"2nd Swiss in 1815" Topic

G'Day Gents,

I would like to create the 2nd Swiss for 1815. but the only guide I have to go on is this:

link

Let me thank everyone in advance

Best Regards
Art

Try this:

link

From here:

centjours.mont-saint-jean.com

A nice article by Mr. Dawson ….
link
See also :
link

1er bataillon du 2e régiment étranger (suisse)
In June, with the 2e brigade (Dupeyroux), 10e division d'infanterie (Habert), IIIe corps (Vandamme):
état-major : 11 officiers, 25 troupe – 36 hommes
- colonel baron Augustin-Eugen Stöffel (Madrid 1781 – Passy 1842)
- capitaine adjudant-major Gaspard Huber
- capitaine adjudant-major à la suite Joseph Huber
- capitaine quartier-maître Hiacynthe Clemenso
- capitaine à la suite Fabrice Bianchi
- capitaine à la suite Louis d'Ernst
- no chef de bataillon, porte-aigle or capitaine d'habillement
1er bataillon : 21 officiers, 387 troupe – 408 hommes
- commandant la compagnie de grenadiers capitaine Georges Amieth
- commandant la 1ère compagnie de fusiliers capitaine Charles Bianchy
- commandant la 2e compagnie de fusiliers capitaine Charles Stöffel
- commandant la 3e compagnie de fusiliers capitaine Barthélémy Varenna
- commandant la 4e compagnie de fusiliers capitaine Charles Bianchy
- commandant la compagnie de voltiguers capitaine Jean-Baptiste Schwich

Uniform details described from some archival research here (there are some open issues) :
link

- Sasha

Art,
do remember that the unit was:
1er bataillon du 2e régiment étranger (suisse)
(1st battalion of the 2nd Foreign Regiment (Swiss)

thus it was the 2nd Foreign Regiment which was composed of Swiss. Other Regiments of Foreigners were composed of different nationalities.
With that in mind, the unit is NOT a continuation of the famous Swiss Regiments of previous fame. So while the previous 2nd Swiss had dark blue facings colors, this 2nd Foreigner Regiment (Swiss) had those of yellow.

hope that clarifies

G'Day Everyone !!!!

I appreciate all this information.

If truth be told…it is not the composition of nationalities within the regiment that is of interest.

Doug – "With that in mind, the unit is NOT a continuation of the famous Swiss Regiments of previous fame"

True…indeed true enough…but it is a continuation of even a better regiment ;-)

Though the regiment was not of our organization today, the regiment from 1815 belongs to the historical linage, or precursor to my old unit…Le Deuxieme Etranger d'Infanterie.

That is why I am interested in 1815 only ;-)

hmmm…facing colours of yellow…I'll never hear the end of this from old mates of the 3e compagnie…for that is the colour of the 3e compagnie…

Paint me stupid…just opened the Regimental History book, that was publish by my regiment…the plate shows the 2e Etranger with yellow facings as well ;-)

Best Regards
Art

G'Day Gents

I am about to post a stupid question…is it documented that the regiment changed to yellow facings, or an assumption because of the Royalist restoration of 1814?

I am not questioning anyone…for I am quite daft on this subject…I am just trying to figure out how they changed colours.

I used to have the figures in greatcoats…but now I bought new figures to replace my old figures…

Best Regards
Art

PS: I am now looking at all the links…Alexandre your last link does not work…

I'm sure I read somewhere that each fusilier company was based around one of the four Swiss regiments of the 1st Empire, hence they may have had different facings colours.

Can anyone confirm/deny this?

G'Day Gents,

After reading, "histoire des troupes suisses au service de Frence sous le regne de Napoleon1er"

When the regiment departed for their depot prior to the start of the campaign, they had the following effective:

37 Officers

86 soldats from the 2e regiment
92 soldats from the 3e regiment
91 soldats from the 4e regiment

(taken from page 207)

Best Regards
Art

Art,
I try the link again …. The author speaks directly to the question of mixed facings because of the "composite" nature of the unit in 1815.
PDF link

http[colon]//[dot]3rgtsuisse[dot]ch/Historique_files/2emeregimentetranger[dot]pdf

I wonder if there is an official affiliation to a First Empire unit for 2° RIMa, to which I was seconded for some time in my youth. I thought the official history went back only to the ordonnance du 7 août 1821, but maybe one could think a little more about the earlier units.
link

Bien fort amicalement,
- Sasha

Bonjour Alexandre,

I am glad that you reposed the link…for it was very informative.

If the regiment was forced to keep their old attire, then it is probable that the 2e, 3e, and 4e regiments, each became a compagnie (just as our old friend from Surrey surmised), with all the voltiguers combined into one sub-tactical faction, as were the grenadiers. -Mark and Doug what do you both think?

That would leave one compagnie de chiffon ;-)

I wager that the regimental history of the 2e RIMa is sitting in the Colonels office…with another copy buried in a shelf in the regiments BOI.

What was your sister unit?

Ours was a submarine…which I no longer remember the name of..and every now and then…their cadre would show up in Nimes…and the party was on in the mess ;-)

Best Regards
Art

G'Day Gents

Too bad that Colonel Stöffel at the end of the campagne threw l'aigle in to the river, and tore bits from the drapeau and gave them to his officers. -that was quite honourable…but sad…

Best Regards
Art

I was with the Détachement d'Assistance Opérationelle – and so isolated from the regiment.

The best ceremony we could come up with was having our security guys parade. They were ethnic Bamanan from Senegal or Mali, but in the service of Mauretania (or leased to Mauretania by their tribal headman or province governor) and had some wonderfully African unit designation indicating that they were extra, extra elite – something like "chasseurs-parachutistes-commandos de la gendarmerie" or some such.

Anyway, they somehow contrived to keep a set of clean uniforms – and a rather impressive array of banners and flags. And they sported white silk neck-clothes that highlighted their black skin to good effect. And they marched very very well.

Bien fort amicalement,
- Sasha

Well you do learn. I would have sworn dark blue lapels, collars and cuffs, turnbacks for the 2nd Swiss in the 100 Days Campaign. I just "knew " that since early 70s…………..

I think the Rene North book "Regiments at Waterloo" and published by Almark in the early/mid-70s, mis-represented them as the "2eme Suisse" rather than the "2eme Etranger".

So did Haythornthwaite which followed North…as the New Testament. I have two copies of North. One is totally disintegrated. Not a single page is attached to another (paperback version)

Happy days…………such a simple error. Only in the last week have I realised how it arose.

Might sound daft to ask. Answer might well be …Who cares? (I do)

But the question is…How do we now establish once and for all that this is right and how the error arose? This message thread will disappear with time. This is a tiny bit of history…..miniscule….but worth recording

"How do we now establish once and for all that this is right and how the error arose?"

becoming a cynic – don't bother, …. sticks like glue – see for example also the N on the second Guard lancers.

There are tons of other well established mistakes regarded a rock solid truths – such as the uniforms of the Tirailleurs du Po, etc.

A pity that Guy Dempsey's brilliant book stops in 1814

Thank you Alexandre for the interesting links