The Breton Chasseurs () was a
chasseur
''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action.
History
This branch of the French Army orig ...
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...
of the
French Royal Army which was created just before the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
. The battalion would see service in the initial stages of the conflict, but the lineage ended after it was amalgamated with other
volunteer units. The battalion's successor, the 81st Infantry Regiment would continue to serve in the modern
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...
until 2010 when it was disbanded.
Background & Formation
Following the 8 August 1784 army ordnance, several regiments of Chasseurs à Cheval''
', literally Chasseurs of Horse or Mounted Chasseurs were formed. The infantry companies of these regiments were grouped into four battalions, and attached to their respective regiment, leaving six battalions by the end of the year. However, these new massive regiments proved to be too costly and too 'heavy', so a new ordnance was decreed just four years after their formation.
[Susane, ''Volume I'', pp. 308–309][Crowdy, p. 4][Smith, ''Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars'', pp. 46–47.]
Following the 17 March 1788 ordnance, the entirety of the Light Corps or ''Corps Léger'' as it became known was completely reorganised. The new ordnance decreed the separation of the corps into two new separate corps, the Light Cavalry Corps or ''Corps de Cavalerie Léger'' and the Chasseur Corps or ''Corps de Chasseurs''. The infantry itself was reorganised into twelve new chasseur battalions each composed of four companies, one depot company, and 12 riflemen. By the time of the revolution, the Chasseur Corps had a combined strength of 4,500 men.
Before the Revolution
The Chasseurs Bretons were formed on 1 May 1788 in
Lorient, Brittany from the four infantry companies of the ''
Chasseurs à Cheval des Alpes''. The new battalion was 6th in precedence, just after the
Cantabres Chasseurs and before the
Auvergne Chasseurs. The regimental staff or ''État-Major'' was composed of the following: 1 lieutenant colonel (commander), 1 major, 1 quartermaster-treasurer, 1 adjutant, 1 surgeon-major, music section (1
drum major and 4 musicians), 1 master tailor, 1 master armourer, and 1 master
cobbler
Cobbler(s) may refer to:
*A person who Shoemaking, repairs, and sometimes makes, shoes
Places
* The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland
* Mount Cobbler, Australia
Art, entertainment and media
* The Cobbler (1923 ...
. Each company was decreed to be organised as follows: 1 captain commandant, 1 second captain, 1 first lieutenant, 1 second lieutenant, 2 ''port drapeaus'' (literally flag holders), 1 sergeant major, 1 corporal ''fourrier'', 4 sergeants, 8 corporals, 8 ''appointés'', 78 chasseurs (12 riflemen), and 2 drummers. This left a total of 108 troops, not including the two attached officers or officer cadets assigned. The battalion was also divided into five companies (four field), while the last (fifth) remained at the regimental depot as a recruitment and training unit.
[Susane, Volume I, pp. 311, 313–314, 364, 369, 399, 404.][Susane, Volume VII, pp. 382–383.][Smith, ''Napoleon's Regiments'', p. 186]
The regiment's first uniform consisted of; black tricone (officers in bicorne), yellow turnbacks, dark green jacket, dark green breeches, dark green gaiters, black boots, dark green pockets, yellow trimmed dark green pockets, yellow trimmed dark green cuffs, yellow cuff flaps, and white buttons. The carabiniers (sharpshooters) uniforms were the same as the line troops, but had a large capped bearskin with a red top patch with a white cross, red flaming grenades on the turnbacks, red epaulettes, and a red plume on the left side of the cap along with a white cord on the left side.
[Crowdy, pp. 35–40][Crowdy, Plate D]
Immediately after its formation, the battalion moved to
Belle Île
Belle-Île, Belle-Île-en-Mer, or Belle Isle ( br, Ar Gerveur, ; br, label=Old Breton, Guedel) is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the ''département'' of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is from the Quiberon peni ...
and the next year went to
Rochefort-en-Terre
Rochefort-en-Terre (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.
Rochefort-en-Terre is a designated “Petite Cité de Caractère”.
The medieval chateau located in the town was the home of American painter ...
. In 1789, it occupied the island of
Oléron
The Isle of Oléron or Oléron Island (french: île d'Oléron, ; Saintongese: ''ilâte d'Olerun''; oc, illa d'Olairon or ; la, Uliarus insula, ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort), on the southern side of the ...
, and in November 1790 detached a company to
Saint-Jean-d'Angély
Saint-Jean-d'Angély (; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Jhan-d'Anjhéli'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
The commune has its historical origins in the Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély.
Royal abbey
Founded in the ...
, where quite serious disturbances had broken out. Soon the entire battalion was in the town, where it spent the year of 1791.
