HISTORY

The ancestors of the 8th Hussars were the Scouts of the Army created by Colonel de Fabrefonds in October 1792. In March 1793, when stationed at Nancy, the corps was organised as a hussar regiment and given the 'arm' number 9. Following the decree of 4 June 1793, they were re- numbered as the 8th. The Elth Hussars became one of the best regiments of light cavalry in the French Imperial Army.

The regiment immediately started campaigning with the Army of the North after being briefly attached to the coastal Army of La Rochelle. It returned to the north where it captured the town of Bois-le-Duc in a dismounted attack! On the 21 January 1795, now attached to Pichegru's army, the 2nd Squadron, commanded by Captain Marulaz, contributed to the capture of the Dutch fleet, then icebound in the Texel.

In 1796, at the battle of Offenburg, Captain Becker followed by only ten hussars, routed and captured an uhlan squadron commanded by a Colonel. Now with the Army of the Danube, on 6 June 1799 the now-Brigade Commander Marulaz attacked an Austrian camp with two squadrons. After a fierce fight he captured 400 men whilst suffering five wounds himself.

In 1800, with the Army of the Rhine, the Elth further distinguished itself at Stockach where it captured 4,000 Austrians. During this fight, the colonel commanding the Kranitz Regiment was captured by Private Fontanier, who was awarded a Sabre of Honour for this feat of arms. On the 27 May, the 8th Hussars impetuously charged at BuchI^e and pursued the enemy to Landsberg, capturing the bridge at Lech in the process. For this exploit, Marulaz himself gained a Sabre of Honour. On the 19 June, the regiment swam across the Danube, and crossed the Saale in a similar manner on a freezing 14 December! As General Lasalle said: 'The hussars must be able to do anything ...... During the battle of Indenfingen, Captain Chardon took 1,200 prisoners with only one squadron.

From 1803 to 1804 the regiment was part of the Army of the Ocean Coast along the Channel, then force marched to join the Grande Armee in order to participate in the 1805 campaign. The day before Austerlitz, Colonel Franceschi-Delonne, the commander of the Elth, was ordered to reconnoitre the edges of the Morava river. At the head of the 180 men of the 1st Squadron, they barricaded the village of Goeding and delayed the advance of 25,000 Austrians. Having lost around fifty men, the Austrians broke of the attack.

At Austerlitz itself, Marshal Soult ordered the regiment to pursue the retreating enemy, where it captured four Russian generals, two colonels, sixty-five other officers and 2,500 men. Following this feat, Colonel Franceschi Delonne was promoted to General of Brigade, and the victories of Ulm and Austerlitz were inscribed on the unit's standard.

During the 1806 campaign, the 8th took part in the Battle of Jena as part of Marshal Soult's IV Corps. This became the third victory for its standard after it took place in the brilliant pursuit of Blucher. On 2 November it captured three squadrons of Prussian cuirassiers at Fackemburg, near L.beck. In December 1806, the regiment charged at Eylau for its fourth battlehonour, but did not participate in the battle of Friedland.

In 1809 the Elth Hussars were attached to the Army of Germany. At the battle of Enzersdorf, Lieutenant Chouleur at the head of the 1 st Squadron broke through an Austrian battalion square and captured it. At the siege of Raab the regiment replaced the absent pontoniers, proving their versatility once again. As part of General Lasalle's brigade it fought at Eckm,hl on the 22 April and again at Ratisbon, Essling and Wagram where Lasalle died wearing the uniform of the Elth. Wagram became another honour to be inscribed on the standard,

At Ostrowno on 26 July 1812 during the Russian campaign the 8th Hussars with the 16th Chasseurs, under General Pire, broke the Russian cavalry and took eight guns. The regiment went on to fight at Vilna, Smolensk and La Moskowa Borodino).

In 1814, after defending Danzig and Strasbourg, the regiment was present at SaintDizier and Champaubert. In spite of this record of valiant service under the 1st empire, the 8th Hussars were disbanded on 12 may 1814 and were not reformed until 1840.

UNIFORMS

Generally speaking, the French hussar uniforms were incredibly varied, and the 8th was no exception. Below is a list of the more or less 'regulation' dress.

Dolman: Dark green
Collar: Bright red
Cuffs: Bright red
Pelisse: Dark green
Breeches: Bright red or dark green with white, dark green or red lace
Lace: Up to 1808, white lace for the troops, silver for officers From 1808, 2/3 red and 1/3 green for the troops, silver for the officers
Buttons: Silver
Trumpeters wore uniforms with reversed colours (the lace remained unchanged). However, for the post-1812 period, many sources show an all red uniform; see photograph.

Portmanteau: Bright red with dark green lace & the number 8, or dark green with white lace & number 8

Horse furniture: White sheepskin for the troops and black sheepskin for trumpeters, both with red tooth edge'. Officer's horse furniture was a dark green cloth laced silver, trimmed with a thin red line and ornamented with various devices in the corner, i.e. a Hungarian knot or a crowned eagle

Headgear: Up until 1812, the most common shako was a tall black bell shape. The 8th Hussars wore theirs with cords (white, green or red/green) and a tall plume generally black, although sources show many different colours. In November 1810, a circular abolished both. The plume was replaced by a lentil- shaped pom-pom. The undisciplined hussars continued to wear plumes, tassels and cords for a considerable amount of time. They were aided by a no less undisciplined (or greedy) commissariat, which continued to sell these items as late as December 1812. In 1812 the very fashionable, but non-regulation 'shako rouleau' made its appearance, and the 8th Hussars were reported to have it during the Russian campaign. It was much taller than its many predecessors and consisted of a reinforced black felt cylinder, covered with bright red fabric, a black fold down neck cover at the rear and a black peak.

Sources

Galonnage des Officiers: Bucquoy, La Cavalerie Legere p. 81.
Galonnage de Sous-officiers: Tradition no. 71, p. 29.
Bucquoy, La Cavalerie Legere, p. 48 to 61.
Tradition no. 71, p. 21 to 32.
Funken, Les Soldats du Premier Empire, p. 48 to 53.