1757 - French invasion of Hanover – French OOB June

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Introduction

This article presents two orders of battle: one describing the deployment of the French Army of the Lower Rhine between June 20 and July 7 and a second listing the effective strength of each of its units on June 30 (for the infantry) and July 1 (for the cavalry).

French Order of Battle from June 20 to July 7

The following comes from Du Bois's account of the order of battle of the French Army while it was encamped at Bielefeld.

Commander in Chief: Maréchal d'Estrées

First Line (from right to left)

• Right Wing Cavalry
  • Colonel Général (3 sqns)
  • Bourgogne (2 sqns)
  • Royal-Carabiniers (6 sqns)
• Infantry
  • Austrian de Ligne (1 bn)
  • Austrian Sachsen-Gotha (1 bn)
  • La Marine (4 bns)
  • Du Roi (4 bns)
  • Dauphin (2 bns)
  • Gardes Lorraines (2 bns)
  • Aquitaine (2 bns)
  • Vastan (2 bns)
  • Lyonnais (2 bns)
  • La Roche Aymon (2 bns)
  • Mailly (4 bns)
  • Chartres (2 bns)
  • Picardie (4 bns)
• Left Wing Cavalry
  • Royal-Pologne (2 sqns)
  • Henrichemont (2 sqns)
  • Aquitaine (2 sqns)
  • Bellefonds (2 sqns)
  • Commissaire général (2 sqns)

Second Line (from right to left)

• Right Wing Cavalry
  • Royal (2 sqns)
  • de Vienne (2 sqns)
  • Berry (2 sqns)
  • Bourbon-Busset (2 sqns)
  • Bourbon (2 sqns)
• Infantry
  • Navarre (4 bns)
  • Eu (2 bns)
  • Enghien (2 bns)
  • La Couronne (2 bns)
  • La Marck (2 bns)
  • Royal Pologne (1 bn)
  • Royal Suédois (2 bns)
  • Royal Bavière (2 bns)
  • Vaubécourt (2 bns)
  • Condé (2 bns)
  • Orléans (2 bns)
  • Conty (2 bns)
  • Champagne (4 bns)
• Left Wing Cavalry
  • Talleyrand (2 sqns)
  • Moustiers (2 sqns)
  • Clermont-Tonnerre (2 sqns)
  • Fumel (2 sqns)
  • Royal-Roussillon (2 sqns)

Flank guard (from right to left)

• Right Wing
  • Colonel Général Dragons (4 sqns)
  • Orléans Dragons (4 sqns)
• Left Wing
  • Mestre de Camp Général Dragons (4 sqns)

Artillery

• II./Corps Royal de l'Artillerie – La Motte (1 bn)
• IV./Corps Royal de l'Artillerie – Menouville (1 bn)

Reserve

• Grenadiers de France (4 bns)
• Grenadiers Royaux d'Aulans (2 bns)
• Grenadiers Royaux de Modène (2 bns)

Besides the main force at Bielefeld, d'Estrées had made several detachments:

• Detachment on the right wing at Oerlingshausen under M. d’Armentières (12 bns and 12 sqns)
• Detachment on the left wing between Gütersloh and Bielefeld under the Duc de Broglie (8 bns and 12 sqns)
• Detachment at Paderborn to guard the field bakery:
  • Grenadiers Royaux de Bergeret (2 bns)
  • Grenadiers Royaux de Chantilly (2 bns)
• Detachment as observation corps near Herford and Minden
  • Volontaires Royaux
  • Chasseurs de Fischer
  • Turpin Hussards
• Palatinate Auxiliary Corps in Westphalia approaching to join the army
  • Baaden (2 bns)
  • Osten (2 bns)
  • Prinz Karl von Zweibrücken (2 bns)
  • Prinz Birkenfeld (2 bns)
  • Preysing (2 bns)
• Other detached units (unknown location):
  • Volontaires du Hainaut
  • Volontaires de Flandre
  • Grenadiers Royaux de Solar (2 bns)
  • Bercheny Hussards
  • Polleresky Hussards

French Order of Battle from June 30 to July 1

This order of battle comes from a different document in the Archives du Génie.

