Schomberg Dragons
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Origin and History
The regiment was formed by the Maréchal de Saxe on March 30, 1743 under the name of “Volontaires de Saxe”. It initially consisted of 6 brigades each of 80 uhlans and 80 pacolets (dragoons) as a traditional Polish uhlan pulk where the pacolets served as valets for the uhlans. Thus, the front rank consisted of lancers and the rear rank of dragoons.
During the War of the Austrian Succession, in 1743 and 1744, the unit took part in the expeditions of Swabia and Bavaria. From 1745 to 1748, it then took part in the campaigns of Flanders.
In 1749, after the war, the unit assumed the role of Palace Guard for the Maréchal de Saxe at the Castle of Chambord.
On November 30, 1750, after the death of the Maréchal de Saxe, the uhlans were disbanded and the dragoons became the “Volontaires de Friesen”. On June 22, 1755, the unit was renamed once more and became known as the “Volontaires de Schomberg”. It now consisted of 6 brigades of 80 dragoons for a total of 480 men.
In 1756, the regiment counted 3 squadrons and ranked among the light troops.
On February 1, 1762, an ordonnance transformed the unit into a dragoon regiment who ranked 17th. The new regiment was known as the “Dragons de Schomberg”. On April 1 of the same year, it was increased to 4 squadrons .
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was under the command of:
- from April 11, 1755: Comte de Schomberg
- from January 1, 1762 until January 23, 1772: Comte de Donnezan
Service during the War
By August 1, 1757, the unit was garrisoning Voiron in Dauphiné.
On March 6, 1759, during the Allied spring offensive in Western Germany, the Duc de Broglie advanced 3 dragoon rgts to support the Volontaires de Schomberg who had taken position at Neuhof, about 24 km from Steinau. Broglie also sent 1 cavalry rgt between Hanau and the quarters of Apchon Dragons to cover Schomberg's retreat. In June, at the beginning of the French offensive in Western Germany, the Volontaires de Schomberg were part of the “Right Reserve” under the command of the Duc de Broglie who had taken position at Friedberg in Hesse. On June 9, the Volontaires de Schomberg reached Obermöllrich and Niedermöllrich on the Eder. On the evening of July 8, they accompanied Broglie in his raid on Minden. On August 1, the Volontaires de Schomberg took part in the Battle of Minden where they were attached to Broglie's Corps. They were probably deployed on the far bank of the Weser watching Luckner's detachment.
| Voices from the Past |
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| On July 26, 1760, the Allies retire from Istha |
By May 23, 1760, the regiment was part of the centre vanguard of Broglie's Army. M. de Stainville left Dingelstädt with the Volontaires de Schomberg, Bercheny Hussards and Royal-Nassau Hussards and marched towards Halberstadt. From October 15 to 24, Stainville scoured the Hanoverian countryside before returning to Heiligenstadt (present-day Heilbad Heiligenstadt). On November 19, the unit was part of M. de Stainville's Corps who retired from Eschwege to Eisenach to cover the establishment of the Saxon Contingent on the Upper Werra. By December 30, the regiment had taken up its winter-quarters in Gotha.
By February 9, 1761, the unit was attached to the army of the Duc de Broglie, and was deployed in the region of Frankfurt and Hanau. On February 15, it took part in the Combat of Langensalza where it was deployed along the left bank of the Gera from Tottleben to Gebesee. On March 21, it fought in the Engagement of Grünberg. By mid-April, it was in the area of Limburg, Weilburg, Alzey, Karlstadt am Main. On July 5, it reached Soest along with the Volontaires d'Austrasie.
By March 1762, for the campaign in Western Germany, the regiment was attached to the Army of the Upper Rhine under the Prince de Soubise. On August 30, it took part in the Combat of Nauheim where it reinforced the French left wing. On November 20, Louis XV issued his instructions regarding the French armies serving in Germany, specifying which units should return to France right away and which should stay in Germany till the final evacuation. The regiment was among those which remained in Germany.
Uniform
Although the regiment counted dragoons and uhlans during the War of the Austrian Succession, the uhlans were disbanded in 1750. Indeed, no mention is made of these uhlans in the various Etats militaires after this date.
1753 (Volontaires de Schomberg)
Troopers
| Headgear | crested brass helmet trimmed with seal fur; with 2 brass rosettes; black horsehair tail | ||||||||||||
| Neck stock | black cravate (red as per Raspe) | ||||||||||||
| Coat | dark green lined scarlet with white buttons and with a white button on each side in the small of the back
| ||||||||||||
| Gloves | buff | ||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | buff leather fastened with hooks and eyes and edged with 2 scarlet braids | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | buff leather | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
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| Horse Furniture |
|
Troopers were armed with a musket, a bayonet (always fixed to the musket), 2 pistols and a sabre.
