In Military Hobbies Magazine No.25 for June/July 1992, Adrian Schmit excellently covered the four numbered Swiss Regiments in French Service during the Napoleonic Wars. However, besides those four regiments, there were two other Swiss formations serving in the French Army of this period: The Valais Battalion (1805 to 1811) covered here, and the Neuchatel Battalion (1807 to 1804), which will be covered in Part II of thisarticle in the next issue of EE&L.
Both of these battalions were raised entirely from Swiss citizens in the same way as the other four regiments, and both were subject to a negotiated Capitulation
[1] between the French Government and their appropriate Canton Authorities.
The strategic importance of the Canton of Valais [2] rested on the simple fact that it contained both the Great St. Bernard and the Simplon passes through the Alps - the key to Northern Italy for a French Army, as Napoleonhad proved as recently as 1800 in the Marengo campaign. Unwilling to let control of these passes slip from hishand, but unable to annex the region outright, Napoleon created an independent Canton of Valais by the simple expedient of separating the area from the Helvetian Confederation and establishing it under the auspices and dominance of France.
Request
In 1805, Napoleon requested the Republic of the Valais to provide him with a Battalion of infantry. Accordingly, negotiations between the French Government and the Grand Bailiff of the Republic, Marie-Antoine Augustini, were opened to settle the terms. On October 8, 1805, the Capitulation was signed by there presentatives and on November 1 of the same year it was ratified by the Emperor.
The Capitulation's sixteen clauses provided for the Republic to furnish France with an infantry Battalion comprising a Staff, a Grenadier Company, and four Fusilier Companies. All recruits were to be volunteers aged between 18 and 40, enlisted for four years, and to be no less than 5'2" tall.
The Battalion was to receive pay, allowances and equipment on the same basis as a French Battalion but, in common with the other Swiss units, the Commanding Officer was to be responsible for military justice and discipline within the unit and had the right to appeal directly to the French Minister of War on any matter affecting this unit. One additional privilege which the battalion shared in common with the other Swiss units was exemption from service overseas (or in the French Colonies).
The discussions over the officering of the Battalion were, to say the least, prolonged, and they did not conclude until the Summer of 1806 when Charles Louis de Blanc was appointed as the commanding Officer with the rank of Chef de Battalion.
The recruiting proved equally slow. [3] Theoretically each Company should have mustered 129 officers and men which, with a staff of 16, would have brought the Battalion to a full strength of 661 of all ranks, but the recruiting difficulties forced Napoleon to reduce the establishment strength of the Companies to 83 men in early 1807, as well as allowing a reduction in the minimum height for recruits. With the relaxed qualifications the Battalion was up to strength by the beginning of May 1803, [4] and was mustered at its Depot in Genoa. In August 1807 the Battalion was ready for service and an Eagle with the 1804 pattern colour was decreed for it (see Appendix I).
Active Service
The Valais Battalion's first active service was not until early summer of 1808. In May, the Spanish uprising had broken out and Napoleon was forced to send additional troops to the Peninsula to reinforce the garrisons there - included with these reinforcements was to be the Valais Battalion, one of the few homogeneous units among a motley collection of mainly provisional and reserve battalions. On July 13, 1808, the Valais Battalion was at Perpignan near the Spanish frontier as part of Reille's Division of VII Corps.
The Valais Battalion suffered heavy casualties in the opening months of the campaign and by the August 16 was reduced to a "present and fit for duty" strength of just 235 men and officers. During 1808 the Valais took part in the Siege of Gerona (July / August) and then the Siege of Rosas (November/December). Following its surrender the Battalion became part of the garrison. In 1809, the Battalion returned to the Siege of Gerona as part of the same Division in which it had entered Spain. This time the siege lasted from May 5 until December 10 before the Spanish finally surrendered. The Valais now became part of Gerona garrison and settled into the anti-guerrilla warfare that was so much a part of French military life in Spain. The year had not been good for the Valais Battalion for by the time Gerona surrendered the total strength of the unit was down to barely 200 men, despite the fairly steady, if small, drafts of replacements from home. [5]
Meanwhile, political events elsewhere had sounded the death knell for the Valais Battalion. On November 12, Napoleon had decided that an independent Valais was no longer necessary and simply annexed the Republic to Metropolitan France. Accordingly, the Battalion swore allegiance to its new ruler on December 12; one report records that they did so with great enthusiasm and to cries of "Vive l'Empereur." Nonetheless, with the Republic of Valais gone the raison d'etre for the Battalion was gone as well. Accordingly, in February 1811 the Valais Battalion was withdrawn from Spain to be reformed as the 3rd Battalion of the reconstituted 11th Light Infantry Regiment. [6] Bureaucracy being what it was, however, the Battalion was not formally disbanded until September 16, 1811 at the depot of the 11th Legere at Wesel in Germany.
