Colonel Nicolas-Pierre, le Chevalier d’Origny, 1735–1761
Nicolas-Pierre d’Origny, known as Chevalier d’Origny, became ensign of the Regiment Champagne in 1755, Lieutenant in 1756, Aide-Major and Capitaine on 13 January 1759; Lieutenant-Colonel and commanding officer of the Chasseurs de Turpin, in February 1760, and Chevalier of the order of Saint-Louis the following August. In the course of the Seven Years’ War he defeated the enemy on several occasions, capturing their outposts, artillery, and convois; taking a great number of prisoners; on 25 March 1761 he forced a battalion of the Légion Britannique and a squadron, which occupied Waldeck Castle, to surrender: during the parley he was wounded by a musket shot; and the King, upon the news of this action, made him colonel; but he died of his wound the following 1 April, aged 25 years, 2 months and 13 days, and was buried in the lutheran church of Waldeck by the priest of Naumburg (Hesse).
Source: Dictionnaire de la Noblesse, Tome XI. (Paris 1776)
Nicolas-Pierre d’Origny, ensign, at the age of 19, in the Regiment Champagne, served with great distinction in the Seven Years’ War, as commanding officer of a corps of voltigeurs, and received a musket shot near the walls of Waldeck Castle, at the moment when he was coming forward, without suspicion, to enforce the convention concluded with the Légion Britannique. He died of that wound on 1st April 1761 and was buried in the main church of Waldeck, with an epitaph reported in the Essay on the Great Men of the Champagne. We find the praise of this young warrior at the end of the preface to “l’Égypte ancienne”, published by his uncle Pierre-Adam d’Origny.
Source: Biographie Universelle, Ancienne et Moderne, tome 32 (Paris, 1822)
Campaign of 1760
On 19th July 1760 the Sieur d’Origny, Lieutenant-Colonel of the foot chasseurs, in the entourage of the regiment Berchiny [sic], was detached with 200 infantry and 50 hussars to observe the movement of the enemy between Lippstadt and Paderborn.
On 21st July he attacked 300 Hanoverian chasseurs at Salzkotten, a village in front of a camp which the enemy maintained at Hörste (Lippstadt). He surprised them, took 60 prisoners, among them two officers; with the exception of a hundred mounted chasseurs who saved themselves, they were all taken prisoner or killed. The Sr. d’Origny only lost three men during this expedition, one was killed and two wounded. He rejoined the army with his detachment, his prisoners, an artillery piece, which he had taken from the enemy, and several baggage and munitions wagons.
On 18th March 1761 the Chevalier d’Origny, commanding the Chasseurs de Turpin, was deployed at Gladenbach.
Source: Journal de la Campagne de 1760 (Francfort 1761)