"Swiss regiments in British service" Topic

Apparently written for coin collectors, but interesting and detailed:

PDF link

The French had four Swiss infantry regiments, numbered 1-4, and Napoleon was very selective in insuring that they were enlisted only Swiss, not anyone trying to pass themselves off as Swiss, and not any Swiss deserters.

The Swiss are famous for their epic stand at the Berezina, which is commemorated by the 'Berezina Lied.' St Cyr's remark about the Swiss is indicative of the type of soldiers they were. He believed that they were stronger than nature.

They brought all of their eagles out of Russia.

Other Swiss units in the Grande Armee were the battalions of Valais and Neufchatel. The Valais battalion was from a canton that had broken away from Switzerland in 1802 and was incorporated later into the revived 11th Legere in 1810 when the Valais was annexed to France. The Neufchatel battalion was Berthier's private army as Prince of Neufchatel. Along with the six infantry companies, there was a composite company made up of artillery, engineers, and train. When Prussia 'took over' Neufchatel in 1814, many of the personnel of the battalion chose to remain in France.

The article relates to British service so why the reference to French service? Just asking. 😊

Because the one of the subjects is the Swiss regiments. And contrasting the different ways which each country 'handled' their Swiss regiments is interesting and perhaps helpful.

The title of the thread says "British service" however the article is a very detailed history of the use of Swiss mercenaries by various European nations. Neufchatel is specifically mentioned as well. So, it is fair to post details of Swiss regiments in French service.

Thanks to @Brechtel198 for posting.

You're welcome.

Thanks for this 4th Cuirassier – I was aware of the Swiss in British Service, but interesting to see their other employers, particularly in the 18th century. Only his Holiness now, nary a red coat to be seen though.

DeRuyter, whilst other countries are referenced, it's the previous centuries which are their focus, so I'd agree with Chad47. It's an odd post in the initial response to the OP which doesn't even refer to the linked document and only repeats information given recently in other threads, making it somewhat redundant.

On other fora that's known as thread-jacking.

Does anyone out there actually have info on the Swiss in British service ?? There is not much info on internet and I cant find any decent books on the subject…Help appreciated…thanks

They are hard to find, but not impossible. The British raised four Swiss regiments, ca 1800, for service with the Austrians. They were named for their commanders-Salis, Roverea, Bachman, and De Courten. The last was never fully organized and Bachman suffered much from desertion as the commander was not a popular one with the rank and file.

They wore a simplified uniform, grey coatees and trousers tucked into black half gaiters. They wore a shako with a white plume on the left side, white cords, and an oval brass shako plate.

De Watteville's Swiss Regiment was formed in 1803 from the remnants of four previous Swiss regiments. The officers largely came from the canton of Berne, which was anti-French and the regiment kept a strong Swiss core. Later, to make up losses assorted Germans, Poles, Italians, Hungarians, and Russians were recruited. Its first service was in the Mediterranean, but it was sent to Canada in 1813 to serve against the Americans, but found itself suffering heavy losses and little success.

The regiments early uniform was a green coat with black facings, yellow buttons, light blue pantaloons and short black gaiters but this changed to the regulation British infantry uniform in 1805-1806.

If I find any more information I'll post it.

Er, try the link. From the middle of page 3, then for more details, page 8 onwards.

There were eventually three: Meuron, de Roll (sometimes von Roll), and de Watteville's regiments. These in turn were sometimes formed from predecessor units, so the date is relevant.

"The De Watteville Regiment was a British Regiment, raised in Switzerland, by Louis de Watteville in 1797 for service as a foreign corps of the British Army. It figured in the British Army list as such (1815), and ranked after the King's German legion and the Regiment of Brunswick-Oels. It wore the normal uniform of the infantry of the line, i.e. scarlet, but with black facings: the buttons were inscribed 'WATTEVILLE'S REGIMENT, MAIDA', with the Royal cypher G.R. III in the centre. The Regiment had distinguished itself at Maida in 1806, where it gained that battle honour, while its Colonel, Louis de Watteville (later Major-General) was awarded the very rare gold medal. Louis was for a time acting Governor and Commander-in Chief of Upper Canada."

According to Rene Chartrand, de Watteville's Swiss Regiment was formed by Frederic Baron de Watteville in 1801 after the Treaty of Luneville signed in February 1801. It was made up of officers and men from the disbanded Swiss regiments in British pay (Salis, Roverea, Courtens, and Bachmans).

So, apparently, the dates given for the formation of the regiment are incorrect (1797 and 1803).

