"French Troops at Savannah" Topic

Does anyone know the organization of the French troops under the Comte d'Estaing at Savannah in 1779 during the American revolution? I have found on a little and it seems to indicate that he had composite regiments made up from soldiers of several regiments. But I can't find anything finite. Any help is appreciated,

Terry

Terry,

Nafziger website coughed up these two list.
The naval list will might help tracking the sailors sent to deploy on land.

Battle of Savannah = Naval forces
PDF link

Continental, French and British at Savannah.
PDF link
Total strength is listed for the French at 3,500 to 4,000 troops, but no unit names are listed.

French forces and uniforms according to this link:
link

I am sure someone will chime in with definitive information.

Cheers,
Robert

Get hold of the second volume of Greg Novak's orders of battle for the whole of the AWI (vol 2 covers the South). It has quite a detailed breakdown of the French forces.

Several regular regiments were present, and also some colonial troops; both types were mainly at single battalion strength, the former usually made up of one grenadier, one chassuer, and two fusilier companies all at about 100 men each, so probably the "pick" of the entire regiment.

Savannah is on my bucket list.
This means buying 20 or more packs of Perry figures and painting each stand of 3 differently.
If not completing out bucket list keeps us alive, my reluctance to spend so much on an army that will be good for at most one battle will gain me a long life.

Gorget and Sash did an article on the battle at Savannah back in the 1980s. It has a good OB in it.

But as SM mentions Novak's book is also a must have for AmRev gamers.

John, you old coot, why do you think French are on my Fife & Drum to do list? South Carolina troops too.

Gentlemen, Thank you for the info and links. All very helpful. I am still not sure from them however if the French regiments at Savannah were composite regiments made up from various regiments or just single battalion regiments from the parent regiment.

S. Maximus, you seem to give them as single battalions so if I were to represent some of them then I would not want to have the regiments made up of companies of various regiments, but as all companies from the same regiment. Is that correct?

I have the uniforms and the names of the various regiments; I'm just not sure of their field organization/structure.

Thanks again,

Terry

Here is the French OB taken from "Storm Over Savannah" by Alexander Lawrence;

Armagnac. 338
Champagne. 95
Auxerrois 216
Agenois 97
Gatinais 99
Cambresy 188
Hainault 360
Fois. 292
Dillon. 373
Walsh. 27
Le Cap. 102
Guadeloupe. 172
Martinique. 87
Port Au Prince 156
Dragoons 49
Marines 359
Artillery. 151
Grenadier volunteers of San Domingo 156
Volunteer Chasseurs of San Domingo (mulatto and blacks) 545

The author estimates 1,000 Continental troops and 1,100 militia. D'Estaing's troops were made up of regiments or detachments.it is evident from the list which units were detachments ( I'm inferring that the detachments would have been grenadier or chasseurs companies)

The source of the French strength is taken from a document in the Archives Nationales (Marine), B4 167, page 247

The text provided is copied verbatim from the book, so Lawrence's words, not mine.

Thanks DA Fritz! That is a big help. Not finite, but better than anything I've been able to find. Sadly even Ward only gives the total strength for the French and absolutely no breakdown at all.

Terry

I am still not sure from them however if the French regiments at Savannah were composite regiments made up from various regiments or just single battalion regiments from the parent regiment.

Do a TMP search for Savannah.
There are a few past threads, including one whoch leads you to:
link
TMP link
TMP link

Rene Chartrand's Osprey on the French army in the AWI is also useful.

John, you old coot, why do you think French are on my Fife & Drum to do list? South Carolina troops too.

A really useful contribution would be the "colonial" French contingents, like Martinique, du Cap, St Domingue, etc.

Chartrand shows them in non-lapeled coats, slim cuffs, and as Negro troops. Perry has not tackled them, nor have Old Glory or Front Rank.
You could be the first!

I already have 2 bags of OG French, which will be Lauzun's Lgguion or Royale Deux Ponts.
I have foundry Copplestone SYW Hussars as the Hussars, along with Old Glory as te hussar lancers.
I was naturally going to let them see double duty if I ever did Savannah. That's the problem with "useful for one battle" troops.
But if you did the colonial tyoes, ten Savannah is closer to my before I croak list.

NTW, one of the British Grenadier scenario books has a scenario for Savannah, and it has a useful brekdown.

Here's a detailed OB…no details on the Corps de reserve but I assume it is composed of fragments of the units from the left and right columns.

db

Avant Garde

Volunteer Gren Comp. 60
Volunteer Gren Comp. 60
Volunteer Gren Comp. 60
Gren Comp Armagnac 49
Chasseur Comp Armagnac 53
Gren Comp Agenois 73
Chasseur Comp Gatinois 80

Right Column

Avant Garde
Vol Gren comp 60
Battalion of Gren
Gren Comp. Auxerrois 57
Gren Comp. Foix 83
Gren Comp. Dillon 94
Gren Comp. Guadeloupe 50
Chasseur Comp. Guadeloupe 51

Battalion of Gren and Chasseurs
Gren Comp. Cambresis 88
Gren Comp. Haynault 85
Chasseur Comp. Champagne 67
Chasseur Comp. Le Cap 50
Chasseur Comp. Port Au Prince 47
Dragoons of Conde and Belzunce 30 (dismounted)

Left Column

Regiment of Fusiliers
Fusilier Comp. Armagnac 175
Fusilier Comp. Auxerrois 134
Fusilier Comp. Foix 203
Fusilier Comp. Dillon 256
Fusilier Comp. Walsh 26

Regiment of Fusiliers
Fusilier Comp. Cambresis 94
Fusilier Comp. Haynault 208
Fusilier Comp. Le Cap 47
Fusilier Comp. Guadeloupe 135
Fusilier Comp. Port au Prince 87
Dragoons of Conde and Belzunce 23 (dismounted)

Reserve Column

Corps de reserve (drafwn from first two colums) 400
Artillery 6lb 60

Troops entrenched

Volunteer Chasseurs of San Domingo 540
Volunteer Grenadiers of San Domingo 66
Chasseur Comp. Martinique 52
Fusilier Comp. Martinique 36
Dragoons of Conde and Belzunce 20

S. Maximus, you seem to give them as single battalions so if I were to represent some of them then I would not want to have the regiments made up of companies of various regiments, but as all companies from the same regiment. Is that correct?

The subsequent posts have given more detail than was in my poor memory. However, yes – the actual contingents were selected companies (or possibly selected men) from each regiment. Bear in mind that these units were mostly the garrisons of various "sugar islands" and hence it would not have been sound to take an entire regiment, and in fact most units were dispersed across more than one post (in some cases more than one island). Hence, they went for detachments.

Can anyone point me to where Novak's books are available?

Just excellent. I understand from the various posts that the regiments d'Estaing brought were really composite regiments made up from detachments from the list of detachments. That is great because it allows for some mixing of uniforms within a regiment, which is something I have always liked, i.e. the Prussian Reserve regiments in 1813-14, and the Rhinebund regiments in Spain and Russia.

Thank you everyone!!!!

Terry

I think Old Glory might have reprinted the Novak books, or try On Military Matters in New Jersey.

David K Wilson's The Southern Strategy has an excellent account of the siege of Savannah and the most detailed OOB for the French that I've come across.

So Fife and Drum French are a possibility ? I would second John the OFM on the usefulness of some French colonial figures.