2nd regiment de chevau-leggers lanciers

2 e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers
Chevau-légers lancier of the 2nd regiment of the Grande Armée by Hippolyte Bellangé in: Histoire de Napoléon by Laurent de l'Ardèche, 1843
active	July 18, 1811 to 1815
Country	France
Armed forces	Grande Armée
Armed forces	cavalry
Branch of service	Light cavalry
Strength	4 escadrons

The 2 ^e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers , or simply: 2 ^e régiment de chevau-légers or 2 ^e régiment de lanciers (German: 2nd Light Lancer Regiment ), was set up in the First Empire in 1811 as a regiment of light cavalry . It was dissolved after the rule of the Hundred Days .

• July 18, 1811 : By imperial decree, nine Chevau-léger regiments were set up on this date . For the first six dragoon regiments were converted, the 7th and 8th emerged from the two Uhlan regiments of the Légion de la Vistule , and the 9th was formed from the 30 ^e chasseurs à cheval (30th regiment of hunters on horseback).

The 2 ^e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers was formed by converting the 3 ^e régiment de dragons .

• May 12, 1814 : With the first abdication of Napoleon and the return of the king, the unit was given the name Régiment de lanciers de la Reine , reinforced by parts of the 7 ^e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers .
• March 1, 1815 : During the reign of the Hundred Days, it was renamed to 2 ^e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers .
• July 16, 1815 : After the end of the German Empire, the regiment was disbanded.

uniform

Different badge colors were used to differentiate between the individual regiments. The 2nd regiment had bright orange as its badge color.

The Chevau-légers wore the helmet of the Dragoons "à la Minerve", but instead of the black horse tail with a black (trumpeter white) wool caterpillar on the crest. The helmet bowl and crest were made of copper, the peak of black leather and edged with a copper rail. It was equipped with a copper scale chain. A brown ribbon (leopard skin for officers) was placed around the helmet bell. On the left side of the helmet, officers carried a feather trumpet, white above and red below.

A dark green vest skirt with pocket flaps "à la Soubise" was worn. The skirt was equipped with a plastron in the color of the badge, the cuffs on the sleeves, the edge of the epaulettes and the pocket flaps were also in this color. The lap covers also showed the color of the weapon, a green, Napoleonic eagle was placed on them. The elite companies wore red epaulettes .

As trousers for normal duty and for the parade, green boot trousers were worn in a Hungarian cut, which were decorated with gold-colored lampasses over the side seams . For the field uniform, a pair of side-buttoned overpants with leather trim was put on, which reached over the boots to the foot. The buttonhole row was on a lampasse in the badge color. On the front of the thighs was a gold-colored decoration that vaguely resembled a Vitéz Kötés of the hussars .

The shape and cut of the black leather boots matched those of the hussars. They were decorated with a border around the upper edge and a tassel (both were dropped in 1812). The waist belt was made of white leather with a brass belt buckle with a copper eagle.

A white leather bandolier with a black cartridge was carried over the left shoulder . Above it was a leather strap, also white, with a hook on which the carabiner was hung. 18 cartridges could be stored in the cartridge. There was a crowned "N" made of brass on the lid of the cartridge, but the elite company carried a grenade at this point.

A white sheepskin (black for trumpeters) was placed over the saddle and was lined with a zigzag border in the color of the badge. The coat bag behind the saddle was decorated with a border, the color of this border being specified differently depending on the source - white or in the color of the badge, with or without a regimental number. Instead of sheepskin, officers used a green woolen blanket with a silver border. The ceiling was edged with a gold-colored advance.

Officers

Officer's uniforms stood out because of their rich braid ornamentation. The bandolier, belt, saddlecloth and coat bag were decorated with gold braid. The ornamentation of the trousers was also significantly richer.

For the small service there was:

• City uniform (tenue de ville) with:

the regular skirt with a plastron, white knee breeches , white or black stockings, black buckled shoes and a black bicorn .

• Society uniform (tenue de société) with:

the regular skirt without a plastron, white knee breeches, white stockings, black buckled shoes and a black bicorn.

trumpeter

The trumpeters of the regiment wore a dark blue skirt, plastron and collar in the color of the badge were edged with a white border. The crest of the helmet carried a caterpillar made of white wool, and a white feather cap was attached to the left side of the helmet bell.

Armament

The Chevau-légers were armed with a 2.76 meter long and 1.96 kilogram lance, the light cavalry saber, a carbine and a pistol. (So ​​overloaded with a bulky load, it was important to the riders to "lose" the lance or carbine as soon as possible in order to create more freedom of movement.)

Regimental commanders

• 1811 to February 22, 1814: Colonel Pierre Berruyer
• February 23, 1813 to May 1814: Colonel Jean Joannès
• May 1814 to July 1815: Colonel Jean-Baptiste Sourd

Officer losses from 1811 to 1815

• Favors: 7 (including Colonel Berruyer)
• Died from her wounds: 5
• Wounded: 51 (including Colonel Berruyer on November 18, 1812 and Colonel Sourd on June 17, 1815)

Mission history

The 2nd ^e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers took part in the Russian campaign in 1812 , where it belonged to the 2nd Cavalry Corps. It fought in the Battle of Borodino and the Battle of the Berezina .

The regiment took part in the campaign in Germany with the Grande Armée in 1813 and fought in the Battle of the Katzbach and the Battle of Hanau .

In the campaign in France in 1814, the Lancers were at the Battle of La Rothière , the Battle of Montmirail , the Battle of Vauchamps , the Battle of Bar-sur-Aube and the Battle of Fère-Champenoise .

After his return from the island of Elba on March 1, 1815, Napoleon's army was reorganized. By decree of April 20, 1815, the former cavalry regiments were given back their numbering, which they had lost during the first restoration . The unit was therefore again called 2 ^e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers and was involved in the campaign in Belgium during the reign of the Hundred Days , in which it took part in the battle of Waterloo .

On July 18, 1815, the entire Napoleonic army was released as part of the final abdication of Napoleon and the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. The regiment was then not set up again and the remaining staff was incorporated into the "12 ^e régiment de chasseurs à cheval de la Marne".

Standards

The regiment was equipped with three different standards: the model from 1804, from 1812 and from 1815. The unit continued the Aigle de drapeau des "3 ^e régiment des dragons", as were the honorable mentions that the previous regiment had earned, listed as inscriptions on the back of the standard (model from 1812 and from 1815).

• 

  1804

• 

  1804

• 

  1812

• 

  1812

• 

  1815

• 

  1815

literature

• Adrien Pascal: Histoire de l'armée et de tous les régiments. 4th volume.
• François Joseph Michel Noël , LJM Carpentier: Nouveau dictionnaire des origines, inventions et découvertes. 4th volume.
• Jean-Baptiste Duvergier: Lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlements, avis du Conseil d'État. 19th volume.
• Liliane and Fred Funcken: L'Uniforme et les Armes des soldats de la guerre en dentelle. Casterman, Tournai 1989, ISBN 3-572-07442-8 .

Footnotes

1. ↑ Liliane and Fred Funcken, pp. 210–212
2. ↑ The names of the battles were taken from the previous regiment according to French custom.