Page 13, Mike tells us about the Swiss regimental artillery etc. Again it is a complicated subject. Very little information is available. However Fieffe in LES TROUPES ETRANGERES AU SERVICE DE LA FRANCE volume 2, page 127, says that the first Swiss unit to be reorganized was the company of Swiss artillery (compagnie d'artillerie Suisse) recruited on April 19, 1803. The first Swiss regiment, 4 battalions strong was organized on March 15, 1805 under an executive order of January 10, 1805 from the remains of the three Swiss Demi-Brigade previously in the service of the French Republic. The company of Swiss artillery was attached to the First Swiss regiment on April 1st, 1806, and was for a certain time the only company of regimental artillery in the French army. The other three other Swiss regiment formed at a latter date were also to receive a company of regimental artillery by an executive order of December 10, 1811. According to Fieffe each artillery company was made of two three-pounders (very likely captured Austrian guns), three ammunition wagons, a campaign forge, two ammunition wagons for cartridges, and two ammunition wagons for the ... bread. The artillery train also included ambulance wagon. Fieffe is the only source I know of to give information on the Swiss artillery. Fieffe is a rare book published in 1854. The New York public library has a copy in poor shape, but it has the invaluable merit to exist. To be complete, let us say, that the Neuchatel battalion was raised on May 11, 1807. On August 27, 1808, a company of artillery including sappers or engineers was added to the battalion, which participated in the Austrian campaign of 1809. So apparently, both the 1st Swiss and the Neuchatel battalion shared the privilege to have a battery of regimental artillery prior to 1809. Were they the only units to have that privilege between 1806 and 1809? Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 1 No. 20 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1977 by Emperor's Headquarters This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com