In the first issue, our Editor enquired about the regiment "Volontaires Etrangers" in the French and Indian Wars - the Seven Years' War in the Americas.

VOLONTAIRES AND VOLONTAIRES ETRANGERS

The volontaires etrangers were not just a single regiment in the army of Louis XV, any more than the "freicorps" of Frederick II of Prussia. "Volontaires" and "Volontaires etrangers" the two seem to have been interchangeable - were the usual designations of French light troops of the mid-18th century, replacing the earlier "companies franches".

They were at least as diverse as the Prussian and Allied freicorps. A few small corps of volontaires can add a lot of colour to a French wargame army. Fusiliers, grenadiers, chasseurs, croats, cantabres, arquebusiers, guides, dragons, uhlans and hussards are available. Colours range from white through various shades of blue, yellow-brown, green and red, with uniforms including tricorne hats, fur caps, pokalem bonnets, mirlitons and pseudo-classical helmets. Units range from 25 men to over 2,000. They make a real change from the massed battalions of "blancs" distinguished only by facings or buttons.

The variety stems from the short life of volontaire corps, which were raised, amalgamated and disbanded as required. Consider these figures for the middle of the 18th century:

War	Year	Corps	Men
War of the Austrian Succession	1740	-	645
	1748	20	14,466
7 Years' War	1755	8	1,920
	1762	19	13,139

For the most part the men were not subjects of Louis XV - needed for the regulars - but foreigners. Many were German. The Volontaires d'Austrasit, of whom more anon, used German for commands until their amalgamation with the Volontaires du Haynault. The commander of the eponymous Volontaires Etrangers; de Gueschray in the War of the Austrian Succession deserted after the French defeat at Rossbach in the Seven Years' War, to reappear as the Prussian Generalmajor von Gschray. He and some of his Frei-Dragoner were surprised and captured at Nordhausen in 1761 by the Volontaires du Haynault. Ironically, they may have included members of his old corps, renamed Volontaires de Beyerle and Volontaires d'Alsace before incorporation into various corps including that of Haynault. Gschray's capture put an end to his career.

VOLONTAIRF-S ETRANGERS
(POUR SERVIR SUR MER AT AUX COLONIES)

The corps which aroused our Editor's interest was part of the regiment of Volontaires Etrangers raised with three battalions in 1756 by the famous Fischer - a former valet who rose to command his own Chasseurs de Fischer, and died a brigadier-gencral and chevalier. Attracted by his renown, the regiment completed rapidly, including former Captain d'Anthonay of Regiment Vermandois as lieutenant-colonel of the second battalion and a company of 40 "egyptians" noted for plundering. In 1757 the first two battalions went to Brittany, while the third served in Germany. The last was badly cut up by Prussian freicorps under Mayr a few days before Rossbach. Fischer returned to his own Chasseurs, and the volontaires were informed - for the first time - that they had been raised for service overseas. The regiment's spirit and discipline were badly affected, and never recovered fully.

D'Anthonay's second battalion was selected for service in Canada. It was brought up to a strength of thirteen companies, twelve of 3 officers and 50 fusiliers, the other of 3 officers and 60 grenadiers; men were drafted from the other battalions. The second was re-equipped and reclothed.

The white uniform was unusual for volontaires: "un habit, un veste, et une culotte blancs, avec colet, revers et parements verts, boutons de etain plats et unis "a I'anglaise" et chapeau borde d' argent". Coat, long waistcoat, breeches and long gaiters where white, and buttons white metal. Collar, lapels, turnbacks and cuffs were green. Leather would be plain or possibly white. Fusiliers and grenadiers would be armed with a musket, bayonet and short sabre. Fusiliers wore 2 tricorne with white lace and cockade, grenadiers a plain fur cap and on the left shoulder a green fringed epaulette. Each company had a drummer and a fifer, who would have worn a livery chosen by the colonel. The second battalion did carry colours: "noirs a double croix blanche", a white cross and saltire superimposed on a black field.

LOUISBOURG AND THE ANTILLES

The battalion duly sailed to reinforce the garrison of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, the gateway to French Canada. It joined battalions from the line regiments Bourgogne, Artois and Cambis, and "compagnies franches de la marine" from Canada itself. French colonies were administered by the Ministry of Marine, which controlled the navy, colonial administration and such local forces. Many officers proved totally unwilling to co-operate with the army, which cost them dear at Louisbourg and later at Quebec.

