Lorraine Infanterie
Hierarchical Path: Seven Years War (Main Page) >> Armies >> French Army >> Lorraine Infanterie
Origin and History
The regiment was created on February 21, 1684 as “Lorraine Infanterie” and given to N. de Monchy, Marquis d’Hocquincourt.
In 1690, during the Nine Years' War (1688-97), the regiment took part in the Battle of Fleurus where its colonel was killed. The regiment was then given to the Comte d’Hocquincourt, the brother of the former colonel. The new colonel was killed near Huy in 1692. The same year the regiment took part in the siege of Namur. In 1693, it fought in the Battle of Marsaglia. In 1694, it served in Germany; in 1695, in Flanders, and from 1696 to 1697, on the Meuse.
In 1702, during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-13), the regiment took part in the Battle of Friedlingen; in 1703, in the Siege of Kehl; and in 1704, in the Battle of Blenheim. In 1705 and 1706, the regiment was attached to the Army of the Moselle; and in 1707, to the Army of Flanders. In 1708, it took part in the Battle of Oudenarde; in 1709, in the Battle of Malplaquet; in 1710, in the defence of Aire; in 1712, in the Battle of Denain and in the sieges and recapture of Douai, Le Quesnoy and Bouchain; and in 1713, in the sieges of Landau and Freiburg.
In 1733, at the beginning of the War of the Polish Succession (1733-35), the regiment occupied the Province of Lorraine. In 1734, it took part in the siege of Philippsburg; and in 1735, in the combat of Klausen.
In 1742, during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48), the regiment served in Flanders. In 1743, it was sent to Bavaria. From 1744 to 1745, it was stationed in Alsace. In 1746, it served in Flanders where it took part in the the capture of Mons and Charleroi and in the Battle of Rocoux. In 1747, it participated in the Battle of Lauffeld and in the siege of Berg-op-Zoom.
The regiment initially counted two battalions but an ordonnance, dated November 10, 1756, brought it up to three battalions.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment ranked 69th and was under the command of:
- from December 1, 1745: Jean-François-Hubert Le Ver, Marquis de Caux
- from 1759 to December 10, 1762: Jules-Marc-Antoine de Morel, Marquis d'Aubigny
On December 10, 1762, when the French Army was reorganised, the regiment was disbanded and incorporated in the newly formed “Aunis Infanterie.”
Service during the War
An ordonnance, dated November 10, 1756, stipulated that the second battalion of the regiment would be sent to India and instructed to increase the effective strength of the regiment to 1,080 men (excluding officers) organised as follows:
- staff (including a commander and an aide-major for the second battalion)
- 2 battalions of 540 men (excluding officers), each consisting of:
- 8 companies of fusiliers, each of:
- 3 officers
- 1 captain
- 1 lieutenant
- 1 sub-lieutenant (carrying the colour if the company had one)
- 60 men
- 3 sergeants
- 4 corporals
- 4 anspessades (lance-corporals)
- 48 fusiliers
- 1 drummer
- 3 officers
- 1 company of grenadiers of:
- 3 officers
- 1 captain
- 1 lieutenant
- 1 sub-lieutenant
- 60 men
- 3 sergeants
- 4 corporals
- 4 anspessades (lance-corporals)
- 48 grenadiers
- 1 drummer
- 3 officers
- 8 companies of fusiliers, each of:
Furthermore, for service in India, the second battalion would be split into two distinct battalions (2nd and 3rd).
For the duration of the Seven Years' War, the 1st battalion remained in Europe. The 2nd and 3rd were sent to the East Indies in 1757.
First Battalion
The 1st battalion remained in Europe during the entire war.
In 1756, the battalion was stationed in Auray in the region of Morbihan in Bretagne.
By August 1, 1757, the battalion was stationed on Belle-Isle in Bretagne.
In August 1758, the battalion formed part of the force which defended Cherbourg during the second British expedition against the French Coasts.
Second and Third Battalions
On March 6, 1757, the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the regiment left Brest on board a squadron under the command of Admiral d'Aché to reinforce the French posts in India. The fleet pursued by British men-of-war loitered on the voyage to Île de France (present-day Mauritius). It then took three months on its passage to the Coast of Coromandel in India.
On April 25, 1758, d'Aché's squadron finally arrived before the British Fort St-David. The 2nd and 3rd battalions (a total of 983 men) then took part in the operations on the Coast of Coromandel. On April 30, these battalions were part of M. de Soupire's force which joined d'Estaing for the siege of Fort St. David until its capitulation on June 2. On December 9, the two battalions were at the Battle of Condore.
In 1759, the two battalions took part in the unsuccessful siege of Madras.
On January 22, 1760, 400 men of the regiment took part in the Battle of Wandewash. On March 11, they were retiring towards the boundary hedge of Pondicherry when they were charged with spirit by the Madras European Regiment dragoons and thrown into considerable confusion, having several men sabred. From September to January 1761, they took part in the defence of Pondicherry.
In 1761, after the surrender of Pondicherry, the 2nd and 3rd battalions returned to France.
On December 10, 1762, when the French Army was reorganised, the regiment was disbanded and incorporated in the newly formed “Aunis Infanterie.”
Uniform
Privates
| Headgear |
| ||||||||||||
| Neck stock | black | ||||||||||||
| Coat | grey-white line grey-white with copper buttons down to the waist on the right side
| ||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | red with two rows of small copper buttons; horizontal pockets with small copper buttons | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | grey-white | ||||||||||||
| Gaiters | white | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
|
Armaments consisted of a musket and a bayonet. Fusiliers carried a sword (brass hilt) while the grenadiers had a sabre.
Officers
n/a
Musicians
The drummers of the regiment wore the livery of the House of Lorraine: a chamois coat with chamois turnbacks and black cuffs; and chamois breeches. The coat was heavily decorated with yellow laces.
The drum barrel was decorated with alternating blue, black and chamois triangles; the rims were decorated with blue, black and chamois rectangles; white cords.
Colours
Colonel colour: white field with a white cross.
Ordonnance colours: green and linen grey cantons and a white cross. The ordonnance colours remained unchanged from 1684 to 1762.
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. 212-213
Other sources
Anon.: Manuscript Troupes du Roi, Infanterie française et étrangère, année 1757, tome I, Musée de l'Armée, Paris
Funcken, Liliane and Fred: Les uniformes de la guerre en dentelle
Menguy, Patrice: Les Sujets du Bien Aimé (a website which has unfortunately disappeared from the web)
Mouillard, Lucien: Les Régiments sous Louis XV, Paris: 1882
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
Service Historique de l'armée de terre - Sommaire des forces armées Françaises à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de la France - 1er Août 1757
Taccoli, Alfonso: Teatro Militare dell' Europa, Part 1, vol. 2; Madrid, March 1760
Vial, J. L.: Nec Pluribus Impar
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
