Chasseurs Royaux de Provence
The Chasseurs Royaux de Provence (Royal Chasseurs of Provence) was a light infantry battalion of the French Royal Army which participated in the early stages of the French Revolutionary Wars until being absorbed into a fellow light infantry demi-brigade in 1796. The regiment's successor, the 92nd Infantry Regiment continues to serve in the modern French Army to this day.
| Chasseurs Royaux de Provence 1er Bataillon de Chassers (Provence) | |
|---|---|
 Regimental uniform after formation in 1788. | |
| Active | 1788–1795 |
| Country |   .svg.png){kind=small} |
| Allegiance | King of France French Nation |
| Branch | |
| Type | Chasseurs à Pied |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | Army of the Pyrenees Army of the Western Pyrenees Army of the Eastern Pyrenees |
| Headquarters | Antibes |
Formation
The Chasseurs Royaux de Provence were formed from and were to recruit exclusively from troops of the Provence region of Southern France. The battalion was granted 1st in precedence because its predecessor, the Régiment Royal–Italien had itself been a royal regiment and split to form the 1st Chasseurs Royaux de Provence and provided a small cadre for the 2nd Chasseurs de Dauphiné. The battalion was formed on 1 May 1788 and organised in the town of Antibes, on the coast of the Mediterranean.[1][2]
The regiment's first uniform consisted of; black tricone (officers in bicorne), red turnbacks, dark green jacket, dark green breeches, dark green gaiters, black boots, dark green pockets, red trimmed dark green pockets, red trimmed dark green cuffs, red cuff flaps, and white buttons.[1][3][4]
Revolution
In the Spring in 1791, the battalion moved into Monaco, and it was here when provisional regulations were published to un-royalise the army. On 1 April 1791, provisional regulations were announced following the initial stages of the French Revolution, and the regiment renamed as the 1er Bataillon de Chasseurs (Provence), 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 helmet, red turnbacks, dark green jacket, dark green breeches, dark green gaiters, black boots, dark green pockets, red trimmed dark green pockets, red trimmed dark green cuffs, red cuff flaps, and white buttons.[1][2][3][4]
War of the First Coalition
When the War of the First Coalition broke out, the battalion was still in Monaco, but quickly ordered to Huningue and took part in much of the early operations along the Rhine. At the end of the year, the battalion was again quickly moved, this time to the Pyrenees region, just as the Kingdom of Spain join the war on the side of the allies. Upon arriving in the area, the battalion join the garrison of Saint-Gaudens and subsequently joined the Army of the Pyrenees Armée des Pyrénées. In March 1793, the battalion moved into the Val d'Aran (Aran Valley) and joined the newly forming Army of the Western Pyrenees Armée des Pyrénées Occidentales.[2]
During the expedition into the Val d'Aran, the battalion formed the extreme vanguard, but during the entire expedition only suffered two men killed and five wounded. In 1794, the battalion was transferred to the Army of Eastern Pyrennes Armée des Pyrénées Orientales.[2]
The years following the Revolution saw great changes for the French Army: the old royalist infantry regiments were to serve as the stiffening for the tens of thousands of new volunteers who answered the patriotic Levée en masse. In the First Amalgamation of 1794, each old royalist battalion was put together with two new volunteers battalions to become new Demi-Brigade de Bataille or Demi-Brigade of Battle. Therefore, on 16 June 1795, the battalion amalgamated with the 9th Battalion of Isère and 1st French Battalion of the Republic to form the 1er Demi-Brigade Légère, thus ending the royalist lineage and traditions.[1][5]
Commanding Officers
Commanding officers of the battalion were:[2]
- 1788–1791 Jean-Baptiste Chauvet d'Allons
- 1791–1791 Philippe-César Delpuech de Comeyras de Peudemar
- 1791–1792 Gaspard-Vincent-Félix Giacomoni
- 1792–1793 Jean-Joseph Aubry
- 1793–1795 Antoine Chazault
Footnotes
- Susane, Volume I, pp. 311, 313–314, 364, 369, 399, 404.
- Susane, Volume VI, pp. 297–298.
- Lienhart & Humbet, pp. 57–58.
- Smith, Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars, p. 42–47.
- Smith, Napoleon's Regiments, pp. 195–196.
References
- Louis Susane, Historie de l'Ancienne Infanterie Français, Volume I, 1849 Naval and Polytechnical Military Library of Paris, Paris, France.
- Louis Susane, Historie de l'Ancienne Infanterie Français, Volume VI, 1852 Naval and Polytechnical Military Library of Paris, Paris, France.
- Dr. Constance Lienhart & Réne Humbert, The Uniforms of French Armies 1690–1894; Volume 3: The Infantry, Originally published in 1906, re-printed in 2020, Zanica, Italy. ISBN 978-8893275255.
- Digby Smith, Napoleon's Regiments Battle Histories of the Regiments of the French Army, 1792–1815, 2000 London, United Kingdom. ISBN 1-85367-413-3.
- Digby Smith & Jeremy Black, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars, 2015 Lorenz Books, London, United Kingdom. ISBN 978-0-7548-1571-6.