Isle de France Infanterie
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Origin and History
The regiment was created on September 20, 1684 and took the name of the Province of Isle de France. Indeed, expecting a Coalition to soon form against France, Louis XIV raised 30 new regiments from September 1 to 30 for the defence of the various places of the realm. By raising one regiment a day, he avoided any problem of precedence among these new regiments. The regiment was given to Antoine-Louis de Paillardan de Gondrin, Marquis d’Antin.
In 1688, during the Nine Years' War (1688-97), the regiment took part in the conquest of Palatinate; in 1690, in the Battle of Fleurus; and in 1691, in the siege of Mons. In 1692, it garrisoned Saint-Ghislain. In 1693, it served on the coasts of Normandie before being transferred to Italy where it fought in the Battle of Marsaglia. In 1695, it was allocated to the Army of Catalonia. In 1697, it took part in the siege of Barcelona.
In 1701, at the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-13),the regiment was allocated to the Army of Italy. In 1702, it took part in the Battle of Luzzara; in 1703, in the expedition in South Tyrol; in 1704, in the sieges of Vercelli, Ivrea and Verrua; in 1705, in the siege of Chivasso, in the Battle of Cassano and in in the siege of Soncino; in 1706, in the Battle of Calcinato and in the siege of Turin; in 1707, in the defence of Toulon; and in 1708, in the attack of Sésanne. From 1709 to 1713, it served in the Alps
In 1733, during the War of the Polish Succession (1733-35), the regiment joined the Army of the Rhine. In 1734, it took part in the siege of Philisbourg.
From 1739 to 1741, the regiment was stationed in Corsica.
From 1743 to 1746, during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48), the regiment served with the Army of the Alps. In 1747, it was transferred to Provence and stationed at Nice where it remained until 1748.
The regiment counted only one battalion.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment ranked 89th and was under the command of:
- from January 1, 1748: Louis-Anne-Alexandre de Montmorency, Marquis de Morbecque
- from February 20, 1761 to November 25, 1762: Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Colbert, Marquis de Seignelay
The regiment was disbanded on November 25, 1762.
Service during the War
From 1756 to 1762, the regiment was stationed on the coasts of Flanders to prevent any British amphibious operation.
By August 1 1757, the regiment was garrisoning Ostende in Flanders.
On November 25, 1762, the regiment was disbanded.
Uniform
Privates
| Headgear |
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| Neck stock | black | ||||||||||||
| Coat | grey-white
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| Waistcoat | grey-white (blue in 1761) | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | grey-white | ||||||||||||
| Gaiters | white | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
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Armaments consisted of a musket and a bayonet. Fusiliers carried a sword (brass hilt) while the grenadiers had a sabre.
Officers
n/a
Musicians
n/a
Colours
The colonel flag was white with a white cross. Ordonnance flags had a white cross and four isabelle (coffee) cantons, each containing a black vertical triangle pointing towards the edges.
 Colonel Colour - Source: Kronoskaf |
 Ordonnance Colour - Source: Kronoskaf |
References
This article incorporates texts from the following books which are now in the public domain:
- Susane, Louis: Histoire de l'ancienne infanterie française, J. Corréard, Paris, 1849-1856, Tome 8, pp. 235-236
Other sources
Menguy, Patrice: Les Sujets du Bien Aimé (an interesting website which has unfortunately disappeared from the web)
Pajol, Charles P. V.: Les Guerres sous Louis XV, vol. VII, Paris, 1891
Rogge, Christian: The French & Allied Armies in Germany during the Seven Years War, Frankfurt, 2006
Sommaire des forces armées Françaises à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de la France - 1er Août 1757, Service Historique de l'Armée de Terre