Few landing places were available near Louisbourg, and a British attempt the previous year had been repelled by defending them. But in 1758 Brigadier Wolfe scrambled ashore at Freshwater Cove. Many boats were lost among the rocks and surf, and the attack had to be made with the bayonet against batteries. Wolfe led with his cane. British casualties were twice those of the French, but the successful assault sealed the fate of Louisbourg. Told Wolfe was mad, George III replied, "Then I wish he would bite some of my other generals!"

Louisbourg itself was now subjected to a regular siege. It was a strong fortress for the Americas, but quite small. Building conditions there were poor, and the masonry had never been good. It was said it fell down as East as it was put up, and during the siege it had to be supplemented with fascines and sandbags. Ile fortress was overwhelmed by sheer weight of bombardment. With the guns dismounted, the walls breached, ships and much of the town burned, the decision was reached to surrender. The army and governor, Drucour, had conducted a gallant defence, marred by the refusal of most of the navy to oo-operate. Lt- Colonel d'Anthonay played his part, but the morale of his battalion may be indicated by the early desertion of its senior NCO and others.

The surrender ended the Volontaires Etrangers' service in the Americas, except for detachments diverted to the Antilles. They were absorbed into local troops.

EUROPE - VOLONTAIRES DE VIGNOLLES

The first and third battalions had remained in Brittany, despite plans to send to Canada the third, augmented to sixteen companies of 50 fusiliers and one of 60 grenadiers. A fourth battalion had been envisaged, by "dedoublement" of one of the other three - splitting it as a cadre and recruiting both halves to full strength. If formed, it does not seem to have lasted. The discipline of the corps improved but remained uneven. The first battalion seems to have been the better, with "un excellent major" of long service in Alsace. The rest were not as good, but "il on est de memo dans les troupes ctrangers" - "what else can one expect of freicorps?"

In January 1759 the corps was reconstituted with an establishment of sixteen companies of 40 fusiliers and one of 60 grenadiers. It was renamed the Volontaires do Vignolles, after the colonel Larreteguy do Vignolles. Our acquaintance d'Anthonay appears again as lieutenantcolonel, and Major Glocker sounds like the Alsatian veteran. A second lieutenant-colonel was retained, so there may have been two battalions; other explanations are also possible.

The new uniform was a royal blue coat with red facings, blue waistcoat, white breeches and buttons: "le habit bleu-de-roi avec veste do memo, parements, revers et doublure rouge, culotte blanche, boutons blancs et unis, 3 a la poche on travers, chapeau borde do laine".

VOLONTAIRES D'AUSTRASIE

The corps was reformed again at the end of the campaigning season. In November 1759 it became the Volontaires d'Austrasie, comprising eight companies of 71 fusiliers, one of 60 grenadiers, and - a new element eight of 40 dragoons.

The infantry uniform remained much the same, but added Germanic touches in the form of white buttonhole lace on pockets and lapels: "les 3 boutons de la poche (on travers) sont surmontet do 3 boutonnieres blanches existant aussi sur les rovers". Leather equipment was now definitely white. Both white and red fringed epaulettes are mentioned. The red one was probably worn only by grenadiers; that was becoming the common French grenadier distinction.

The new dragoon uniform was similar, but with more distinctions. It included the red fringed epaulette. Pockets were vertical, and the 3 buttons had "boutonnieres on poil de chevre", with the same on the lapels. "Poll de chevre" is literally goat fur, but it will be an idiom for a shade of colour, as in "ventee de biche" ("doe belly", a pale yellow-brown); fortunately in wargame scale one can just paint it off-white! The iron helmet had brass crest and rosettes, a tiger-skin turban, and a fleur-de-lys plaque on the front. It was presumably a pseudo-classical helmet of the type introduced by the Dragons de Saxe (later Schomberg), also shown in an illustration of the volontaires' successor corps, the Legion du Haynault. Dragoons had a musket, hussar sabre in brass scabbard, and pistols on the saddle. The illustration of a dragoon of the Legion du Haynault shows the musket attached near the trigger to a shoulder-belt. The cloak was blue, the shabraque blue with black lace, and leatherwork fawn.