See Rene Chartrand's two Ospreys on Emigre and Foreign Troops in British Service, I (1793-1802) and II (1793-1815).

Other Swiss Regiments in British Service during the period were:

-Regiment Bachman raised in the St Gall Canton in 1799 by Baron Nicholas Bachman, an experienced officer with previous service in Piedmont and France. It was a two battalion regiment and was disbanded in 1801. Some of its officers and enlisted men went to the Watteville Regiment.

-There were some Swiss in the Chasseurs Britanniques, but it was not a Swiss regiment, but an emigre regiment.

-Regiment Meuron was initially raised in 1781 for service in the Dutch colonies. In 1795 Col Comte de Meuron signed an agreement with the British transferring the regiment from Dutch to British service. It served in Ceylon and India, as well as Canada in 1813. The regiment served in General Prevost's failed invasion of the United States in 1814 at Plattsburg, New York. In 1816 it was ordered to be disbanded, but some of the personnel along with some from Watteville's regiment, continued to serve and stayed in Canada.

-Roll Regiment was raised for British service in Switzerland by Baron Louis de Roll in 1794. De Roll was formerly an officer in the French Swiss Guards which were massacred at the Tuileries. The regiment distinguished itself in Egypt at Alexandria under Abercromby. The regiment was disbanded in 1816 at Venice and the Swiss marched home in excellent order.

-Roverea Regiment was formed in 1799 and was initially commanded by Col Ferdinand-Isaac de Roverea who had been a member of Erlacht's Swiss Regiment in the French Royal Army. It became a two-battalion regiment by a renewed contract and Col Watteville became the regiment's field commander. Roverea, along with other Swiss regiments in the Austrian service were disbanded in May 1801. Over 200 of Roverea's personnel almost immediately joined Watteville's new regiment.

-60th Foot had a considerable number of Swiss in its ranks.

Again, the information was taken from Rene Chartrand's two excellent volumes on emigre and foreign troops and both volumes are excellent and are works of scholarship.

From "THE AUXILIARIES; FOREIGN AND MISCELLANEOUS REGIMENTS IN THE BRITISH ARMY 1802 – 1817" by R. L. YAPLE (ARMY HISTORICAL RESEARCH)

DE MEURON'S.
A Swiss regiment raised in 1781 for Dutch service by Count de Meuron, it saw service as marines with Suffren's squadron (1781-83) and at the Cape and Ceylon (1783-95). It was 969 strong when transferred to British service, October 1795, after the capture of Ceylon, and was subsequently reinforced by prisoners from the Dutch Wurttemberg regiment. Its most important actions in India came in the 1799 Mysore campaign, which climaxed at Seringapatam. Its conduct and discipline were quite good, though it saw little other active service in the East and, incidentally, was regarded with disdain by the Indians, who presumed it to be a hired slave corps. In October, 1806, most of the rank and file were drafted into the East India Company's artillery, the 22nd Light Dragoons, or the 8oth Foot ; little more than a cadre (thirty-Eve officers and 132 other ranks) was removed to England, Beginning in spring 1807, it spent six years in Mediterranean stations: Gibraltar (until April, 1808), Sicily, and Malta (from early 1809), greatly increasing its strength in 1809 by obtaining over 500 Swiss and German prisoners taken by the Spanish at Bailen (July, 1808). In May, 1813, it was sent to Canada, where it saw action in the abortive attack on Plattsburg (September, 1814). It was disbanded in July, 1816, more than half the 640 men at the final muster staying on as settlers. Its efficiency was always high and its desertion rate low – in part because it was never as heterogeneous as most of the foreign corps- and even though it did not see a great deal of active service, it still must be reckoned among the best of the foreign corps. Red coat with light blue facings and, until 1812, a fur-crested, plumed "round hat"— afterward, the standard shako.

