The French in the AWI....it's not just Yorktown!

(d'Agenois Regiment, 1/72 Italeri) 

So you can get a lot of mileage out of a late eighteenth century French army, it's not just Yorktown! The French fought in the West Indies at St Lucia 1778, Grenada 1779, Dominica and St Kitts. In America at the Siege of Savannah 1779, Siege of Yorktown and the Franco-Spanish assault on Penascola, 1781. A French army can be used in the Second Mysore War, Siege of Gibraltar and invasion of Minorca. In the Revolutionary period the Battle of Quiberon Bay, Jersey, Ireland and Fishguard. 

"Vive le Roi" Santoigne Regiment, advance with the bayonet

Organisation:

The French infantry regiment consisted of two battalions of 400-500 men. Each of batalion consisted of four fusileer companies. The regiment had one company of grenadiers and a company chasseurs (light infantry.) The French army made use of foreign regiments, some Irish and German units served in America. The French had colonial regiments garrisoning their colonies in the Carribean. These were backed up with smaller colonial militia and volunteer units. Several colonial regiments and volunteers units were present at the Siege of Savannah. The French also raised Legions which were a self contained regiment of infantry, cavalry and [sometimes] attached artillery. The Duc de Lauzon's Legion served at Yorktown.

Note the formations at Savannah consist of 'picked companies' of chasseurs, grenadiers and fusileers, from different regiments. Whereas at Yorktown they were full regiments.

In the Revolutionary period the existing French regiments were absorbed into the Republican army but given numbers. By this time the tricorn is flattened somewhat (evolving into the bicorn) and some units are wearing Tarleton helmet like 39th Regt and Legion Irelandaise and line Chasseurs companies. 

Soissonois Regiment advance in column

Uniforms

The uniform of the French army was white, cut in the Prussian style units were distinquished by coloured cuffs and / or lapels. Coat tail turn-backs were mostly white. The French uniform was white for economy as they could use un-died wool. Gaiters were white in summer and black in winter, the backpack was brown.  The chasseurs (light infantry) looked the same as the fusileers (line) with the addition of a bugle emblem on the coat tails and a green shoulder epaulettes. 

Headgear for the fusileers and chasseurs was a black tricorn. Not all units had hat lace. The grenadiers bearskin had been phased out in favour of the tricorn (with a red plume or pom-pom, above the cockade.) But some units hung on to their bearskins, others serving overseas hadn't received the replacement tricorn. The Italeri figures come with a plume so you can represent grenadiers. Anyway the tricorn's cockade was Allied i.e. a white cockade (French) with a smaller black cockade (American) stitched over it. 

The drummers wore a dark blue uniform with the cuffs and coat lapels in the regiments facing colour. The coat tail turn-backs were white. The jacket was decorated with piping of the kings lace which was a white chain with a red background.

Officers were distinguished by carrying a sword or halberd and wearing a silver gorget. The right shoulder had a gold epaulet with a fringe. 

Bourbonois Regiment: Fusileers in firing line!

The foreign regiments had coloured jackets e.g. Red for the Irish (e.g. Dillon's had yellow cuffs lapels and swallow tails and Walsh had blue facings. The German Regiments had blue jackets e.g. Du Pont's in sky blue. [Confusingly Hainault's German regiment is mid blue for the SYW but depicted as white for the AWI.] Anyway, the Colonial Regiments serving in the Caribbean plus detachments at Savannah, had dark blue jackets, as did the colonial militia / volunteers.

There weren't many French cavalry units. At Savannah II there was a squadron of 50 Dragoons made up of detachments from Belsunce and Conde Regiments. And in the Caribbean: a unit of hussars: the Voluntaires Entregere de la Marine. Later they were absorbed into the hussars of  Lauzon's Legion at Yorktown a force of 300 troopers.

The dragoons at Savannah wore a dark green uniform with white trousers and waistcoats and a peaked brass dragoon helmet. Black gaiters for dismounted service. Belsunce Dragoons had white lapels and cuffs and Condes Dragoons, yellow. 

The Voluntaires Entrenger de la Marine Hussars wore a sky blue dolman and yellow breeches with white piping, A black mirliton with gold piping. The sash was red with yellow bands. The saddle cloth was sky blue with white edging.

Touraine Regt. fusileers waiting to attack!