Officers
The uniforms of the officers were similar to those of the troopers with the following differences:
- black tricone laced gold
- black cravate
- the coat was made of Elbeuf woollen cloth (or of a woollen cloth of identical quality) and had a golden aiguillette on the right shoulder
- linings were made of woollen cloth as well
- dark green waistcoat with yellow buttons (no lace)
Officers were also armed with a musket and a bayonet and carried a cartridge pouch containing 6 cartridges. This musket was shorter than the muskets carried by troopers.
Musicians
no information available
1758 (Volontaires de Schomberg)
Troopers
| Headgear | crested brass helmet trimmed with seal fur; with 2 brass rosettes; black horsehair tail | ||||||||||||
| Neck stock | black cravate (red as per Raspe) | ||||||||||||
| Coat | dark green lined scarlet with white buttons and with a white button on each side in the small of the back
| ||||||||||||
| Gloves | buff | ||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | buff leather fastened with hooks and eyes and edged with the regimental lace : a red braid decorated with 2 white stripes | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | buff leather | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
| ||||||||||||
| Horse Furniture |
|
Troopers were armed with a musket, a bayonet (always fixed to the musket), 2 pistols and a sabre.
Officers
The uniforms of the officers were similar to those of the troopers with the following differences:
- black tricone laced gold
- black cravate
- the coat was made of Elbeuf woollen cloth (or of a woollen cloth of identical quality) and had a golden aiguillette on the right shoulder
- linings were made of woollen cloth as well
- dark green waistcoat with yellow buttons (no lace)
Officers were also armed with a musket and a bayonet and carried a cartridge pouch containing 6 cartridges. This musket was shorter than the muskets carried by troopers.
Musicians
no information available
1762 (Schomberg Dragons)
Troopers
| Headgear | crested brass helmet trimmed with seal fur; with 2 brass rosettes; black horsehair tail | ||||||||||||
| Neck stock | black cravate (red as per Raspe) | ||||||||||||
| Coat | dark green lined scarlet with white buttons and with a white button on each side in the small of the back
| ||||||||||||
| Gloves | buff | ||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | buff leather fastened with hooks and eyes and edged with 2 scarlet braids | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | buff leather | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
| ||||||||||||
| Horse Furniture |
|
Troopers were armed with a musket, a bayonet (always fixed to the musket), 2 pistols and a sabre.
Officers
The uniforms of the officers were similar to those of the troopers with the following differences:
- black tricone laced gold
- black cravate
- the coat was made of Elbeuf woollen cloth (or of a woollen cloth of identical quality) and had a golden aiguillette on the right shoulder
- linings were made of woollen cloth as well
- dark green waistcoat with yellow buttons (no lace)
Officers were also armed with a musket and a bayonet and carried a cartridge pouch containing 6 cartridges. This musket was shorter than the muskets carried by troopers.
Musicians
no information available
Guidons
Regimental guidons for the Volontaires de Schomberg (ex Volontaires de saxe), before 1762 (silken swallow-tailed guidons): red field bordered, embroidered and fringed in gold, a golden royal sun with the royal motto “Nec Pluribus Impar” in gold.
Regimental guidons for the dragons de Schomberg in 1762 (silken swallow-tailed guidons):
- obverse: blue field; centre device consisting of a golden royal sun surmounted by a red scroll bearing the motto “NEC PLURIBUS IMPAR”
- reverse: red field; centre device consisting of the arms of Schomberg with a vertical scroll bearing the motto “MENTE MAGNIFICAT”
References
This article is mostly a translation of the following books which are now in the public domain::
- Pajol, Charles P. V.: Les Guerres sous Louis XV, vol. VII, Paris, 1891, p. 437
Other sources
Le Bivouac - Amicale des collectionneurs de figurines historiques Provence Côte d'Azur
Funcken, Liliane and Fred: Les uniformes de la guerre en dentelle
Linienblatt, David: Not By Appointment – Schomberg Dragoons
Menguy, Patrice: Les Sujets du Bien Aimé (a website who has unfortunately disappeared from the web)
Raspe, Gabriel Nicolas: Recueil de toutes les troupes qui forment les armées françoises, Nuremberg 1761
Raspe, Gabriel Nicolas: Recueil de toutes les troupes qui forment les armées françoises, Nuremberg 1762
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
N.B.: the section Service during the War is partly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