Picture: the anti-guerrilla warfare that was so much a part of French military life in Spain. French infantry in action. (Sergent)
Generalities: The cut and style of the Valais Battalion's uniform was essentially that of the regulation dress of the French Line Infantry of the period, but differed in coloring being the traditional red of the Swiss Troops in French Service.
The shako was black felt with leather top and bottom reinforcing bands and peak, this latter bound, according to some sources with a brass edge, the chin scales were brass and the plate, in the form of an Imperial Eagle upon a gorges, was also brass.
The coat was the usual dark red of the Swiss with a white collar, lapels, cuffs, rectangular cuff flaps and turnbacks. [7] All buttons were of yellow metal bearing adesign of the letters "BV" surrounded by the legend "Empire Francais." The pockets were horizontal [8] and piped white.
Breeches were white, the long gaiters were black in the field and white for parade dress. Belts were white, the knapsack of the usual French regulation pattern. The Greatcoat was officially dark blue but issues almost certainly included the gray (of all shades!) and brown which the French infantry received. The bonnet depolice was red with white braiding, piping and tassel.
As in the Line Regiments, the fusiliers had only a single belt, worn over the left shoulder, to support the bayonet and cartouche box, they did not carry the sabre-briquet. The shako cords worn in full dress were white and although many authorities give all fusiliers as wearing agreen ball pompom, it appears more likely that the four companies wore differing pompom colors as in the French Regiments, i.e., 1st Company - dark green, 2nd Company - sky blue, 3rd Company - aurore (golden orange), 4th Company - violet. The coat had red shoulder straps piped white and the turnbacks were without ornament.
The shako had red upper and lower leather bands (there is no record of the issue of bearskin to the Battalion), redcords, and a red tall plume and ball pompom. The coat sported the Grenadier's ubiquitous fringed epaulettes but in white (both strap and fringing), the turnbacks' grenade ornaments were also white but with a red outline (otherwise you wouldn't have been able to seethem!). The Sabre Briquet was of Regulation pattern with a brass hilt and a red sword knot and strap, all carried in a black scabbard with a brass mouth and shape. Grenadiers, of course, carried the bayonet and sabre-briquet on a cross strap over the right shoulder.
Note: The grenade insignia shown on the collar by some authorities are inaccurate.
The uniform was of the same style and color as that of the rank and file but of a finer cut and a brighter hue. Rank insignia, etc., followed the pattern of the French Line, i.e., gold epaulettes of rank, turnback devices, shako cords and upper band, etc.
Chef de Bataillon Blanc is depicted in a contemporary miniature portrait wearing the usual Officer's uniform for the Battalion but with the following differences in addition to his double heavy bullion epaulettes of rank:
Shako with heavy tall white plume, double gold cords, two upper gold bands and a gold lower band.
Red piping edging to the lapels and collar.
Gauntlets with white hands and buff cuffs.
Red waist belt with a gold edge and worked in gold foliate embroidery, with no visible buckle.
Presumably he also wore the black heavy cavalry boots of a mounted Senior Officer. The saddle cloth of mounted officers was red with gold trim.
No doubt there were very many variations of dress amongst the officers, most of whom would have followed those in vogue amongst the French Regiments, e.g., bicornes in place of shakos and surtouts in place of uniform coat in the field. However the fact that Blanc was portrayed in a uniform so close to Regulation suggests that the Battalion may not have been quite so lax in its Officers' uniform as some formations.
