Tuesday 15 December 2020

Flags of French Regiment Angoumois

As the lengthy texts of the Prussian flags are still taking time to complete here is another French set to keep things ticking over - and with another mercifully short text to accompany it. ;-) (As I know I have said ad nauseam, I do very much like the French flags and so they have become something of a speciality of mine - and this is also a somewhat unusual design.)

Angoumois first raised 1684. One battalion strong in the Seven Years War. Ranked 75th.

These flags were carried from 1684-1791.


The regiment was very active in the War of the Spanish and the War of the Austrian Succession (and the flags carried were identical to these) but had a rather quieter Seven Years War.

At the beginning of the SYW Angoumois was sent to America. Throughout the war it was split between Louisiana and St Domingo. By an ordinance of 10th December 1762 the regiment was attached to the service of ports and colonies and spent the next four years in Louisiana. It returned to France in 1766.

 And this is the uniform during the SYW:

 




14 comments:

  1. That is a very bizarre design and I can't think of anything remotely like it. When you compare it with the uniform they don't appear to have anything in common!

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  2. Nice work! I looked and thought now there’s a flag I should put in my army. And then I read Louisiana, and thought oh yeah that’s why it’s not on my list of possible regiments.

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  3. Striking flag..! 2nd battalion were present at Blenheim so I shall definitely be using this flag at some point!

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  4. Thanks for commenting, Steve J.. Yes, it is rather bizarre but pleasingly so, I think. :-) It is certainly true that French infantry flags usually bore little, if any, relation to the uniforms. This flag reminds me, in an odd sort of way, of the dazzle camouflage on WW1 ships! Many of the French regiments disbanded after the War of the Austrian Succession had some of the more unusual designs and I plan to add some of them eventually too.

    Cheers,

    David.

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  5. Thanks, Peter. So do you prefer to represent regiments that actually served in theatres whose armies you are recreating? I think you should sneak those in anyway, if the flags appeal... ;-)

    Cheers,

    David.

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  6. Thanks, Jonathan. It's certainly quirky!

    Cheers,

    David.

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  7. Thanks, Steve the W.. I'm glad to hear you'll be using these eventually and look forward to seeing them in action! :-)

    There are a good many French flags that saw much action in the earlier part of the 18th century but little in the SYW.

    One day, if I live that long, I'd like to do pretty much all the French infantry flags.

    Cheers,

    David.

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  8. David - job done - thanks for the inspiration! ==> https://steve-the-wargamer.blogspot.com/2021/01/regiment-angoumois.html

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  9. Thanks, Steve. Great to see the flag in action with your splendid French troops. :-)

    I left a message on your blog too.

    All the best for 2021,

    David.

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  10. That's a nice even if simple flag. I very much apprechiate your attempt to continue your work on the French flags for the infantry. Will you do something similar for cavalry too? I have the impression that research about the standards is even more difficult because details like Fleurs de Lyse in the corners of the colours could be so or different.

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  11. Thanks, André. I have thought a number of times about cavalry standards - as you know, they are small and complex, an annoying combination! I may have a go sometime soon as I'm still actively considering it. But, as you say, it is often hard to be entirely sure about the details, which frustrates me as a perfectionist... Tricky!

    All the best,

    David.

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  12. Yes that it is the same with my work on scenarios. I don't mean Hohenfriedeberg or Leuthen. But smaller engagements. I have too few informations but it's just too nice to play skirmishes as you can use your units in a 1:1 ratio.

    I suppose that Austrian flags (not these two standard-type SYW pattern colours) would be difficult too. I love the flags from the period of Charles VI, which were a lot more interesting with different designs of eagles.

    I think that to focus on French flags was a good decision. I used Kronoskaf to make Spanish flags and realized how dull they are (white with the red Burgundian cross).

    French cavalry standards can be very nice - as are the French cavalry uniforms. To find out the right standards seem to be difficult. I researched for Clermont cavalry for example and had to realize, that sometimes the sources are confused about Clermont - and Clermont-Tonerre cavalerie.

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  13. I think frustration about lack of information unfortunately goes with this period far too often, André!

    I have done as a commission Austrian flags of the early 18th century and am thinking of releasing some of them, as I do own the copyright. The chap who commissioned them rather likes the fact that he is the only one to have them so I probably need to have a talk with him as a courtesy before I do release some of them publicly. The Leibfahnes are rather ImagiNations-style as they include a Madonna of the Cat, which was popular with the chap who commissioned the flags. But the other flags are all authentic Charles VI period flags, which were probably also carried by Maria Theresa's troops in the early days of the WAS.

    I'm glad you think the focus on French flags a good one; part of the problem is simply not having enough time and energy to do everything I would like to do. But I do what I can.

    Yes, I have looked at French cavalry standards and been somewhat perturbed by the lack of reliable information on so many of them. That takes us back to the frustration I mentioned about this period!

    All the best,

    David.

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Saturday 6th June 2020 I've decided to allow comments from Anonymous Users but I'll still be moderating posts, as I'm sure the spam will probably flood in now! We'll see...