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In Search Of The French Grenadiers
In Search Of The French Grenadiers
During the Seven Years War
By David Cookman
For some time I have been raising a Seven Years War French wargarne army.
In the course of this I have been finding out about the structure and makeup of the
French forces, one aspect which intrigued me was an elusive formation called the
royal grenadiers, or the Grenadiers Royaux.
Only a few of my sources even mentioned this formation and even here, the
references were fleeting. I tried a number of avenues to discover more information,
but continually drew a blank. Then, with the help of a French work colleague,
Robert Cholay, I wrote to the Musee de l'Armee in Paris and a couple of months
later, I received a very complete and interesting reply from M. Stephane Bourdin. I
enclose the translation of this reply below with some additional thoughts on
grenadiers in the French army.
The Translation
In 1667 each company of infantry had attached a group of four men armed
with hand grenades, and from 1671, each infantry battalion included a company of
grenadiers. Their equipment included a sabre, a hatchet and a grenade pouch
(containing between 12 and 15 grenades). With the introduction of the first
regulation musket (complete with bayonet), however, the usage of the grenade
declined.
During the War of the Polish Succession there was one company of
grenadiers per battalion, but these were not kept after the peace. A royal
ordonnance of the 15th September 1745 created 103 battalions of provincial militia;
each battalion was composed of 8 companies of fusiliers (each of 70 men) and one
company of 50 grenadiers, giving a total of 610 men, serving for six years.
The ordonnance of the 10th of April 1745 detached the companies of
grenadiers from the battalions of militia and formed seven regiments (one battalion
each) of grenadiers royaux (royal grenadiers), named after their
colonels. An ordonnance of 28th January 1746 created in each militia battalion a
new company of grenadiers - called the grenadiers postiches
(false grenadiers) from whom the grenadiers royaux were recruited. On campaign
the grenadiers pos
tiches were attached to the regiments of the grenadiers royaux, which were two
battalions strong.
An ordonnance of the 15th of February 1748 caused the creation of two
additional regiments of grenadiers. All nine regiments were disbanded on the 6th of
August 1748 to be reconstituted, this time at a strength of 11 regiments, on the 1st
of March 1750. During the Seven Years War, the grenadiers postiches
fought in the ranks of the grenadiers royaux and the regiments were
disbanded as were the grenadiers royaux on the 30th September 1789.
The regiment of the grenadiers de France, which should not be
confused with the regiments of the grenadiers royata, had a different
origin: they were not raised from the militia, but from the line infantry. In 1745 the
ministry of d'Argenson imposed a minimum of two battalions to a regiment which
resulted in the suppression of 18 regiments of infantry ( a regiment was formed of
12 companies of fusiliers and 1 company of grenadiers). The grenadier companies
of the 18 disbanded regiments were formed into a special corps: the regiment of the
grenadiers de France, commanded by a lieutenantgeneral and divided
into four brigades of 12 companies each (1749).
At the same time, in the regiments of infantry which survived, a company of
grenadiers per battalion was maintained. The regiment of the grenadiers de
France comprised in 1749: 2,160 grenadiers, 16 colonels and 8
lieutenant-colonels. It was controlled by an inspector-commandant: the marquis de
Saint-Pern. For some time considered only as parade troops, the regiment of the
grenadiers de France illustrated its bravery during the Seven Years War.
An ordonnance of the 4th of August 1771 dissolved the grenadiers de
France who were distributed amongst the 11 regiments of the grenadiers
royaux or into the various provincial regiments.
Paralleling the infantry grenadiers, Louis XIV, in 1676, created a company of
horse grenadiers (grenadiers a cheval) recruited from the cavalry and
armed with a musket, pistol and sword. This company was attached to the Maison
du Roi (king's household). Their motto was "Undique terror, undique
lethum". After participating in the battles of Ramillies, Oudenarde (1708),
Malplaquet (1709), Fontenoy (1745) and the Seven Years War, the company was
disbanded on the 15th of December 1775.
