Chasseurs Corses
The Chasseurs Corses (Corsican Chasseurs) 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 1794. The regiment's successor, the 79éme Régiment d'Infanterie continued to serve in the modern French Army until 1940 when it was disbanded following the Battle of France.
| Chasseurs Corses 4éme Bataillon de Chassers (Corses) | |
|---|---|
 Regimental uniform after formation in 1788. | |
| Active | 1788–1794 |
| Country |   .svg.png){kind=small} |
| Allegiance | King of France French Nation |
| Branch | |
| Type | Chasseurs à Pied |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | Army of the Alps Army of the North Army of the Rhine and Moselle |
| Headquarters | Tournon-sur-Rhône |
Formation
The Chasseurs Corses were formed from and were to recruit exclusively from troops of Corsica, recently conquered by France. The battalion was granted 4th in precedence in the chasseurs, just after the Chasseurs Royaux Corses (another Corsican unit). The battalion was formed as the immediate successor of the 2nd Battalion of the Régiment Royal–Corse and based in Tournon-sur-Rhône.[1][2]
The regiment's first uniform consisted of; black tricone (officers in bicorne), bright yellow collar, bright yellow turnbacks, dark green jacket, dark green breeches, dark green gaiters, black boots, dark green pockets, trimmed dark green pockets, bright yellow cuffs, bright yellow cuff flaps, and white buttons.[1][3][4]
Revolution
The battalion remained in the town in which it was formed until 1791 when it occupied the garrison of Montpellier. On 1 April 1791, provisional regulations were announced following the initial stages of the French Revolution, and the regiment renamed as the 4éme Bataillon de Chasseurs (Corses), 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, bright yellow turnbacks, dark green jacket, dark green breeches, dark green gaiters, black boots, dark green pockets, bright yellow trimmed dark green pockets, bright yellow trimmed dark green cuffs, bright yellow cuff flaps, and white buttons.[1][2][4]
War of the First Coalition
In 1792, the battalion moved to Lyon and subsequently joined the Army of the Alps Armée des Alpes, which had just itself formed by royal order of King Louis XVI. In 1793, the battalion joined the Army of the North Armée du Nord, and on 6 May participated in the Battle of Prowins where they completely routed the Tyrolean Chasseurs (Austrian). The battalion then joined the Army of the Rhine and Moselle until 6 August 1794 when it was disbanded.[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 1st Creuse and 5th Ain Battalion to form the 4éme Demi-Brigade Légère, thus ending the royalist lineage and traditions.[1][2]
Commanding Officers
Commanding officers of the regiment were:[2]
- 1788–1791 Grazio de Rossi
- 1791–1792 Stefano Sansonetti
- 1792–1794 Jacob Louis Massei
Footnotes
- Susane, Volume I, pp. 311, 313–314, 364, 369, 399, 404.
- Susane, Volume VII, p. 330.
- Lienhart & Humbet, pp. 57–58.
- Smith, Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars, p. 42–47.
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 VII, 1853 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 & Jeremy Black, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars, 2015 Lorenz Books, London, United Kingdom. ISBN 978-0-7548-1571-6.