BATTLE OF TURIN 1706 - FRENCH REGIMENT ROUERGUE

 This regiment is interesting for understanding the disposition of the troops involved in the siege.

This unit, consisting of two battalions, was positioned in the siege park of the city of Turin, namely between the Dora and the Po. During the battle, as far as can be ascertained, these troops continued the siege operations and did not assist the French troops engaged in the fighting.

Yet it was precisely this regiment that suffered enormous losses: some sources state that the regiment was annihilated or destroyed, while others report that, by the end of the battle, it was reduced to just 340 men, having lost around 800 during the siege.

History of the Regiment during WSS: in February 1701, the regiment was expanded to two battalions. Its first battalion was at first employed on the Rhine, but in July it was ordered to Italy. Even so, by mid-August it had still not yet joined the Army of Italy, showing how slow and complex the transfer of troops between theatres could be.

By the beginning of 1702, the battalion was already in northern Italy. On 31 January it formed part of the garrison of Cremona, at the very moment when Prince Eugène de Savoie attempted his famous surprise attack on the city. The attack failed, and the battalion remained in Cremona at least until March. Later that year it was attached to the army of Prince Charles de Vaudémont, governor of Milan, where it was placed in the second line of the infantry left wing. It then took part in the operations that led to the capture of Luzzara and Borgoforte.

The following year, however, the battalion was temporarily drawn away from the Italian theatre. On 15 February 1703, Louis XIV ordered Vendôme to send three battalions — two from Royal-Comtois and the first battalion of Rouergue — to reinforce Maréchal de Montrevel in the Cévennes, where the royal army was trying to suppress the Camisard uprising. On 29 April, the battalion fought between Le Vigan and Anduze, suffering the loss of one captain killed and three officers wounded. By the end of the year it had rejoined the army of the Duc de La Feuillade, operating in Savoy.

The first battalion then remained in Languedoc until 1706, when the regiment was recalled to Italy for the siege of Turin. This is the most striking part of its history. Although the regiment was involved in the siege operations rather than in the main field battle, it suffered catastrophic losses. On 8 September 1706, after the Battle of Turin, the regiment was described as virtually annihilated: only about 320 men managed to retreat towards Provence.

Despite this disaster, the regiment was not dissolved. In 1707 its remnants took part in the defence of Toulon. Once the Allies had withdrawn beyond the Var, the unit was transferred to the Army of the Rhine, where it served until 1712 on the Sarre and in the Lines of Wissembourg. In 1713 it was again engaged in major operations, taking part in the sieges of Landau and Freiburg.

Finally, on 10 April 1715, after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, the regiment was reduced to a single battalion.

Returning to the question of losses, one must assume that this unit was heavily employed during the siege. This means that its position was most probably opposite the sector of the Citadel.

This position also helps to explain why, during the disengagement from the battle, the unit may have had serious difficulty finding a line of retreat.

It obviously could not move to the left, where the battle was raging and where the other units were already in flight. Instead, it had to move towards the Valentino, then cross over towards the hills, and only from there turn left in order to escape.

It is quite possible that the units which had broken through at Lucento then pursued these troops, and that, once they had reached the area of Madonna del Pilone, they had to clash with the Imperial troops in order to find a way out.

It is therefore probable that this regiment remained behind to contain the Imperial and Savoyard incursions coming from the Castle of Lucento, losing many men in the process.