BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - FRENCH REGIMENT MARSILLY

The regiment was raised on 25 July 1702 by Achille Poulet, Marquis de Marcilly, who remained its colonel throughout most of the War of the Spanish Succession. On 28 October 1710, command passed to François Perron de Belleisle, under whom the regiment continued to serve until 12 November 1714. On that date, it ceased to exist as an independent unit and was incorporated into Touraine Infanterie.

The regiment first saw active service in 1703, when it was employed against the Camisards in the Cévennes. In the following year, it was assigned to the Army of the Alps and took part in the siege of Annecy. In 1705, it was transferred to the Italian theatre. During June and July, it participated in the siege of Chivasso in Piedmont, and on 16 August it was present at the Battle of Cassano.

From May to September 1706, the regiment took part in the Siege of Turin, serving with the Franco-Spanish army engaged in the operations against the Piedmontese capital with 1 battalion. After the failure of the siege and the French withdrawal from Piedmont, it participated in the defence of Toulon in 1707.

In 1709, the regiment served with the Army of Dauphiné, before being transferred to Flanders in 1710. On 24 July 1712, it was present at the Battle of Denain, although it does not appear to have been directly engaged in the fighting. Later that same year, it took part in the siege and capture of Le Quesnoy. 

Regiment de Marsilly - Drummer (reconstruction)

This is one of those regiments for which comparatively little information has survived. Fortunately, its ordonnance colour has been identified, and its colours correspond exactly to those appearing in the arms of the de Marcilly family. This provides a valuable basis for reconstructing the regiment’s appearance.

Drapeau d'Ordonnance

The predominance of black seems beyond doubt and supports the use of black facings on the soldiers’ uniforms, together with gilt buttons matching the gilded hilts of their swords. The close correspondence between the colours of the ordonnance flag and those of the family coat of arms also helps to remove any uncertainty concerning the livery worn by the regimental drummers.

Regiment Marsilly

In several surviving representations, when a black livery had to be depicted for drummers, artists tended to use a very dark grey rather than absolute black. The same approach has therefore been adopted in this reconstruction, with the main coat rendered in dark grey while the facings remain black.

Drapeau Colonel

Regiment Marsilly - Officer

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - FRENCH REGIMENT BRESSE

 The regiment was created on 14 September 1684 from a battalion of Normandie Infanterie and took the name of the Province of Bresse. Its formation formed part of the extensive military expansion ordered by Louis XIV in anticipation of a new coalition against France. Between 1 and 30 September 1684, the king raised thirty new regiments, one on each successive day. This unusual arrangement was intended to prevent disputes over precedence among the newly created units. The regiment was entrusted to René-Alexis Le Sénéchal, Comte de Carcado-Molac.

During the Nine Years’ War, the regiment initially served with the Army of Germany in 1691 before being transferred to the Army of the Alps in 1692. In the following year, it participated in the defence of Pinerolo and fought at the Battle of Marsaglia. In 1694, it served in Provence and then embarked for Catalonia, where it took part in the relief of Palamós. The regiment returned to Italy in 1696 and participated in the siege of Valenza, before being transferred to the Army of Flanders in 1697.

At the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession, the regiment remained under the command of René-Alexis Le Sénéchal, Comte de Carcado-Molac, who had held the colonelcy since its creation. On 10 October 1706, command passed to François, Marquis de Montmorency-la-Neuville.

In 1700, the regiment was assigned to the Army of Italy. On 1 September 1701, it fought at the Battle of Chiari, where it was deployed in Carcado’s Brigade on the extreme left of the second line of infantry. On 26 July 1702, the Comte de Carcado-Molac commanded a brigade of grenadiers at the Combat of Santa Vittoria, and in August the regiment participated in the capture of Luzzara.

