.
The Yên Th¿ Insurrection had been continuing for twenty-two years in this area before Manington arrived, and he entered into the midst of this of this vicious war.
Manington's work A Soldier of the Legion is a fascinating account of life in one of the most famous regiments in history.