Lauzon's Legion Hussars also wore a sky blue dolman, but with yellow piping,  red breeches with yellow piping, A black mirliton with gold piping. The sash was red with yellow bands. The saddle cloth was sky blue with yellow edging. Apparently the trumpeter wore a dragoons green jacket and tricorn (see Wikipedia!) Lauzons hussars had lances like Uhlan's. Apparently, both hussar units had lost their pelisses by time of their the American service (Rene Chartrand. Men at Arms 1991)

The French had a battalion of Marines and the Royal Artillerie regiment Metz provided the artillery support. Both these branches wore dark blue jackets and breeches and red cuffs and lapels. There was also a small unit of Marine gunners who wore bearskins (Bombardiers de la Marine). On shore they served as gunners or as grenadiers. French sailors also served ashore at Savannah manning ships cannon deployed in the siege.

A black unit served at Savannah, the Chasseurs Voluntaires de la Saint Dominique. These men wore a blue uniform with green cuffs and lapels with a white waistcoat, breeches and gaiters.

General officers (e.g. Rochambeau and d'Estaing) and staff officers wore a dark blue jacket with ornate gold piping, a red waistcoat and breeches, black riding boots. Commissary officers wore a mid green uniform with gold piping, red trousers and socks. Headgear for higher officers was a black tricorn with gold hat lace.

Irish Regt's: Walsh: blue facings. Dillon: yellow facings

An Irish contingent served at Savannah II led by Arthur Dillon. These were: Dillon's (Yellow facings) and Walsh (blue facing.) Irish Catholics weren't allowed commission's in the British army. But were welcome in the French Army's Irish Brigade, they were nicknamed - The Wild Geese. Some Irish changed sides in the Caribbean in 1798 when the British reconquered islands they'd lost in the AWI.

(Revell 1/72 figures) These fellas are awaiting command stands and for economy will also serve in my British AWI Army. 

Flags

Mine are hand-painted. Anyway, a French regiment had two flags: the colonels flag (Drapeau de Roi) which was a white cross on a white background. I suggest you outline the cross in grey. And the regimental flag (Drapeau de Ordinance) a white cross with coloured quadrants. Sometimes the quadrants were divided into triangles. The foreign regiments deviate somewhat, the two Irish regiments (Dillon's, Walsh) used a red cross. The Du Ponte Regt's standard is unique.

Scenarios?

For wargame scenarios there was the joint Franco-American assault on the British siege line at Savannah. The main attack was at Spring Hill: the Americans on the left the French on the right. There was also an attack by Dillon's Irish and Pulaski's Legion (USA) on redoubts on the British right.. 

At Yorktown, the French did an early diversionary attack on the Fusileer Redoubt. And later a crucial night attack on Redoubt No.9. (British Grenadier has a scenario for the latter. ) There was a cavalry battle at Gloucester Point between the Duc De Lauzon's hussars and Tarleton's British Legion. 

There is also the joint Franco Spanish siege and final assault at the Siege of Penascola, Florida.

In the Caribbean there was the Battle of La Vigie Peninsula, St Lucia 1778, the Invasion of Dominica 1778 and the Battle of Hospital Hill,  Grenada 1779 and the Siege of Brimstone Hill: St Kitts 1782.

Outside of the Americas there is the Second Mysore War 1780-84 in India. The disasterous Invasion of Jersey 1781.  Franco-Spanish Invasion of Minorca / Seige of St Philip, 1781. The British night attack at the Franco-Spanish Siege of Gibraltar 1783. 

The British backed French Royalist landing of Quiberon Bay 1795 depicted on television in Hornblower: the Frogs and the Lobsters (ITV, 1991) Humbert's landing in Ireland supporting the 1798 United Irishmen's Rebellion: the Battles of Castlebar and Ballinamuch. 

The British Grenadier main rules has a scenario for the Battle of La Vigie 1778 in the Caribbean and the French landing at Fishguard 1797.[ A landing at Newcastle On Tyne was planned but was forced back due to storms. BG's Scenario 4 book has a scenario for Culladore 1783 in India

Collecting  

You can get a French AWI figures and flags in most scales. Sadly the Italeri ones I used are out of production and you need eight boxes for a decent army! They also came in an Italeri battleset: The Last Outpost. This had an MDF fort, Woodland Indians, Continentals and British Dragoons. Not a bad set if you do skirmish wargames.