The coat was of the same cut as the rank and file and the equipment, small clothes, etc., followed those of the Battalion with the usual drummers' differences observed in the French Army, i.e., no cartouche box, sabre-briquet on the left hip (with a white sword-knot and tassel for fusilier companies and red for grenadier), etc. However, as might be expected the coat was of a different color to the rest of the unit.
Two contemporary illustrations of the Valais' drummers survive - a Grenadier Drummer in the Wurtz Collection and a Fusilier Drummer in the Carl Collection; the two differ in almost every aspect of detail of the coat! (See the color plate in addition to the notes below.)
The Wurtz Grenadier Drummer is perhaps the earlier of the two illustrations and shows a dark blue coat with white collar, lapels, cuffs, cuffs flaps, and turnbacks, all edged with a red piping. [9] The sleeves of the coat are embellished with seven inverted chevrons of yellow and green lace. The Grenadiers' red shako ornaments and white epaulettes are worn and whilst the turnback ornaments are not visible they may be presumed to be the same as the rest of the Company.
The Carl Collection's Fusilier drummer also has a dark blue coat with white collar, lapels etc., but there the similarity ends. The collar, lapels and cuffs (but not cuff flaps and presumably not turnbacks) are edged with broad yellow lace. At the shoulders are scarlet swallows' nests edged with a broad yellow lace and the shoulder straps are red with white edge piping. The shako cords are the fusilier's white and the pompom is dark green (the 1st Company ? - see above).
Only the Wurtz drummer carries his drum which is Regulation pattern brass with mid blue hoops and white cords, carried on a broad white shoulder strap with brass plate and black drumsticks.
Although all evidence is that an Eagle was decreed for the Battalion in August 1807 and a Porte-Aigle was included in the Battalion's Staff establishment from its formation, Pierre Charrie [10] is of the opinion that the Eagle was never actually presented. No porte-aigle was finally promoted until Ignace Tabin received the honour on March 11, 1810 - by which time the battalion's fate was already sealed and its seems highly unlikely that its Eagle was then sent to it. Certainly the 11th Legere does not appear to have had it when it reported that it had three Eagles the following year (probably those of the Battalions of the Legion du Midi, the Tirailleurs Corses, and the Tirailleurs du Po who had formed its other three Battalions).
The Wurtz collection of figures contains a Voltigeur of the Valais Battalion whose uniform is generally similar to that of the Grenadier but with yellow upper and lower shako bands, yellow cords, a green plume with yellow tip from a red pompom; red epaulettes with green fringe and a yellow crescent and yellow horn turnback ornaments (presumably also a yellow sword knot).
The problem lies in the fact that the Valais Battalion is not known to have had a Voltigeur Company!
The solution may be as follows:
When the Battalion was first commissioned in 1805, only five Companies were organized, however upon the reduction in strength of each Company in 1807 it was envisaged that the Battalion would (eventually) be organized with a standard French nine company strength, including a VoltigeurCompany. Nothing however was done before the Imperial Decree of February 1808 which decreed that each Battalion was to be of six companies (four fusiliers, one grenadier, and one of voltigeur) and it is known that the Valais were directed to adopt this organization.
At this time the Battalion was in Spain and, as mentioned above, struggling hard to maintain its five existing companies, so it is not surprising that an inspection report from 1810 gives the Valais Battalion as still having only five companies - the four fusilier and one grenadier which it had had from its formation. Nonetheless it is possible that a few Voltigeurs may have been organized at the Depot either in 1805 or in early 1808, but they certainly weren't around for long and it seems highly unlikely that the Battalion ever boasted a Voltigeur Company.
The sixteen-man Regimental Staff comprised:
Each Company was initially organized as:
When the Company strength establishments were reduced in early 1807 this was effected by simply reducing the other ranks in a company to 64, thus giving a total Company strength of 83.
The Battalion Staff remained at a theoretical sixteen throughout the Valais' existence although no porte-drapeau was appointed until May 11, 1810 when Sous-Lieutenant Ignace Tabin (whose brother had been killed during April while serving with the Battalion) received the honor.
