BATTLE OF TURIN 1706. (GHOST) FRENCH REGIMENT: SIOUGEAT

 Here we have a fine example of a “ghost regiment”. Why a ghost? Because this regiment appears to be entirely absent not only from the order of battle for Turin in 1706, but also from the records of the siege itself. Nor is that all: there is no mention of it in Flags and Uniforms of the French Infantry under Louis XIV, 1666–1714 by Robert Hall and Giancarlo Boeri. A complete ghost, then.

Drapeau d'Ordonnance

And yet the regiment certainly existed and even took part in the Battle of Turin. It is in fact mentioned on the Kronoskaf website, although without any particular emphasis. It was one of the first regiments raised in January 1702, considerably earlier than the main waves of new formations created in May and then September of that year. This would seem to reflect a certain degree of promptness and initiative on the part of its commanding officer.

In particular, the regiment was raised on 7 January 1702 by Jean de Layser, Marquis de Siougeat, who remained its commander throughout its entire existence. In 1704, it was sent to the Army of Italy, where it took part in the sieges of Vercelli, Ivrea and Verrua.

Two years later, the regiment was employed in the Siege of Turin. On 8 September 1706, it fought in the Battle of Turin and was almost completely annihilated. Jean de Layser, Marquis de Siougeat, had commanded the regiment from the day of its formation until its destruction in the battle.

The losses were so severe that the regiment effectively ceased to exist and was never raised again.

Very little information survives about this regiment, to the point that it seems almost to have vanished from the historical record. Yet it took part in some of the most important battles and sieges fought in Piedmont during the campaigns of 1704 and 1705, before being almost completely destroyed at the Battle of Turin in 1706.

What is particularly remarkable is that the regiment is scarcely mentioned even in contemporary and later accounts of the battle, including some of the most detailed narratives. Despite the severity of its losses and the fact that its destruction brought its brief existence to an end, its role has remained almost entirely overlooked.

It is therefore time to restore this forgotten regiment to its rightful place in the history of the campaign and to give due recognition to the men who served and died in its ranks.

The difficulty in reconstructing the regiment’s uniform therefore stems from the almost complete absence of surviving sources. However, research suggests that the Royal Armoury of Turin may preserve a black drapeau d’ordonnance attributed to the Régiment de Siougeat.

This would be entirely plausible. Since the regiment was destroyed at the Battle of Turin, its colours may well have been captured during the fighting and subsequently preserved in the Savoyard collections. Such a flag could therefore provide one of the very few surviving clues to the regiment’s appearance and identity.

How was this reconstruction of the flag arrived at? It is interesting to note that the source refers to a “black flag” for this regiment. In addition, the coat of arms of the Colonel-Proprietor’s family was itself almost entirely black, crossed by a yellow or gold diagonal bend.

By combining these two elements, the flag has been reconstructed with a predominantly black field crossed by yellow bands, intended as a reminder of the family arms. Other possible combinations of yellow and black could have been adopted, but they would risk being confused with the flags of other regiments.

Coat of Arms of the Family Layser de Siougeat

For the colonel’s colour, the usual design was naturally retained.

Drapeau Colonel

The principal issue that remains is the colour of the facings. Here, however, the reconstruction can be based on a reasonably solid process of historical deduction. There had already been an earlier regiment bearing the same name, the Régiment de Siougeat, which existed from 1695 to 1698.

This first regiment was created on 6 December 1695 and formally constituted on 23 December from the Espiffaudière battalion of the Régiment de la Reine, for Jean de Layser, Marquis de Siougeat. During the War of the League of Augsburg, it served with the Army of the Meuse and was eventually disbanded on 18 November 1698.

Two distinct elements immediately stand out. Both the first regiment, raised during the War of the League of Augsburg, and the second, created during the War of the Spanish Succession, were formed by the same man: Jean de Layser, Marquis de Siougeat.

It therefore seems highly likely that, for reasons of prestige and continuity, he retained the same facing colour for the later regiment. He may well have continued to rely on the same suppliers and could even have possessed stocks of cloth and other materials left over from the earlier unit. The first reasonable assumption is therefore that the two regiments wore the same facings.

There is, however, a further and even more significant point. Following the logic of military tradition and historical continuity, the origins of the first Régiment de Siougeat are particularly revealing. It had been created as an offshoot of the Régiment de la Reine: an entire battalion, effectively the full strength of the new regiment, was detached from La Reine and transformed into an independent corps. In modern terms, it was almost a military “spin-off” of the parent regiment.

Regiment Siougeat

It may therefore be assumed that the newly formed regiment initially retained the uniform traditions of the Régiment de La Reine, including red facings, a blue waistcoat and red stockings. Since the new corps had been created directly from one of La Reine’s battalions, it would have been natural for it to preserve at least the principal features of the parent unit.

The blue waistcoat and red stockings may, however, have been abandoned, or at least gradually replaced, for reasons of cost and practicality. By contrast, the cut and arrangement of the pockets were probably retained. After all, these may still have been the same uniforms, or uniforms made to the same pattern, only a few years later. It is even possible that veterans of the first Régiment de Siougeat, who later helped to form the second regiment, continued to use or preserve items from their earlier service.

The buttons would likewise have followed the pattern of the Régiment de La Reine and were therefore most probably of white metal, giving an overall silver appearance.

At this point, the question of the drummer naturally arises. In the Régiment de La Reine, the drummer wore a red livery. Clearly, however, it would have been impossible for a mere marquis to appropriate the Queen’s own livery. He must therefore have adopted his own household colours instead, most probably with a black ground — or rather a very dark grey in practical rendering — and yellow facings.

Regiment Siougeat - Drummer

Regiment Siougeat - Officer

A further problem concerns the position occupied by this “ghost regiment” during the Battle of Turin. I believe that its absence from the orders of battle for both the siege and the battle can largely be explained by the very limited number of men it was able to field.

As a privately raised regiment, rather than a Royal regiment, it would have found it far more difficult to replace its losses. Its effective strength at Turin was therefore probably no more than about 30 per cent of its original establishment, especially considering that it had already taken part in all the major sieges of the 1705 campaign, operations that had inevitably proved extremely costly in manpower.

It is therefore possible—indeed highly likely—that the regiment took part in the battle with no more than approximately 150 to 180 men, which would explain why it was not listed separately among the participating units.

Although its precise position within the French deployment is theoretically unknown, it can nevertheless be reconstructed with a reasonable degree of confidence. The statement that the regiment was destroyed “during the battle” clearly indicates that it was actively engaged.

For the sake of clarity, the battlefield may be divided into four principal sectors: the area of the main battlefield itself, Zone 3; the area between the Dora Riparia and the Po, identified as Zone 2; the hill sector, Zone 4; , the area south of Turin - Valentino as Zone 4; and the rear defensive deployment, Zone 5.

Zones 2, 3 and 4 can probably be excluded, since neither witnessed particularly intense fighting during the battle. Zone 1 may also be ruled out, as the regiment does not appear in the surviving order of battle for the principal French line.

The most plausible location is therefore the rear defensive position Zone 5. In fact, several (unknown) units were stationed there to hold fortified farmhouses and other strongpoints. These positions were later subjected to direct attacks, both by Prince Eugene’s troops after they had broken through the main French line and by forces advancing from the Turin garrison.

Given that the unit was completely annihilated, it may reasonably be assumed that it had been assigned to the defence of a fortified farmhouse located relatively close both to the city of Turin and to the main French defensive line.