Drapeau d'Ordonnance

The regiment remained active in northern Italy throughout 1703, taking part in the capture of Nago and Arco and, in November, in the occupation of Asti. On 4 January 1704, it participated in the assault on the entrenchments of Stradella, which were defended by the rearguard of Starhemberg’s army. A week later, on 11 January, it fought at Castelnuovo de Bormia. During the remainder of the campaign, it took part in the sieges of Vercelli, Ivrea and Verrua.

Regiment Bresse - Officer
NB: the Officer as distinctive sign had usually the breeches of the same colour of the socks, like here

At the beginning of 1705, the regiment participated in the final capture of Verrua. On 16 August of the same year, it fought at the Battle of Cassano. On 19 April 1706, it was engaged at the Battle of Calcinato and, from May onwards, took part in the Siege of Turin with 1 battalion.

Regiment Bresse - Private
NB: the waiscoat was light blue edged yellow with laced buffonholes with copper buttons. Not visible here, because usually the coat was kept closed

Following the withdrawal of the French army from Piedmont, the regiment served with the Army of Dauphiné from 1707 to 1709. In 1709, it was transferred to the Army of Flanders. On 24 July 1712, it fought at the Battle of Denain and subsequently participated in the Siege of Douai during August and September. After the fortress was captured, the regiment was placed there in garrison.

Drapeau Colonel

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - FRENCH REGIMENT DE MENOU

 This regiment was raised on 25 July 1702 by Charles, Marquis de Menou de Cuissy. During the War of the Spanish Succession, it campaigned in the Cévennes in 1703 and formed part of the French occupation forces in Savoy in 1704. In 1705, it took part in the Battle of Cassano, and in 1706 it participated in the Siege of Turin, during which its colonel lost a leg.

Drapeau d'Ordonnance

On 27 June 1706, the regiment was given to his son, Louis-Joseph, Comte de Menou de Cuissy. It subsequently served with the Army of Flanders in 1707 and fought at the Battle of Harelbeke in 1711. The regiment was disbanded on 21 December 1713.

Drapeau Colonel

Regiment de Menou - Drummer

Regiment de Menou - private

Drapeau Colonel

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - FRENCH REGIMENT BUGEY

The regiment was raised under the name Bugey on 4 October 1692 and entrusted to Antoine Dreux d’Aix, Marquis de La Chaize, who retained its colonelcy until 1695. La Chaize belonged to a well-connected family: he was the nephew of François de La Chaize, the Jesuit confessor of King Louis XIV, and the son of François d’Aix, Comte de La Chaize, a captain in the Gardes de la Porte. According to Saint-Simon, he acquired the regiment for 42,000 livres, in addition to a royal gratification of 100,000 livres.

During the Nine Years’ War, the regiment joined the Army of Flanders in 1693. In October 1695, the Marquis de La Chaize obtained the colonelcy of Beauvoisis Infanterie and relinquished command of Bugey. On 4 October of that year, the regiment was purchased for 70,000 livres by Hyacinthe de Montvallat, Comte d’Entraigues. Under his command, it took part in the siege of Ath in 1697.

In June 1699, the Comte d’Entraigues gave up the regiment after obtaining the lieutenant-colonelcy of Royal Vaisseaux Infanterie. He was succeeded by Jean de Mathan, a former page in the King’s Chamber and an ensign in the Gardes-françaises. Mathan was only nineteen years old when he became colonel of Bugey Infanterie. His command was brief, however, as he died of dysentery at Mantua in August 1701.

At the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession, the regiment passed to Jacques de Bérenger, Comte du Gua et de Charme. He had previously commanded a militia regiment raised in the généralité of Grenoble and had also formed a regiment of his own in 1695, although that unit was disbanded in 1698. He became colonel of Bugey in September 1701 and was promoted to maréchal de camp in 1704.