DE ROLL'S.
This was the first Swiss corps taken into British service and almost the last foreign corps to be disbanded. It was raised by Baron de Roll, an old and distinguished officer of the Swiss Guards, from December, 1794. By June, 1795, it numbered about 1,200 (a large proportion of whom were ex-Swiss Guardsmen). During the winter of 1795-96, it marched from Switzerland through Italy and embarked for Corsica late in April. It served for a year in Corsica and Elba, continuing to recruit only Swiss and Germans (some from disbanded Sardinian regiments) but also losing heavily by desertion, disease, and shipwreck. It was sent to Portugal, spring 1797, much to its benefit, for this brought it under Sir Charles Stuart (who improved everything he touched and whose death in 1801 was a tragic loss for Britain) — though it also suffered from fever to the extent that its two battalions had to be amalgamated in June, 1798. In the summer of 1799, Stuart brought it to Minorca to aid in the formation and training of his Minorca Regiment. In Egypt, 1801, it served, in the "Foreign Brigade" (together with Dillon's and the Minorca Regiment) and particularly distinguished itself in the action of 21st March. From 1802 to 1806, it was stationed successively in Malta, Gibraltar (in time for the 1804 epidemic), and Sicily. It then lost nearly half its numbers in the botched 1807 Egyptian expedition, though its own conduct was excellent. To make up the losses, some doubtful recruits were taken in — nearly a hundred of Froberg's mutineers, for example — but better material was received in 1809 (400 Swiss taken from Junot's army the year before) and afterwards (including Swiss and Germans from disbanded Sicilian regiments). After 1807, the regiment never saw action again as a whole, but detachments participated in the Naples expedition (1809), the Ionian Islands campaign (1810), and the repulse of Murat (1810). In 1812 three battalion companies were combined with five companies of Dillon's to form a provisional battalion for service in eastern Spain. The rifle company was also in attendance, ordered over in November, first as part of the composite light infantry battalion (see Dillon's) and then of Adam's -advance corps" (to which the Calabrian Free Corps and the 4th K.G.L. also belonged). They all acquitted themselves creditably in several sharp engagements in the 1813 campaign — including Biar (12th April), Castalla (13th April), and Ordal (13th September). All four companies returned to Sicily in May, 1814. Meanwhile, the rest of the regiment had been providing garrison detachments for Sicily, Malta, and the Ionian Islands. It was disbanded in the summer of 1816. Among the foreign corps, it ranks high. It saw more action than most; its conduct was, after 1797, exemplary; and its desertion rate was low. It did attempt to retain its Swiss character (throughout, almost all of the n.c.o. were Swiss) — though it was less successful in this than Watteville's. Its average strength, 1799-1808, was 650; afterward, 1,200. The regiment carried French muskets until summer 1797. The battalion and grenadier companies wore the red coat with sky blue facings; 1795-1801 a white-plumed bearskin, 1801-12 a fur-crested "round hat", and 1812-16 the "Waterloo" shako. The rifle company wore green jackets and blue-grey trousers.

WATTEVILLE'S.
Formed in the spring of 1801 by Frederick de Watteville largely from some 850 previously in the Swiss Levies (1799-1801), which had been disbanded by the Peace of Luneville 9th February), its officers were primarily Bernese aristocrats. It marched to Trieste along with the Chasseurs Britanniques, reaching Malta early in July, then numbering 1,065 of all ranks. While a detachment was fighting very we11 in the defence of Elba, the rest was sent on to Egypt, reaching Alexandria early in August. As a late addition to the "Foreign Brigade" (with Dillon's, DeRoll's and the Minorca Regiment) it was employed in the diversion east of Alexandria which covered Coote's landing to the west, but it was not heavily engaged. By spring, 1803, the entire regiment was together and back at Malta. In October, 1805, it was part of Craig's expedition to Sicily, and a few months later fought with distinction at Maida (4th July). It sailed from Sicily with Sir John Moore, October, 1807, but was detained at Gibraltar and then returned to Sicily in the spring of 1808. Later, it served in Stuart's Naples expedition (1809), and its light company was in the force that repulsed Murat (September, 1810). In October, 1811, it went into garrison at Cadiz, besides which, from January, 1812, to March, 1813, it also supplied a detachment of five companies (539 of all ranks) to the Cartagena garrison. In the spring of 1813, the regiment was ordered to Canada to assist in repelling the American invasion. It served in Canada from October 1813 until its disbanding there in 1816. It was one of the few foreign corps whose strength kept up close to its establishment, effectives averaging 800-850 for 1801-1809 and 1,350-1,400 for 1810-1816. By the end it did contain a number of Slavonic types, but very few French or Italians, and it did its best to maintain its Swiss character. It always bore an excellent reputation (except for the Fort Erie episode, August, 1814, when it seems unfairly to have been made a scapegoat); its desertion rate was remarkably low; and it was quite superior to most of the foreign corps in discipline, efficiency, and trust-worthiness. In 1801, the uniform was a green coat with black facings, light blue breeches, and black shako ; in 1802 all but the light company took the red coat with black facings, white breeches, and the standard shako; the light company (twelve men of which had rifled carbines) retained the old uniform.

Will post more information (including other units) from "FOREIGN REGIMENTS IN THE BRITISH ARMY 1793-1802" by C. T. Atkinson (Army Historical Research) once my pdf files have finished being reprocessed into an editable format.