Grenadiers During the Seven Years War
During the Seven Years War the grenadiers de France and the grenadiers royaux made themselves famous from 1757. The two distinct corps of troops marched together in a single formation. Four regiments of grenadiers royaus [(Aulan - later to become Le Camus in
1759), Bergeret ( which became Narbonne in 1759), Modene and Chantilly] and the four battalions of the grenadiers de France formed a corps of 12 battalions of grenadiers, placed trom 1757 to 1760 under the command of the marquis de Saint-Pern. As for the regiment of Solar, as often as not it acted as escort to the geographical staff carrying out reconnaissance.
At the battle of Hastenbeck the grenadiers de France were placed on the right wing. The forces of Saint-Pern participated in the march on the Lower Elbe, the capitulation of Klosterhaven and the occupation of Hanover and Brunswick.
In 1758, during which year the two battalions of the Solar regiment were
made prisoner in Minden (14th March), the grenadiers royaux,
grenadiers de France, and the carabiniers passed Lippe on the 29th
of September and pillaged the camp of Borck, under the command of Saint-Pern.
In 1759 the corps of grenadiers was integrated into the Army of the Lower
Rhine, under the command of the marquis de Contades. On the 1st of August 1759
the grenadiers de France attacked in Ihe first line at Todtenhausen (Battle of Minden), being driven back by Brunswick troops and enduring a three hour cannonade which caused heavy casualties. This French defeat was followed by the evacuation of Westphalia and Hesse. On the 17th of August, the second battalion of the regiment Narbonne surrendered after being isolated and attacked at Nienbourg.
In 1760 the grenadiers participated in the occupation of the south of Hanover
and Hesse. Twelve companies of grenadiers royaux, commanded
by the viscount of Narbonne, were beseiged by 12,000 of the enemy in Fritzlar on
the 12th of February 1761. Narbonne only capitulated on the l5th of February and
Louis XV accorded him the right, henceforth, to call himself the viscount de
NarbonneFritzlar. In 1761 the regiments of Cambis, La Tresne, Ailly, L'espinasse,
Longaunay and Puysegur (ex-Modene) served under the
orders of the Duc de Broglie. The grenadiers of de Broglie's army participated in
the battle of Vellinghausen, where they made up the left column and captured the
chateau of Nadel. Then, on the 16th of July 1761 the grenadiers de
France were charged with covering the retreat of the duke.
During the campaign of 1762, the regiments of Le Camus, Narbonne, La
Roche-Lambert (ex-Puysegur), Argentre (exChantilly) and l'Espinasse were
grouped in the army of Soubise and d'Estrees, whereas the regiments of Cambis
and Ailly were integrated into the Army of the Lower Rhine under the command of
the prince de Conde. The grenadiers of Soubise fought at Wilhelmstadt (24th June
1762). Conde gave battle at Johannisberg (30th August) and was aided by
Stainville, who arrived at the head of the four battalions of the grenadiers
de France, six battalions of the grenadiers royaux, and three
regiments of dragoons.
The regiments of the grenadiers royaux who did not fight in
Germany were cantoned on the coasts of France and the regiment of Chabrillant
was sent to Minorca.
Additional
Information
The grenadiers, considered as the elite of the infantry, were always chosen
for their robustness and height. They were differentiated from the other
infantrymen by wearing moustaches and receiving a larger salary. They were
always brought togeather for a month each year at a military training ground, where
their equipment was kept, for military exercises. The intendant carried out a review
of the troops and their equipment. In 1765 the 11 regiments of the
grenadiers royaux took the name of the province where they were
raised and no longer took the name of their colonel.
The uniform of the grenadiers royaux (controlled by the
ordonnance of 25th November 1746 - Funcken page 65, illustration 19) resembled
that of the French line infantry: a coat of grey-white with buttons of copper or tin,
vest and trousers in grey-white cloth, black gaiters for parade or white for ordinary
service, epaulettes. Headgear was a black tricorn edged in silver. The
grenadiers de France wore a blue coat with red turnbacks and a
silver epaulette; their headgear was a fur cap decorated with a copper plate
(Funcken page 63, illustration 39).
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