Albemarle Infantry
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Origin and History
The regiment was raised in February 1701 in the Canton of Zurich. It consisted of 1,200 men in six companies.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, the colonel of the regiment was:
- from February 1701 to 1718: Arnold Joost van Keppel, Earl of Albemarle
During the War of the Spanish Succession, the colonel-commandant of the regiment was:
- from February 1701 to 1718: Johan Félix Werdmüller (promoted to brigadier in 1707, at the death of the Earl of Albemarle in 1718, he was promoted to colonel).
The regiment was disbanded in 1795.
Service during the War
By 21 December 1702, one battalion of the regiment was quartered in Aachen and another in Berg-op-Zoom.
In April and May 1703, the regiment was at the Siege of Bonn. At the beginning of December, the two battalions of the regiment were stationed in Maastricht and Viset.
On 2 July 1704, the regiment was supposedly at the Battle of the Schellenberg, but we find no trace of it in our order of battle. On 13 August, it took part in the Battle of Blenheim. In October and November, it was at the siege of Trarbach.
On 23 May 1706, the regiment took part in the Battle of Ramillies.
On 28 September 1708, the regiment took part in the Engagement of Wijnendale. It later took part in the capture of Ghent.
On 11 September 1709, the regiment fought in the Battle of Malplaquet.
In 1710, the regiment took part in the sueges of Béthune, Saint-Venant and Aire-sur-Lys.
On 24 July 1712, one battalion of the regiment took part in the Battle of Denain, where its commandant Stocker was killed and the Earl of Albemarle and the battalion were taken prisoners.
Uniform
Privates (1701-1705)
| Headgear |
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| Neck stock | white | ||||||||||||
| Coat | red with yellow lining, with brass buttons on the right side
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| Waistcoat | yellow | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | yellow | ||||||||||||
| Stockings | red | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
|
Armaments consisted of a musket and a bayonet; and a sword.
Privates (1705-1713)
| Headgear |
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| Neck stock | white | ||||||||||||
| Coat | indigo blue with red lining; with tin buttons on the right side
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| Waistcoat | yellow | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | yellow | ||||||||||||
| Stockings | red | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
|
Armaments consisted of a musket and a bayonet; and a sword.
NCOs
no information available
Officers
Pochon depicts an ensign of the regiment with:
- a black tricorne laced white
- a white neck stock
- a blue coat with red cuffs (each with 5 tin buttons), blue horizontal pockets edged red (each with 5 tin buttons and 5 buttonholes piped red
- a white waistcoat
- straw yellow breeches
- red stockings
- black shoes with straps and buckles
Musicians
no information available
Colours
Ordonnance colours: white cross; each canton consisted of 11 flames (red, yellow, blue, black, blue, red, blue, black, blue, yellow, red)
References
Belaubre, J.: Les régiments suisses au service des Provinces unies, 1970
Pochon: Les Suisses au Service de Hollande
Wikipedia German Edition - Schweizer Truppen in niederländischen Diensten
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
Acknowledgement
Jean-Louis Vial for the initial version of this article