In 1789, the chasseurs' uniforms were altered into the following: buttons were now to be of brass and the coat was piped in white. The turnbacks were to be in yellow, with green hunting horns. Small clothes and belts were white and gaiters black. Musicians worse reversed colours. The carabiniers section (later company) wore red epaulettes and bearskins with red plumes, white cords, a red top patch with a white cross and no front plate. The chasseurs worse the peaked casque, with stiff black horsehair crest and mock leopard skin turban. On the left-hand side were a brass hunting horn badge, a company pompom and the tricolour cockade. For parades a white plume, tipped in yellow was worn.
Revolution
![6e_chasseurs_1791](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/6e_chasseurs_1791.png)
On 1 April 1791, provisional regulations were announced following the initial stages of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
, and the regiment renamed as the 6th Battalion of Chasseurs (Bretons) ''(6ème Bataillon de Chasseurs (Bretons))'', but they continued to be known as their former title until 1792. In addition to the new title, the regiment adopted a new uniform; peak casque, with stiff black horsehair crest and mock leopard skin turban
casque
Casque is a French word for helmet. It can refer to:
* Casque (anatomy), an enlargement on the beaks of some species of birds, including many hornbills
*Hornbill ivory, the casque of the helmeted hornbill, collected as a decorative material
* S. C ...
, yellow turnbacks, dark green jacket, dark green breeches, dark green gaiters, black boots, dark green pockets, yellow trimmed dark green pockets, yellow trimmed dark green cuffs, yellow cuff flaps, and white buttons.
[Susane, ''Volume I'', p. 364]
In the beginning of 1792, the regiment was directed towards
Strasbourg where it was to join the vanguard of the
Army of the Rhine ''(Armée du Rhin)''. The regiment had the distinction of being the first to attack the Prussian entrenchments on the heights of the Chapelle Sainte-Anne, and charged with bayonets at the ready and pushed the majority of the opposing force out of the entire area. Upon joining the army, reports show the battalion as being based in the department of
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...
and being only 375 in strength, more than 200 under-strength.
Following the failures of the initial
campaigns in 1792, the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
called for the expansion of the chasseurs corps. Therefore, on 24 April 1792 a decree was passed which called for the expansion of the chasseur battalions to nine companies and a new carabinier elite company (formed from the company carabinier sections).
In addition to the expansion of the battalions, new uniform were decreed, though these were short lived because of the impending first round of amalgamations. In September 1793 the chasseurs changed their green coats for the same dark blue as was now worn in the line, with pointed lapels, white piping, yellow buttons, red collar and cuff flaps. Small clothes were dark blue and white belts. The headgear was a green leather casque. In addition, the chasseurs began to receive new smooth-bore short muskets, the same as the line while the rifled carbines were granted to the carabiniers.
Finally, on 25 June 1795, the battalion was transferred to
Belfort
Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...
and joined the
Army of the Alps
The Army of the Alps (''Armée des Alpes'') was one of the French Revolutionary armies. It existed from 1792–1797 and from July to August 1799, and the name was also used on and off until 1939 for France's army on its border with Italy.
1792 ...
.
Following the declaration of the Republic in 1791,
the Republicans had wanted to remove the old royalist stain, with the first changes occurring in 1791 when the old provincial titles were replaced by numbers. In 1793, the wave of volunteers were grouped with the more experienced line battalions to form new ''demi-brigades''. These new units were the three battalion regiments organised so that there were two of volunteers and one of experienced troops. This meant in battle, the experienced troops would be in the middle to keep the less-experienced wings under control.
Therefore, on 25 June 1795, the 6th Chasseurs Battalion was amalgamated with the
8th Calvados Volunteer Battalion and 4th
Saône-et-Loire Volunteer Battalion to form the new
6th Light Demi-Brigade (''6éme Demi-Brigade Légère''). It was at this point that the royalist lineage was ended, and subsequently became the 2nd Battalion of the new demi-brigade.
Commanding Officers
Commanding officers of the regiment were:
* 1788–1791 Jean Baptiste Marie Joseph Florimond de Cappy
* 6 November 1791–23 March 1792
Thomas O'Meara
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
* 23 March 1792–1795 Joseph Gillot
Footnotes
References
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*{{Cite book, last=Grémillet, first=Capitaine Paul, title=Un Régiment Pendant Deux Siècles (1684–1899): Historique du 81e de Ligne, ancien 6e Léger "L'Intrépide" cy-devant Périgord, La Marche, Conti, L'un des Régiment des Princes, Légion Royale, Chasseurs des Alpes, Chasseurs Bretons, et Le Corps Léger du Roi, publisher=Librairie Militaire, year=1899, location=Paris, France
Military units and formations of France
Military units and formations established in 1788
Military units and formations disestablished in 1795
French chasseur battalions of the Ancien Régime