4, 7 and 8 after Rene North [1] Capitulation does not infer a surrender by the Valais, rather it is the technical term for such military contracts. [Editor's Note: A further point should be made. In a Capitulation the Swiss soldiers were not considered mercenaries but contracted as allies of the country they were to serve. The Swiss loyalty to such agreement is legendary and much above what could be expected from mercenaries. Louis XVI's Swiss Guard let themselves be massacred rather than betray the King.]
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
The Raising and Service of the Valais Battalion
The Uniform of the Valais Battalion
The Fusiliers
The Grenadiers
The Officers
The Drummers
Appendix I: The Eagle
Appendix II: Voltigeurs?
Appendix III: Staff and Company Organization
[11]
One Chef de Bataillon
One Adjutant-major, lieutenant de 1ere classe
One Quartier-maitre, lieutenant de 1ereclasse
One Chirurgien de 1ere classe
One Porte-drapeau (Eagle bearer)
One Adjutant
One Drum Corporal
Four Musicians
One Provost
One Master Tailor
One Master Gaitermaker
One Master Cobbler
One Master Armorer
One Capitaine
One Lieutenant
One Sous-Lieutenant
One Sergent-major
Four Sergents
One Caporal-fourrier
Eight Caporals
Two Drummers
110 Fusiliers or Grenadiers
Bibliography:
Anon., The Valaisan Battalion,Tradition Number 2.
Bucquoy, Uniform Cards, Series 166.
Charrie P. Drapeaux et etendards de la Revolution et de l'Empire, Paris 1982.
Dempsey G. The Valais Battalion,1805-1813, Le Moniteur No. 2.
Malibran H. Album du guide, etc. Paris ND.
Nafziger G. Collection and private correspondence.
North R. Soldiers of the Peninsular War, New Maiden 1972.
Rawkins E.J. Foreign Regiments in French Service 1805-1814, the Swiss....Norwich ND.
Schaller H. de Histoire des troupes suisses au service de la France, Lusanne, 1883.
Key to Color illustration:
1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 After Malibran
1. Officer's Coat (epaulettes removed for clarity), note piping edge to collar, cuff flaps and lapels.
2. Grenadier's sabre-briquet /cartouche box strap arrangement (knot removed for clarity). Note the plain cartouche box - there is no evidence of a grenade ornament on the flap.
3. Sabre-briquet hilt with grenadier sword knot.
4. Fusilier, 3rd Company (see text), Summer Full Dress.
5. Detail of Grenadier turnback ornament.
6. Fusilier cartouche box arrangement.
7. Grenadier, Winter Full Dress.
8. Fusilier Drummer (see text).
9. Detail of cuff arrangement with caporal's rank stripe.
10. Grenadier's Bonnet de Police. Fusiliers would omit the Grenadier's grenade. Officers replaced all white piping with gold.
Footnotes:
[2] The Canton of Valais, part of the Swiss Confederation, covering approximately 2,021 square miles was essentially agricultural. The majority of the Valais speaks French and is catholic, but part of the upper Valais speaks German.
[3] Guy Dempsey suggests, quite plausibly, that the main problem wasnot an unwillingness to serve but a lack of manpower in the Republic. The Valais already provided the bulk of the Swiss Regiment de Preaux in Spanish service as well as a 600 man Battalion for home defense.
[4] It may have been slightly over 661 all ranks at this time - Oman's (albeit suspicious) estimate is 800 all ranks when it entered Spain.
[5] Some reinforcements were also provided from Spanish prisoners of Swiss nationality.
[6] The other three Battalions of the 11th Legere were provided by the single Battalion formations of the Tirailleurs Corses, the Tirailleurs du Po and the Legion du Midi. Interestingly all were lightinfantry formations and the Valais' inclusion in the 11th Legere suggests that they may have been used as Light Infantry.
[7] Authorities differ as to whether OR's collar, lapels, etc. were piped red.
[8] Some sources give the pockets as vertical but Commandant Bucquoy's examination of an actual coat settled the debate in favour of the horizontal.
[9] That the turnbacks were piped is assumed since they cannot be clearly seen in the original. Presumably the Grenadier drummer's turnbacks also carried the grenade device.
[10] Charrie, p. 169, see bibliography.
[11] Information from George Nafziger's extensive files on the French Napoleonic Army.
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