Origin and History
This Irish regiment was raised on June 18 1690 under the name of Mountcashel from Irish soldiers who had followed James II to France.
During the War of the Polish Succession, the regiment served on the Rhine in 1733 and 1735.
During the War of the Austrian Succession, the regiment was initially stationed in Flanders in 1741. From 1743 to 1745, it served on the Rhine. It was supposed to take part in the expedition in Scotland but was finally sent to Flanders from 1746 to 1748.
The regiment counted only 1 battalion.
When the French infantry was reorganised in 1762, the regiment incorporated the disbanded Ogilvy Infanterie on December 21.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment ranked 93rd and was under the command of:
- since August 3 1720 until his death on September 9 1761: Thomond Charles O'Brien, Comte de Clare
- from September 20 1761 to 1775: Vicomte de Thomond
Service during the War
By August 1 1757, the regiment was stationed at Cherbourg in Lower Normandy.
At the beginning of August 1758, the regiment formed part of the French force defending Cherbourg during the second British expedition against the French Coasts. It garrisoned the town with Horion Infanterie.
By May 23 1760, the regiment was part of the first line of the infantry centre of Broglie's Army in Germany. By December 30, the regiment had taken its winter-quarters in Giessen.
In 1761, the regiment was stationed at Marburg.
To do: details of the campaigns from 1761 to 1762.
|Coat||red lined yellow and 1 pewter button on each side at the small of the back
|Waistcoat||red lined white with 2 rows of pewter buttons and white buttonholes on both sides|
Armaments consisted of a musket and a bayonet. Fusiliers carried a sword (brass hilt) while the grenadiers had a sabre.
N.B.: the uniform seems to have changed in 1762 during the general reorganisation. The coat was still red but lined white and with yellow lapels and a yellow shoulder strap.
no information available yet
Drummers wore uniforms similar to those of the privates but with laces on the cuffs and arms of the coat.
- Colonel colour: white field with a white cross; centre device consisting of a golden Irish harp surmounted by a golden crown with the motto In Hoc Signo Vinces; 1 gold crown in each corner.
- Ordonnance colours: red and yellow opposed cantons with a red cross bordered white; centre device consisting of a golden Irish harp surmounted by a golden crown with the motto In Hoc Signo Vinces; 1 gold crown in each canton.
Évrard, P.: Praetiriti Fides
Funcken, Liliane and Fred: Les uniformes de la guerre en dentelle
Menguy, Patrice: Les Sujets du Bien Aimé (a website who has unfortunately disappeared from the web)
Mouillard, Lucien: Les Régiments sous Louis XV, Paris 1882
Pajol, Charles P. V.: Les Guerres sous Louis XV, vol. VII, Paris, 1891, pp. 208
Rogge, Christian: The French & Allied Armies in Germany during the Seven Years War, Frankfurt, 2006
Service historique de l'armée de terre: Sommaire des forces armées Françaises à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de la France - 1er Août 1757
Vial, J. L.: Nec Pluribus Impar
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.