Rossbach French Flags Project: Flags of French Swiss Regiment Reding

This is a stray set from my Rossbach French Flags Project.

First raised for the French service in 1672 as De Salis-Zizers. Served in the War of the Polish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession. Was of two battalions and in 1756 ranked 51st in the French army.

It had many name changes: Porlier 1690, De Reynold 1692, De Castellas 1702, De Bettens 1722, Monnin 1739, Reding 1756-1763, Pfiffer (or Pfyffer) 1763 and De Sonnenberg 1768.

The flags are disputed. I have chosen to depict those as shown on the 1757 MS. The 1753 État Général describes the flags as having quarters with black and yellow flames. Kronoskaf shows flags with red, white, green and yellow flames. Charrié says the arms of the flags carried the motto Semper Fidelis but cites no source. Unfortunately there is no depiction of the flags in the 1721 MS.

History in the Seven Years War from Susane (my translation):

In 1756 it took the name of Reding and in March 1757 made its way by Liege and Stokheim to the army of Marshal d'Estrées. It was at the battle of Hastenbeck on the 24th July, where Captain Bitner and a lieutenant were wounded. It then went with Marshal Richelieu on his expedition to Hanover. It contributed to the taking of Minden and of Hanover and then rested in the camp of Halberstadt until the 7th October. It then left the army of Richelieu to go to reinforce that of Soubise and thus found itself on the 5th November at the unfortunate battle of Rossbach. There it lost Lieutenant Muller and among the many wounded were captains Reynold, Montaudon, Schatzel and Wiltz,and six lieutenants. Reding served in 1758 under the Count de Clermont. [Susane says that the regiment "was wrecked at the battle of Krefeld on the 23rd June" but curiously Kronskaf does not place it at that battle.] Returning to France, it was put into garrison at Hunungue, where it was able to absorb new recruits. Now renamed Pfiffer, the regiment was in garrison at Colmar at the end of 1762. It went from there to Phalsbourg in May 1763.

And this was the uniform in 1756: