Irish Legion

The Régiment Irlandais was a military unit of the First Empire in the Napoleonic wars.

Formation history

The Irish mercenaries ( wild geese ) of the ancien regime had been naturalized in 1791 and its three regiments, where the white uniforms of the French infantry, so that with the announcement of the Republic no independent Irish troops were more in French service. The Irish Legion ( légion irlandaise ) were prepared from Irish refugees of the revolt of 1798 on 31 August 1803 and consisted initially of only one battalion. 1805 was erected a second battalion of British prisoners and deserters and the Legion converted to the regiment, which eventually grew to five battalions, of which only the first two were more alone Irish. On August 3, 1811, the regiment was renamed the 3rd Regiment strangers. It took among others participated in the campaigns in Spain and Germany and was dissolved in 1814.

Uniform

The uniform and equipment followed the model of the light infantry, but the base color was green and the color yellow badge. Carabiniers and sappers wore fur caps without plate; their lap envelopes were decorated with red grenades. Voltigeurs with the red hunting horns The Tschakobeschlag of yellow metal was from the general model ( from 1811 onwards with the regimental number) and had at the voltigeurs a hunting horn. The fitting of the Tschakomodelles 1812 showed in the Grenadier Guards the punched regimental number, while in the voltigeurs hunters and the embossed number was seen in a hunting horn.

Swell

• Color chart at histofig.com

• Consulate and Empire
• Military Association ( French history )
• Infantry Association ( France)