LEGION DU HAYNAULT, DE LORRAINE

In December 1762, at the end of the Seven Years' War, the volontaires joined the Volontaires du Haynault to form the Legion du Haynault. This new corps retained the seventeen company organisation of the Volontaires d'Austrasic, but the rank and file were reduced to 17 in fusilier companies and 29 in those of grenadiers and dragoons. The uniform changed to blue faced black with yellow-brown "ventre-de-biche" waistcoat and numerous distinctions too tedious to list. In 1768 the corps was retitled Legion do Lorraine, the facings became blue and the infantry establishment was increased. Reduction in 1771 was followed by increase in 1774 and dissolution in 1776, when the light troops were absorbed into the line establishment.

VOLONTAIRES ETRANGERS DB LA MARINE, DE LAUZUN

The final dissolution of our corps of volontaires etrangers was closely followed by the creation of another in their original role. The Volontaires Etrangers de la Marine were raised in 1778 by the Duke de Lauzun, and served with distinction in Senegal the next year. Eight legions were envisaged, but only three seem to have been formed. 1780 saw their reorganisation as the Volontaires Etrangers de Lauzun, with legions comprising two companies of fusiliers, one each of grenadiers, chasseurs and artillery, and two of hussars.

All except two companies of fusiliers sailed with Rochambeau to serve in the American Revolution as the famous Lauzun's legion. Detachments served with Suffren in the West Indies. They wore the lighter blue "bleu celeste" which had become standard for regiments of German infantry in France, with yellow facings.

Lauzun and his cavalry -- now organised as two companies of hussars and two lancers -- served with distinction in the Yorktown campaign which ended the war. They returned to France in 1783 to become the regular Hussards de Lauzun, no. 6. The Duc himself was guillotined during the French Revolution, but the regiment won glory as the 5th Hussars, notably in the capture of the Dutch fleet in the ice, and in Lasalle's "Brigade Infernale" in the pursuit after Jena-Auerstadt.

MORE VOLONTAIRES PLEASE

I hope this article has given an idea of the variety of the volontaires etrangers, and that we may see more of these colourful French units opposing the "doppelblau" Prussian freicorps on the wargames tables. Many Prussian armies have the green Kleistisches Freicorps. Why not field the first French army with d'Anthonay's battalion, the red Legeois, Sabattier's green Chasseurs, the Volontaires de Clermont-Prince in yellow faced red, or even the treacherous Gueschrity's bluecoats?

FURTHER READING

On French light troops, I must suggest Sapin-Lignieres' voluminous compilation, LES TROUPES LEGERES DE L'ANCIEN REGIMEL The main reference for the Volontaires Etrangers, de Vignolles, d'Austrasie is notice 108 on pages 210-12. A colour illustration of the uniforms which would have been worn by d'Anthonay's battalion at Louisbourg is among those on page 264.

Pengel and Hures booklet FRANCE TROUPES LEGERES is less comprehensive than most in their excellent Seven Years' War uniform series. It has nothing on the Volontaires Etrangers, but charts and illustrations 43, 44 and K cover the Volontaires d'Austrasie. (The Funkens' L'UNIFORME ET LES ARMES DES SOLDATS DE LA GUERRE EN DENTELLE illustrates a selection of French light troops on page 39 of volume 2, but Mollo and McGregoes UNIFORMS OF THE SEVEN YEARS WAR 1756-63 shows only three types; neither book covers the units described in this article.)

The definitive account of the French and Indian Wars is Francis Parkman's magisterial MONTCALM AND WOLFE not bettered in a century. His chapter 19 gives a good account of the siege of Louisbourg. For more detail one would need Maclennan's LOUISBOURG FROM ITS FOUNDATION TO ITS FALL, 1713-1759, which I lack. All the biographies of Wolfe I have read include an account; Chapter XIV of Reilly's WOLFE OF QUEBEC is interesting.

On wargames set in the Seven Years' War, my recommendation is Charles Grant's THE WAR GAME, one of the best wargaming books ever written. Christopher Duffy's FIRE AND STONB has a useful Appendix 3 on wargaming a siege.

[A note on the author: John Norris is a past contributor to various nmagazines and has a particular interest in the 7YW and uniforms of that period.