The Hussards de la Mort or Death

Hussars A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

were a French

light cavalry Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily rai ...

company formed during 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

History

On June 12, 1792 a

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

was created by the French Assembly formed from 200 volunteers. In July, Kellermann organizes the company naming ''Hussards de la Mort'' - Death Hussars. These volunteers, coming from mostly wealthy families, were provided with horses from the King's stables.''La Cavalerie pendant la Révolution'', Desbrières et Sautai, 1907. On March 5, 1793 survivors of the squadron were merged into the 14th Cavalry Regiment by decree from the

National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...

. On April 25, 1793 the squadron was dissolved.

Uniform

* Mirliton: black *

Collar Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

: black *

Dolman The somewhat vaguely defined term dolman (from Turkish ''dolaman'' "robe" ) can refer to various types of clothing, all of which have sleeves and cover the top part of the body, and sometimes more. Originally, the term ''dolaman'' referred to ...

: black *

Pelisse A pelisse was originally a short fur-trimmed jacket which hussar light-cavalry soldiers from the 17th century onwards usually wore hanging loose over the left shoulder, ostensibly to prevent sword cuts. The name also came to refer to a fashion ...

: black * Facing : black * Braids: white *

Breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each human leg, leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Weste ...

: black The symbol of a

skull and crossbones A skull and crossbones is a symbol consisting of a human skull and two long bones crossed together under or behind the skull. The design originated in the Late Middle Ages as a symbol of death and especially as a ''memento mori'' on tombstones. ...

was placed on the mirliton, the

sabretache A sabretache (derived from german: Säbeltasche) is a flat bag or pouch, which was worn suspended from the belt of a cavalry soldier together with the sabre. Origins The sabretache is derived from a traditional Hungarian horseman's flat leather ...

and the shoulder sleeve. The uniform was inspired by the insignia of the Prussian hussars. Even after merging with the 14th Cavalry Regiment, they kept their uniform.

Mottos

''Vaincre ou mourir'', ''La liberté ou la mort'' ou ''Vivre libre ou mourir'' - Victory or death, Freedom or death, Live free or die

Theaters of operation

Battle of Valmy The Battle of Valmy, also known as the Cannonade of Valmy, was the first major victory by the army of France during the Revolutionary Wars that followed the French Revolution. The battle took place on 20 September 1792 as Prussian troops comm ...

Battle of Fleurus (1794) The Battle of Fleurus, on 26 June 1794, was an engagement during the War of the First Coalition, between the army of the First French Republic, under General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, and the Coalition Army (Britain, Hanover, Dutch Republic, and H ...

Sources

External links