On 10 February 1704, the colonelcy passed to his son, Charles, Comte de Bérenger. Charles remained in command until he was killed during the defence of Saint-Venant on 24 September 1710. The regiment was then entrusted, on 4 October 1710, to Pierre Bérenger, Comte du Charmes et du Gua, another son of Jacques de Bérenger. Pierre later became colonel of Vivarais Infanterie in May 1731, was promoted to brigadier in 1734 and lieutenant-general in 1744, and was made a Chevalier du Saint-Esprit in 1746.

Bugey Infanterie continued to exist until 7 October 1714, when it was incorporated into Champagne Infanterie.

In 1701, the regiment’s first battalion was assigned to the Army of Italy. On 15 August 1702, it fought at the Battle of Luzzara and subsequently participated in the capture of Luzzara and Gonzaga. During the same year, the second battalion campaigned separately in Flanders.

In 1703, the first battalion remained in the Italian theatre, taking part in the combat of Stradella, the combat of Castelnuovo, the expedition into Tyrol and the combat of San Sebastiano. The second battalion again served in Flanders.

The first battalion participated in the sieges of Vercelli, Ivrea and Verrua in 1704, followed by the siege of Chivasso in 1705. In 1706, it took part in the siege of Turin, serving with the Franco-Spanish army engaged in the operations against the Piedmontese capital.

In 1707, the regiment participated in the defence of Toulon against the Allied invasion. It was later placed in garrison at Saint-Venant in 1709 and took part in the defence of that town in 1710, during which its colonel, Charles de Bérenger, was killed.

The regiment’s final major operations occurred in 1713, when it participated in the sieges and capture of Landau and Freiburg.

The colours of Bugey Infanterie are particularly interesting because they recall the Savoyard history of the region from which the regiment took its name.

Drapeau d'Ordonnance

Over the centuries, the House of Savoy had expanded its territories through dynastic marriages, alliances and local conflicts, often at the expense of neighbouring regions such as Dauphiné and Genevois. By the beginning of the seventeenth century, the possessions of the House of Savoy included Piedmont, Savoy, Bresse, the Dombes, Bugey, the Marquisate of Saluzzo, the County of Nice and several other territories and lordships.

Drapeau Colonel

The loss of Bugey arose from the conflict between France and Savoy over the Marquisate of Saluzzo. Following the extinction of its ruling dynasty in 1548, the French Crown claimed sovereignty over the marquisate and eventually incorporated it into France. The Duke of Savoy opposed this arrangement because French control of Saluzzo separated Piedmont from the County of Nice and disrupted the territorial continuity of his possessions.

After negotiations failed, war broke out between France and Savoy in 1600. French forces rapidly occupied a large part of the Savoyard territories, including several fortresses and citadels. Under the Treaty of Lyon of 17 January 1601, the Duke of Savoy ceded to France the territories situated to the west of the Rhône, including Bresse, Bugey, Valromey and the Pays de Gex. In return, Savoy obtained full sovereignty over the Marquisate of Saluzzo.

Regiment Bugey - Private

As this was nevertheless a regiment of provincial origin, its drummers, like those of the other former Savoyard regiments, wore the royal livery.

Regiment Bugey - Drummer

Regiment Bugey - Officer

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - FRENCH REGIMENT LA FEUILLADE

 The regiment was raised on 1 January 1704 by Louis d’Aubusson, Duc de La Feuillade, who became its first colonel. During the War of the Spanish Succession, command of the regiment subsequently passed to N. de Mancini in February 1708, to Louis de Clermont-Tonnerre, Marquis de Chastes, on 16 May 1709, and finally to N. de Clermont-Montoison on 15 April 1710. The regiment remained under the latter’s command until its disbandment in 1714.

The regiment first saw active service in 1705, when it took part in the conquest of the County of Nice. In the following year, it was sent to Piedmont and participated in the Siege of Turin with two battalions from May to September 1706. On 7 September, both battalions were involved in the Battle of Turin, which ended in a disastrous defeat for the Franco-Spanish army and forced the besieging forces to abandon their operations.