Erlach's — A capitulation was entered into with Count Victor d'Erlach on 6th April 1796, for the levy of a battalion of ten companies, one being grenadiers and one chasseurs, of 1,123 of all ranks, to enlist for six years to serve anywhere. It was to be raised "on the confines of Switzerland," and only Germans and Swiss were to be enlisted. The levy was to he be complete within 4 months, and d'ErLach was to receive £15.00 GBP levy money per man. The uniform was to be red, faced with white, but with black lapels and waist¬coats, the breeches being white.

D'Erlach failed to complete his undertaking: he got into difficulties with the Swiss cantons and was prevented by them from raising recruits for fear of violating their neutrality_ 'Wickham has a rather mysterious remark that he could have liked to get from France her best regiment to assist in defending her colonies against her," which seems to suggest that d'Erlach was hoping to seduce Swiss soldiers from the French service.

Swiss Levies — Besides de Roll's, de Meuron's and de Watteville's, other Swiss were actually in British pay though they never served with British troops. Seeing the high reputation as soldiers which the Swiss still retained, it was natural that we should have sought to draw on such excellent material, and the records of the three Swiss regiments in our service, as long as their ranks were mainly filled from Switzerland, fully justified this effort. However, the Cantons were unfavourable to our recruiting, and only in 1799, when the Coalition was trying to clear the French out of Switzerland, were any real facilities given. Baron de Roll had found himself much obstructed (v.s.) in recruiting. and several apparently promising proposals had to be turned down or came nothing. In June 1896, Mr Wickham, our Minister at Berne, was hoping to secure for the British service the regiments of de Watteville and d'Erlach and after the reduction of his 2nd Battalion in 1798 de Roll begged to be allowed to raise another in Switzerland, seeming confident of his ability to get officers there and at any rate most of the men. But these projects all proved abortive.
The French intervention in Switzerland in 179S involved a drastic interference with the constitutions of the Cantons and their virtual subordination to French rule, and the consequent hostility to France provided a strong additional argument in favour of subsidizing and assisting Swiss levies. The subject is one on which the War Office Records do not provide much information most of what is available comes from Wickham's correspondence and from the Dropmore MSS., but it is fragmentary and leaves one uncertain as to what was being attempted, still more what was actually achieved. A vote of credit for £1,400,000.00 GBP to be expended on Swiss levies was carried in Parliament in but little over 10 per cent seems to have been expended. Probably the Foreign Office Records might supplement substantially the information available, but it is unfortunate that there is no adequate biography of Robert Craufurd, who was employed in Switzerland in and in connection with these levies. A life of Craufurd based on authentic information, would be a valuable addition to our military biographies, and it should not only cover his services at the head of Wellington's Light Division, but the earlier, though not uninteresting, parts of his career.

As far as the available information at least three regiments, those of Bachmann, Roverea and de Salis, were in British pay and had much hard fighting during 1799 and 1800. Roverea's, for example. was almost destroyed at Moeskirch in May 1800. Wickham speaks of the regiment as Roverea's "Swiss Legion" from which it is clear that when the Swiss Legion lost so heavily in the unsuccessful Austrian attempt of August 1799, to force the passage of the Aar, one or other of these corps must have been engaged. Bachmann, Wickham reports, was unpopular and so his recruiting did not prosper. His regiment wore green, but its four battalions were distinguished by different facings — red, black, yellow and blue — with corresponding variations in their shako plumes. Their shakos were rather taller and narrower than the earliest English pattern and had a flat peak; one account describes their head-gear as squarer and lower, with a big brim turned up on the left. Roverea's, whose strength was about 1,000 also wore green, with black facings. They had raised around Constance in March, 1799, and their Colours bore the motto " Mourrir pour Dieu et la Patrie". Their shakos had a black and yellow plume with a white band round the bae. and they seem to have had a red armlet on the left arm. (See Figs. 12 to 18).

Some account of these regiments' services down to the Peace of Lunéville may be found in a work by Captain de Valliére published at Lausanne, "Histoire des Suisse — au service étranger". They cannot, however, be regarded as in any way part of the British Army, though it was mainly from them that De Watteville's (q.v.) was formed after the Peace of Lunéville. In one entry in the Museum at Zurich an exhibit is described as the uniform of the " regiment de Watteville au service d'Angleterre (ex Roverea), " and Lowry Cole's A D.C., Major de Roverea, from whose journal several interesting extracts are given in Mr. Stephen Gwynn's Memoirs of Sir Lowry Cole," seems to have been in Watteville's.