"Portuguese Infantry Regiment Colours (flags)" Topic

Comrades,

I have searched through previous posts and whilst there's been discussion on Portuguese flags (2 per regiment) my specific query doesn't appear to have been raised before, so ….

When fielded in two battalions, did the second battalion carry either of the colours?

I have all of the Osprey books on Napoleonic Wars standards and all four editions on the Portuguese and they are maddeningly silent on this matter.

Hoping someone can assist.

I did answer this earlier but cannot immediately find the post. It may have been part of the discussion on the organisation of Portuguese infantry battalions. Also see my post on the Portuguese army at link

The multicoloured geometrical patterned flag (King's colour) was carried by the first battalion; the plain coloured flag (Regimental flag) was carried by the second battalion.

The Warflag website suggests one per battalion:
link

See this discussion link

Garry

Many thanks for your rapid replies. Prince – great stuff. I can now proceed and frankly it makes sense that a fighting formation has a form up point and can rally under something.

Glad I read this and thanks for the link, Prince of Essling… I'm going to be putting together a Portuguese regiment and would have cheerfully given each battalion two flags, following the British practice. The photos of the Warlord box are presumably wrong then.

Charles Parquin, 20th Chasseurs a Cheval, recounts the taking of five Portuguese colors in Spain:

"…while we undertook the task of pursuing the English army, whose rear-guard was formed by a Portuguese division under command of General Beresford. We came up with these troops in the Mondego Valley. Major Denys…surprised this division at the head of his two hundred elite horse. The weather was favorable for a cavalry attack, while a heavy rain interfered with the fire of the infantry. The English general had massed his troops in squares but they could not resist our charge. The first square being crushed in carried disorder to the others, when the men broke ranks and fled towards the woods-these being so near at hand that they served as a complete shelter against the prusuit of our cavalry."

"During this charge I got a sabre-cut at an officer who stood in the midst of a square and who carried the flag of the Eurillas regiment, the streamers of which bore the numerals '1808,' which was doubtless the date of the formation of this corps. The officer hurriedly surrendered his ensign…"

"The square we had just demolished was formed by a regiment reputed among the best. The four other flags of the division were also taken by the Marshal's escort. Lieutenant Dubar of the 11th Dragoons, Second Lieutenant Soufflot of the 20th Chasseurs and two privates rode forward, each with the flag he had captured in his hands…"-pages 212 and 215.

As an aside, did the Portuguese Legion in the Grande Armee of 1812 carry flags, I don't think they did??

I should clarify my earlier answer (as on reviewing I didn't give a full response for which many apologies)-

This organisation gave 1 standard to each battalion (royal standard to the 1st & regimental standard to the 2nd carried by the Porta Bandeira) July 1808 – Regimento de Infanteria de Linha – 2 battalions, each of 5 companies (1 grenadier & 4 fusilier).
Regimental headquarters: 7 men
Coronel, Major (grade of Tenente Coronel), Quartel Mestre, Capellão, Cirurgião Mór, Coronheiro, Espingardeiro,

Battalion headquarters: 16 men
Chefe de batalho (grade of Major), Primeiro Ajudante (grade of Capitão), 4 Ajudantes de Cirurgião, Porta Bandeira, Cabo de Tambores, 8 Musicos,

Companies: 162 men
Capitao, Tenente, 2 Alferes, Primeiro Sargento, 2 Segundos Sargentos, Furriel, 8 Cabos, 2 Tambores, 144 Anspeçadas & Soldados.

This organisation appears to have consolidated the two battalion HQs into the regimental HQ so both standards would be centralised as per the diagram linked to by GarryWills – 1809 November – Regimento de Infantaria- headquarters augmented while companies remained as before.
Headquarters: 36 men.
Coronel, Tenente Coronel, 2 Majores, 2 Ajudantes, Thesoureiro (or Pagador), 2 Quarteis Mestres, 2 Sargentos de Brigada (or 2 Ajudantes Sargentos), 2 Quarteis Mestre Sargentos, 2 Porta-Bandeiras, Capellão, Cirurgião Mór, 4 Ajudantes do Cirurgião, Coronheiro, Espinguardeiro, Mestre de Musica, 8 Musicos, Tambor Mór, Cabo de Tambores, 2 Pifanos.

@forrester – definitely just 2 standards for the regiment.

@Frostie – Neither the infantry or the cavalry regiments of the Légion Portugaise were ever officially issued with flags or standards. From 1808 two Porte-Drapeau, flag bearers were included in the regimental budget and the funding may have been used to employ additional junior officers, but the application by Junot to have flags authorised for the infantry was postponed and then finally declined when the matter was raised again in 1811.