In 1707, the regiment continued to serve in the Alpine theatre, where it was employed in the defence of the French frontier following the retreat from Piedmont.

Drapeau d'Ordonnance

Drapeau Colonel

Regiment La Feuillade - Drummer

Regiment La Feuillade - Officer

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - FRENCH REGIMENT DAMAS

The regiment was raised on 25 July 1702 by Jean-Jacques, Chevalier de Damas, who remained its colonel until 10 July 1708. He was then succeeded by Joseph-Guillaume Boutin, Comte de Vallouze, who commanded the unit until 30 July 1715. On that date, the regiment ceased to exist as an independent formation and was incorporated into the Royal Vaisseaux Infanterie.

During the War of the Spanish Succession, the regiment was employed in several different theatres of operations. In 1704, it served in the campaign in Savoy, while in the following year it took part in the conquest of the County of Nice. In 1706, it participated in the siege of Turin and, on 7 September, fought in the disastrous battle that ended the Bourbon siege of the city.

After the defeat at Turin, the regiment was transferred in 1707 to the frontier of Navarre. In 1708, it campaigned in Aragon and took part in the sieges of Lérida and Tortosa. In 1710, it served with the Army of Dauphiné, before being transferred to the Army of Catalonia in 1711. Its final major operation of the war came in 1714, when it participated in the siege and capture of Barcelona. 

During the siege of Turin, this unit was deployed in the sector between the Dora and the Po and employed in siege operations. One particularly interesting aspect concerning the regiment is the identification of the uniform it wore.

The regiment had been raised by one of the most prominent families of the French nobility, and the drummers’ livery therefore followed the traditional colours of that family. Although the coat itself can be identified, as usual, as greyish white, determining the colour of the cuffs proved more difficult.

As often happens, useful evidence is provided partly by the family coat of arms and partly by the ordonnance flag, in both of which blue is the predominant colour. The most important clue, however, is fortunately supplied by the fact that, during the French Revolutionary Wars, the same family raised a unit known as the Légion de Damas. From its uniform, it is possible to infer that the cuffs were not black, as shown in the surviving gouaches, but dark blue, as represented in our template.

We have several surviving representations of this unit in which the blue appears extremely dark, almost black—a shade that would not be appropriate for the War of the Spanish Succession. In this particularly careful illustration, however, it is evident that the colour is in fact a very deep blue, which can easily appear black in older sketches.

Hussar Damas

 

(NB: the azure uniforms of these units came as a sort of standard of the Emigrés troops)

Drapeau d'Ordonnance

Drapeau Colonel

Regiment Damas - Drummer first version

Regiment Damas - Drummer. Correct Livery

The modification of this drummer was based on a statistical study that I carried out. Apart from the royal and provincial regiments, whose drummers all wore the royal livery, the other regiments generally used the livery of the family that owned the regiment. While examples survive for many of these units, references are lacking for others, such as the Damas Regiment.

It should be remembered that the House of Damas was both powerful and wealthy and would therefore have had no difficulty providing the drummers of the regiment bearing its name with rich and elaborate liveries. I nevertheless carried out a comparative and statistical analysis and found that the colours of the livery almost always corresponded to those of the regimental flag. The basic principle was that the noble colours, silver and gold, were generally reserved for decorative elements. An exception arose in cases such as this one, since the use of a blue livery would have been considered an unthinkable offence, blue being a royal prerogative.

The drummer’s livery for this regiment has therefore been reconstructed by taking the colours of its flag as the starting point.

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - FRENCH REGIMENT BOURBON

This regiment came to my attention entirely by chance. In fact, it does not appear at all in the order of battle in my possession, nor in the lists of regiments that took part in the Battle of Turin and, above all, in the siege of Turin in 1706. How, then, did I manage to identify it?

