"What? Italians units that served in the AWI???" Topic

Shocking to hear so I am going to where I always go when I can't find the answer. I have heard of 3 Italian Regiments that served with the French during the AWI. The 13th Du Perche, the 3rd Piedmonte, and the last one I can't find. Anyone have any knowledge where these units fought (if they even were sent overseas?) Italy was not a unified country, but I find this tidbit of interest.

link

States the Royal Italian Regiment was the 3rd and they were present at the Siege of Yorktown

Also look at a previous topic message on TMP TMP link – some primary sources

Somebody had to supply the barracks pizza parties!

the number is 79 nationals for 23 foreign regiments in the Infantry in 1789, the only Italian having previously disbanded one year before for the new Chasseurs Battalions

these 3 regiments, only one Italian, were not sent to the United States

Piémont is one of the oldest Regiments of the French Army, nothing to do with any "Italian" regiment, it is like to say that Navarre, also one of the oldest French Regiment, is spanish

Perche, just to recall that the name of the Regiment comes from a county near Normandy, so a touch of french culture and geography would be enough to explain how much is ridiculous to consider the regiment as italian

The French "Italian" and Corsican Regiments were only at that time Royal-Italien and Royal-Corse, both regiments were briefly merged into a single-one in 1762-1765 but given bad relationships between peninsular Italians and insular Corsicans the merging was cancelled 3 years later
it didn't wear brown since 1750 but a kind of dark light blue

Royal Italien was at Monaco at the beginning of AWI in 1775 having only one battalion, upgraded to a two-battalions-regiment by merging it with…Tournaisis a French regiment…
Royal-Italien remained in the Mediterranean coast Toulon Perpignan and southwestern Atlantic coast La Rochelle, Oleron…
it counted the future Marshall Masséna
Royal Italien detached some men for the French Fleet as it happened for several regiments, that is why you cand find a list of 89 men of the Royal Italien embarked on the vessel Le Glorieux with de Grasse in the West Indies, they are not all italians because some have clearly french names

if you find Italians in others regiments it is only because there were some foreigners among the 79 national French Infantry Regiments as well as there were French in the 12 German Irish Italian Regiments that's all, just browse on-line contôles de troupes but there was not other Italian unit than the Regiment Royal-Italien being even itself partially french

I didn't browse all the muster roll for the whole Regiment given the number of pages and names but by curiosity only one company c. the years 1780 with 333 names of Grenadiers, this gives for the nationalities 65% from Italian States, 20% from France and even 15% others foreigners

-216 Italians, including french-speaking from Savoy, from the various majors and minors Italian States, even Monaco has 2 volunteers
-66 French including some volunteers from the Papal enclave of Comtat-Venaissin
if the presence of French was not a surprise as the one-battalion Regiment became a two-battalions unit since it was merged with Tournaisis, there were also
-19 Swiss
-11 Spaniards
-9 Germans
-6 Belgians
-3 Hungarians
-2 Austrians
-1 Bohemian

This one does wear the right colors:

a second Compagnie de Peirardy
245 fusiliers have been enlisted and registered in the years 1770'1780', 243 men and 2 children,
quite similar to the previous company of Grenadiers for the nationalities with 60% from Italian States, ~23% French and Papal enclave, and again 17% others foreigners
-147 Italians from several states until 4 from Monaco
-40 or 42 French more 13 coming from Avignon Comtat-Venaissin
-12 Spaniards, maybe an other named Fernandez born in the French West Indies in la Dominique
-11 Swiss
-8 Belgians
-6 Germans
-1 Austrian
-1 Dutch
-1 Swede Oloff Sondberg sergeant and deserter

with both companies the Royal Italien is a ~63% Italian Regiment
while the non-Italian and non-French gathered an average of 16% of the strenght