Synopses & Reviews
Following his study of the astonishing range of French Royalist and foreign mercenary units employed by Britain in the period 1793–1802 of the French Revolutionary Wars (Men-at-Arms 328), the author describes - often for the first time in an English language publication - the part played by their successors during the crucial years of the Napoleonic Wars. He covers not only relatively well-recorded units, such as Roll’s, Meuron’s and Watteville’s Swiss corps, but also the unjustly neglected Italians, Corsicans and Greeks, and such exotica as the African and Ceylon regiments. Uniform details of nearly 40 corps are based on impressive primary research, and this book and its companion volume make a genuinely new contribution to Napoleonic studies.
Synopsis
After disbanding many Emigre units in 1802, following the peace of Amiens, many more were formed with the resumption of hostilities in 1803. The new units were noticeably different from the French royalist regiments of the 1790's, of which only the Chasseurs Britanniques remained. It was in the Mediterranean that many of the new units were formed, with colorful names like the Calabrian Free Legion and Royal Corsican Rangers as well as Maltese, Sicilian, Piedmontese and Greek units. This completes the first comprehensive illustrated study of these colorful and fascinating units.
About the Author
René Chartrand was born in Montreal and educated in Canada, the United States and the Bahamas. A senior curator with Canada's National Historic Sites for nearly three decades, he is now a freelance writer and historical consultant. He has written numerous articles and books including almost 20 Osprey titles and the first two volumes of Canadian Military Heritage. He lives in Hull, Quebec, with his wife and two sons.
Table of Contents
1. 1793-1802 -- 2. 1803-15.