The answer lies in the fact that I am currently trying to reconstruct the uniforms of all the French regiments stationed in the salient between the Dora and the Po: precisely those units that were directly involved in the siege operations, but did not take a direct part in the Battle of Turin itself. In the list of regiments deployed on that front, I found a reference to a regiment called “Besançon”.

A search through all my sources, however, ruled out the existence of any regiment bearing that name. Further research proved equally fruitless, even in sources that preserve at least some trace of regiments raised from local militias. There was absolutely nothing.

This naturally raised the suspicion—and in cases such as this it is entirely legitimate—that the original handwritten sources had been misread and incorrectly transcribed. The non-existent “Besançon” might therefore have been another name beginning with the same letter, ending in a similar way, and with an illegible central portion.

Almost by chance, I began by checking the Bourbon Regiment and immediately found, in every source, that it had taken part in the siege of Turin. The mystery was therefore solved. The regiment in question was not the non-existent Besançon Regiment—which, incidentally, would have been the only regiment named after a city rather than a province or region—but the Bourbon Regiment.

My source specifies that the regiment took part in the battle with only one battalion. It is likely that the other battalion remained stationed at Nice, which had been occupied the previous year. Indeed, the regiment’s two battalions were often deployed separately.

Drapeau d'Ordonnance

BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - FRENCH REGIMENT MONTMORENCY

 This was a little-known French regiment, whose history may be summarised as follows. It was raised on 25 July 1702 by Michel-Camus Destouches. During the War of the Spanish Succession, it was commanded first by Destouches himself, then, from 19 November 1702, by François, Marquis de Montmorency-La Neuville, and finally (because the former commander passed to command the Bresse Regiment on that very same day), from 10 October 1706 until 30 July 1715,  by Jean-Claude de Masselin. On 30 July 1715, the regiment was incorporated into Tallard Infanterie.

In 1703, the regiment was sent to Italy. From October 1704 to April 1705, it took part in the siege and capture of Verrua. In 1706, it participated in the siege of Turin, woth 1 battallion remaining in the sector between the Dora and the Po, within the main siege area, but without undertaking any particularly significant action. It appears to have been one of the less distinguished regiments, employed mainly in surveillance duties and in holding and guarding the siege positions, rather than in offensive operations or direct assaults.

In 1707, the regiment took part in the defence of Toulon. From 1708 to 1713, it served with the Army of Dauphiné, and in 1714 it participated in the siege and capture of Barcelona.

Coat of Arm of Montmorency La Neuville

The coat of arms makes it easy to identify the drummers’ livery: red with yellow and blue decorations.

Drapeau d'Ordonnance 

Drapeau Colonel

SIEGE OF TURIN 1706 - THE HILL DEFENCES

 One of the least studied aspects of the 1706 Siege of Turin concerns the hilltop defences established to protect Monte dei Cappuccini, a small hill—still clearly visible today—which overlooks the River Po below and controlled access to the city from the riverside.

Yet, from the perspective of historical and archaeological research, this is precisely the area that may offer the greatest rewards. The natural configuration of the terrain has inevitably remained largely unchanged, and several sections of the original defensive works still survive, although they are now concealed and difficult to identify.

This research has also led me to discover and appreciate a part of my own city, close to where I live, which I had nevertheless never previously explored.

Therefore began with the most precise and least stylised map available for reconstructing the hilltop defences: Alessandro Luigi Emanuelle’s 1708 Plan of the City and Citadel of Turin, produced only two years after the siege. Although this map naturally contains a number of inconsistencies, it nevertheless provides the best surviving representation of the defensive works on the hills.

From this map, I was able to reconstruct my own version, reproduced here, as well as to identify the names of the original farmsteads in the area.

1) Fort of Villa Genero

2) Monte dei Capuccini

3) Borgo di Po

4) Vigna della Marchesa (today: Villa della Regina)

5) Today: Via Villa della Regina

6) Val Salice

However, after producing this first map, I attempted to transpose it onto a modern map of Turin. In fact, the satellite view made it possible, to some extent, to refine the actual layout of the fortifications, as shown in the map below.

