Saintonge Infanterie
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Contents
Origin and History
The regiment was created on September 8 1684. 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.
During the War of the Polish Succession, the regiment served on the Rhine from 1733 to 1735.
During the War of the Austrian Succession, the regiment was initially stationed in Bavaria in 1742. In 1743, it took part in the relief of Egra. In 1744, it was at Bitche. It then served in Flanders in 1745 and 1746. In 1747, it was transferred to the Alpine theatre of operation and, on July 19, took part in the Battle of Assietta where its colonel, M. de la Granville, was killed.
The regiment counted only one battalion.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment ranked 77th and was under the command of:
- since 1747: Comte de Boisgelin
- from February 20 1761: Marquis du Roure
- from May 11 1762 to 1780: Vicomte de Béranger
Service during the War
At the beginning of the Seven Years' War, the regiment was stationed in Bretagne.
By August 1 1757, the regiment was stationed at Rouen in Upper Normandy.
In 1759, the regiment was among the expeditionary corps assembled to attack Great Britain.
In 1761, the regiment was sent to French Guyana where it was stationed in Cayenne.
Uniform
Privates
Headgear |
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Neckstock | 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, each of their cantons consisted of four opposed triangles (yellow, blue, green, red). Ordonnance flags remained unchanged from 1684 to 1791.
References
Funcken, Liliane and Fred, Les uniformes de la guerre en dentelle
Menguy, Patrice; Les Sujets du Bien Aimé
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
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