As per the returns of June 30 1757 (infantry) and July 1 (cavalry and dragoons), the French Armée du Bas-Rhin consisted of the following regiments:

N.B.: the numbers listed represent troops who were present and fit for duty. The cavalry figures exclude staff and officers (normally 32 officers per regiment except for Colonel Général with 48 officers and the Carabiniers with 160 officers for the entire corps.

Cavalry

Cavalry Regiment	Cavalrymen	Horses
Colonel Général	412	419
Mestre de camp Général	276	274
Commissaire général	280	279
Royal	274	280
du Roy	275	279
Cuirassiers du Roy	277	278
Royal-Cravate	271	276
Royal-Roussillon	269	280
Royal-Allemand	280	280
Royal-Carabiniers - Brigade Maisne	267	279
Royal-Carabiniers - Brigade Saint-George	269	272
Royal-Carabiniers - Brigade Rosen	260	273
Royal-Pologne	277	278
Dauphin	275	280
Bourgogne	278	277
Aquitaine	242	242
Berry	274	274
Orléans	200	210
Condé	277	278
Bourbon	274	279
Marcieux	272	277
Talleyrand	269	280
Clermont-Tonnerre	245	245
Charost	244	244
Beauvilliers	279	279
Bourbon-Busset	270	274
Maugiron	237	245
Fumel	275	277
Rochefoucauld-Langeac	272	280
de Vienne	240	245
Bussy-Lameth	278	279
Lénoncourt	241	244
Bellefonds	274	280
Dampierre	275	274
Henrichemont	274	280
Moustiers	278	279
Saluces	274	278
Noailles	262	272
Wurtemberg	277	279
Harcourt	271	276
Nassau-Sarrebruck	280	280

Dragoons

Dragoon Regiment	Cavalrymen	Horses
Colonel Général	590	602
Mestre de Camp Général	583	627
Orléans	573	679

Infantry of the main army under Maréchal d'Estrées, encamped at Bielefeld

Infantry Regiment	Captains	Lieutenants	Lieutenants en second	Sous-Lieutenants	Soldiers
de Ligne (Austrian)	7	5	7	none	461
Sachsen-Gotha (Austrian)	6	5	8	none	540
Picardie	65	61	11	none	2231
Navarre	67	66	8	none	2476
Champagne	68	68	6	none	2447
La Marine	65	57	10	none	2305
Mailly	65	67	12	none	2416
Du Roi	65	68	74	23	2642
Lyonnais	30	28	6	none	1101
Dauphin	33	32	6	none	1256
Vaubécourt	33	33	4	none	1139
Aquitaine	32	32	3	none	1257
Eu	33	33	3	none	1223
Orléans	34	34	6	none	1201
La Couronne	33	30	5	none	1193
Gardes Lorraines	31	32	5	none	1234
La Roche Aymon	34	32	2	none	1235
Condé	32	36	none	none	1199
Grenadiers de France	47	47	46	none	2077
Vastan	32	29	6	none	1241
La Marck	29	14	14	13	1128
Chartres	34	32	5	none	1246
Conty	31	30	5	none	1090
Enghien	33	32	3	none	1023
Royal Pologne	15	8	6	6	599
Grenadiers Royaux de Modène	18	18	12	none	1060
Grenadiers Royaux d'Aulans	19	21	10	none	940
II./Corps Royal de l'Artillerie – La Motte	26	16	none	23	550
IV./Corps Royal de l'Artillerie – Menouville	17	3	0	1	454

Infantry of the Reserve under M. d’Armentières

Infantry Regiment	Captains	Lieutenants	Lieutenants en second	Sous-Lieutenants	Soldiers
Belzunce	68	61	7	2	2188
Reding	10	12	24	9	1223
Alsace	43	24	22	2	1676
Saint-Germain	11	8	4	7	512
Salis de Mayenfeld	21	12	21	none	1150

Infantry of the Reserve under the Duc de Broglie

Infantry Regiment	Captains	Lieutenants	Lieutenants en second	Sous-Lieutenants	Soldiers
Poitou	34	31	4	2	1112
Provence	33	32	4	2	1142
Royal Suédois	33	15	15	13	1063
Royal Bavière	32	15	12	13	1266

References

Du Bois, Camp de Bilefeld, Commandé par Mr. le Mal. d’Estrées, depuis le 20 du mois de juin jusqu’au 7 de juillet

Du Bois, Camps topographiques de la Campagne de 1757 en Westphalie etc., Le Hague, 1760