This is the first map ever produced that makes it possible to see today what existed here 320 years ago.

 here with the numbers is red in order to understand the map above.

However, my research eventually led me to go out “into the field” in search of physical evidence. I therefore visited Villa Genero, now a beautiful public park that I had never previously taken into consideration. I climbed to the top, where I found what is still known today as the Fortino, although it is in very poor condition. I would very much like to see it restored and returned to its former splendour.

Over time, this small fort was altered and transformed into a kind of Art Nouveau-style pavilion between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when this part of the hill belonged to the Genero family. Nevertheless, a careful examination of the structure reveals that its lower brick-built section is likely to preserve the remains of the original fortification situated on the summit of this part of the hill. It served as a defensive strongpoint and as an observation post from which operations across the hills could be monitored and controlled. (number 1 in the maps)

It is a forgotten piece of the city’s history, and one that was entirely unknown to me.

In the past, it was impossible to discern its original appearance, as the walls had been covered with a rough coat of render by the owner.

The sadly neglected state in which the Fortino stands today makes it seem almost as though the City has no wish to honour the heroic defence mounted on this part of the defensive salient as well.

From an aerial view, and after carrying out a series of on-site measurements—rather risky, given some of the people who frequent the park today—I was able to determine the perimeter of the Fortino, despite the dense vegetation.

These photographs show the northern side of the Fortino, which is remarkably well preserved. The relevant section is marked with an X in the aerial photograph.

The Fort (later called) Genero

While the fort itself had a kind of defensive bastion, the remainder of the defensive salient consisted of a dry-stone wall with a step in front of it. The wall was approximately 1.20 metres high on the inside and around 2.80 metres high on the outside.

It must, of course, be assumed that there was no vegetation around it, since one of the fundamental principles of siege warfare was to maintain a clear and unobstructed field of fire, as can be seen, for example, in the final photograph taken from the eastern side of Fortino Genero.

External part of the perimetral defensive wall (North-side) - letter Z

External side of the Fort bastion - North side - Letter Y

Internal wall - Letter K

Profile view of the defensive walls of Fort “Genero”.

It should not be forgotten that the siege plans drawn up by the celebrated Vauban for the siege of Turin envisaged an attack developing from the hilly sector, rather than a direct assault on the Citadel, as La Feuillade ultimately chose to do, at an enormous cost in both resources and human lives.

Indeed, once the hilltop defensive salient had been breached—either through Fortino Genero or, above all, through the flanking sectors protected by simpler defensive structures—it would have been possible to bombard the Monte dei Cappuccini area and the defensive bastions of Borgo di Po, now Piazza Gran Madre di Dio, with cannon and mortar fire. The defenders would have been unable to return fire effectively, since they would have had to shoot uphill. Once the bastions of Borgo di Po—and, above all, Monte dei Cappuccini—had been occupied, the besiegers could have used the same tactical advantage to fire directly upon the eastern defences of the city, which were difficult to garrison effectively. This would have rapidly weakened that defensive sector and rendered the Citadel virtually useless from a defensive standpoint.

Vauban's supposed siege plan

1) Lines of attack East Side (against the Fort Genero)

2) Lines of Attack South Side (through Val Salice)

3) Lines of attack North Side 

4) Minor Lines to direct attack on the Monte dei Capuccini's defenses. 

Once the lines had been breached at points 1, 2 and 3, the troops and artillery could readily have taken up position at point 5, marked in red—today Via Villa della Regina—a small valley overlooking Borgo di Po. From there, they could have subjected it to artillery fire at extremely close range, firing downhill.

In these two images, one can still see traces of the bastions facing Monte dei Cappuccini—and to think that I pass them every morning, since my children’s school is on that very road. Their original line seems to have been retained as a guide when the road was later constructed. The area concerned is the one circled in red.