Osprey Men-at-Arms 302 : Louis XV's Army (2) : French Infantry

In Louis XV's army the classification of 'French' infantry denoted troops recruited from men born and raised in France. These regiments were called, naturally enough, infanterie francaise as opposed to the mercenary 'foreign' infantry recruited elsewhere from the other nationalities. In the French infantry, which made up the bulk of the army, all officers and men were to be of the Roman Catholic faith, the official state religion. Regimental recruiting parties went to towns and villages looking for likely young volunteers, inducing them to enlist with the usual promises - quick money, fast women, good wines and great glory. The enlistment period was for six to eight years but release from service might not be respected in the unit was short of men. Officers were generally from a fairly humble background, most having come from provincial noble families which, as brave and loyal as they were, had little money or influence. Serving as officers in the army was their one chance to gain some glory - and a decent pension if they lived to retire. Here René Chartrand investigates the uniforms of the French infantry in a text accompanied by numerous illustrations including eight full page colour plates by Eugène Lelièpvre.

Contents

• Introduction
• The Royal Guard Infantry
• Uniforms
• Infantry Regiments 1720-1763
• Metropolitan Units Sent Overseas
• Post-1762 Reforms
• Militia
• Colours
• Liveries for Musicians
• Select Bibliography
• The Plates