"French color bearers, battalions 2 through 6" Topic

I just browsed through Uniformes du Premier Empire by Commandant Bucquoy, L'Infanterie, and notice on page 165, picture 123, an officer of voltigeurs of the 8me de ligne in 1813, and a sergeant of the same regiment. The caption says that the sergeant is "carrying the ensign of the 3rd battalion." (portant l'ensiegne du 3eme batillon). It is scarlet, with narrow gold edge, with small grenade in the only corner I can see. The staff if black, the sylized spear point is gold. The staff could be 7 to 8 feet tall. The sergeant has a normal gold single stripe on the forearm (he is not a sergeant major), carries his back pack, and his bullet pouch. There is no sign of a musket. His crossbelt carries a short sword only the tip of which can be seen, and one cannot see a bayonet scabbard.

There are illustrations of company fanions in the book, but this is the only "battalion ensign" shown.

Does this mean that the grenadier company carried the battalion ensign, and that there was no special guard, no "deuxieme port aigle" or "troisieme port aigle" for the ensign?

Any opinions?

GdeP

No guard I understand. The battalion fannions were meant to be plain battalion markers with no particular significance. decorated fannions seem to have ignored the instruction for plasin coloured flags, this is the case with that of the fourth battalion fannion 101st Regt de Ligne now at Windsor Castle. The depiction of a red plume/ pompon/ disc would indicate a grenadier whereas white battalion staff.

Given the sometimes detached role of grenadiers particularly in the earlier years of the Wars,I would think there was not a tradition of the grenadier companies carrying the battalion fannion, this seems to be the received wisdom for the Bourbon Spanish regiments whose grenadiers were often serving seperately.

It may be possible that a grenadier sergeant could be detached to carry the colour, much as company sergeants in the British army may be detailed off to form a colour guard during battle. I'd be interested to know whether there is any more detailed information on the point.

Hello, Joe:

Do you recall what that fannion of the 101st looked like in Windsor Castle?

Back in the '70's I painted a battalion of the 4th Polish, with Czapkas. I used a French cornetist with musket slung on his right shoulder, cornet to his mouth in his left hand, switched head to Czapka, and made him a voltigeur of the 4th Polish with the flag staff in his left hand. He was on the command stand with a drummer and officer, detached from his Voltigeur company. Absolutely no proof this was ever done, not even a suggestion in writings. I always said he had saved the color, transferred from a dying officer!

For our games, a white square flag the size of the tricolor for second battalions would permit us some "artistic license", like the regimental number in gold, gold edging, etc.

Anything is possible!

GdeP

Hello GdeP,

I saw the fannion back in April and posted the follwing as a news item ( because I couldn't work out how to post a post!);

"4e Batt 1001 e de ligne Fannion.

I've read before about this rare example of a battalion flag captured in the baggage following the battle of Vittoria, and thought it was at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. On a recent trip to the State Rooms at Windsor Castle, however, I was browsing in the cabinets when I saw the flag pinned up. The description of the flag I had read on the internet I found a bit misleading so I'll try to describe the obverse of the flag displayed.

Flag about three feet square, a border about 1/6th of the total width. Top and left (staff) side of the flag red, bottom and right (fly) side of the flag white. Centre, white background. Oak leaf laurel, it seems. Large leaves with no acorns visible almost reaching the edge of the border. Centre inscription "N.I." topped by a large crown. Laurel and inscription and crown in gold. Pinned to the staff with small, closely positioned brass pins, the cloth along the staff being white.

No information about the reverse, I'm afraid.

The battalion had been disbanded at the time. The quality of the manufacture of the flag indicates it was something more than a mere battalion marker. Plainly, it is a departure from the authorised plain colour scheme of battalion flags.

Given the fact this is a fourth battalion of the line and of no particular significance beyond that, it may be representative of the flags/fannions used more extensively in the Peninsular French Army. It is interesting to contrast with the fannions recorded for the 2e de ligne carried in Russia, which were themes on red and blue with silver inscriptions.

The State Rooms are worth a visit and very impressive, containing examples of items captured at Seringapatam and Marshall Jourdan's baton in particular."

I hope this is of some use,

Regards,

Jon

Eagle guards were picked by virtue of their service records, and the fact that they could not be made officers on account of being illiterate. They could be from any company in the battalion, and would retain their uniforms from their previous company assignment.

There was a lot of turnover at this job.