"Napoleonic Trivia Time" Topic

Can anyone tell me which country(s) had each these two cavalry units:

Chanaura Carabiniers

Chasseurs de Ruzi

Much thanks. I will be amazed if anyone can identify these.

Checked Google
link
Chauna Carabiniers were part of the X Corps in Austria 1809 under Jerome Napoleon so presumable they were Westphalian.

No mention of the Chasseurs de Ruzi

I admit, never heard of them.

Dan, possibly Chasseurs de Corse de Ruzzi ?

Found a reference to a 1992 Fr. OOB with a unit by
that name.

Marechal de Broglie -

That makes sense. I had guessed that it might be Westphalian, but I couldn't find a picture anywhere, or that name.

Ed-

That sounds like it could be them. Mounted Corsican chasseurs seems strange. What is a "1992 Fr. OOB"?

Thanks to all

Chanuara Carabiniers sound they should be in a Bollywood movie. Dancing, of course.

The "chasseurs de Chanuara" was not a mounted unit. This unit was the Eliten-Korps der Jäger-Karablniers (1 Bataillon, 4 Kompanien, 14/360), a battalion rasied among forresters and game wardens that had (somewhat, more or less) mutinied against the French occupation in April 1809.

From early in 1809, the Bataillons Oberst und Kommandant was Großkammerherr Prinz Ernst Konstantin von Hessen-Philippsthal (Philippsthal 1771 – Meiningen 1849) It is not 100% clear to me that the Prinz Ernst Konstantin actually took the field and fought with the battalion for the 1809 campaign. In addition to being a Grand Chamberlain to Jerôme, the Prinz was also the heir to the Langravate of Hessen-Philippsthal, the current Landgrave being on the "other side" and a serving senior officer of the Bourbon Kingdom of Naples. The Prinz had also just become a widower.

In early 1809, the second-in-command of the battalion was Kammerherr Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Füllgraff (Schaumburg ~1780 – Trieste 1814), Bataillons-Chef. On 23 April 1809, the Baron von Füllgraff was promoted Major des Garde-Jäger-Bataillons, possibly because of his loyalty during the attempted mutiny.

From 15 June 1810, the new Bataillons-Chef was Ordonnanz-Offizier des Königs Baron Wilhelm Ernst Ludwig von Heßberg (Laar 1773 – near Smolensk 1812), a more junior officer then serving in the battalion. He was a noted disciplinarian whose men were likely not too sad to see him mortally wounded Valuntino-Gora, where he was in command of the battalion.

So, it is possible that the unit was led during the campaign of 1809 by a French officer with a name like "Chanuara". But I looked and looked and could not find any such person. I am about 99% sure that we have a mis-reading of a manuscript and/or similar "scribal" error. The units of the Westphalian service under Jerôme, as with much of the government, had bilingual naming. The battalion here was also know as the "Chasseurs-Carabiniers" (French spelling with German capitalization). If you write "Chasseurs" and "Chanuara" both quickly and in script/cursive – see if they don't look rather alike to you.

So, it was really a *very* good trivia question after all.

Dan, how did you come across the name "Chasseurs de Ruzi"? Do you have any context at all?

- Sasha

Quessing for partial credit, while waiting to see if Dan can provide some context ….

Through the campaign of 1809 the commander of the battaglione di cacciatori del reggimento fanteria di linea della Guardia Reale Itialiana was one capo di battaglione (20.v.1809 maggiore) Fiorano Rossi.

A French writer might note this as "chasseurs de Rossi", and with getting the spelling of the name wrong, we might have "chasseurs de Ruzi".

======================

Another try ….

In the army of the kingdom of Naples until 1806, there was a reggimento Abruzzi. I have no idea if line regiments of the Kingdom of Naples had light companies. I rather doubt it. But if they did, a French speaker/writer might call them "chasseurs d'Abruzzi" and then a little misprinting and you get "Chasseurs de Ruzi".

OR

After the fall of the Kingdom of Naples, there were quite a few free corps / partizans / bandits in the area of Abruzzi. Some might have tried to to call themselves "cacciatori d'Abruzzi" --> "chasseurs d'Abruzzi" --> "Chasseurs de Ruzi"

OK, those were pretty lame tries. But maybe they will give someone an idea so we get to a better answer.

- Sasha