113th Régiment Allemand du Comte de Saint-Germain, Seven Years’ War, 1757–1760
Lieutenant-général Claude-Louis, comte de Saint-Germain left the army of the Electorate of Bavaria in 1747 and established a German foreign regiment for service in the French army. The 113th Regiment was one battalion strong and fought in the Seven Years‘ War at Hastenbeck, Roßbach, Krefeld, and Minden. Due to intrigues at the French royal court, lieutenant-général de Saint-Germain resigned from the service in 1760. His regiment was incorporated into the Nassau-Sarrebruck Infantry Regiment.
Mestre de camp commandant
- Lieutenant-général Claude-Louis, comte de Saint-Germain, 1747–1760
Uniform
The État militaire de France, pour l’Année 1758 describes the uniform of infantry regiment Saint-Germain as follows: Habit, veste & culotte bleus, parements, collet & doublure jaunes, boutons jaunes des deux côtés sur l‘habit & d‘un côté seulement sur la veste, avec autant de boutonnières, pattes en travers sur l‘habit & la veste garnies de quatre boutons & boutonnières, chapeau bordé d‘or.
Blue coat, waistcoat, and breeches; yellow facings, collar, and lining; yellow buttons on both sides of the coat and on one side only of the waistcoat, with a corresponding number of buttonholes; horizontal pocket flaps on the coat and waistcoat, trimmed with four buttons and buttonholes; hat edged with gold.
Lucien Mouillard, on the other hand, depicts the uniform of the Saint-Germain Infantry Regiment as follows:
- Turquin blue coat with yellow metal buttons
- horizontal coat pockets “en travers” with 3 buttons
- yellow collar
- yellow lapels with 7 buttons right and left, 2 buttons under the left lapel, and corresponding buttonhole laces below the right lapel
- yellow cuffs without buttons
- yellow turnbacks with yellow hearts
- Turquin blue waistcoat with yellow metal buttons
- Turquin blue breeches
- white gaiters with yellow metal buttons
- black tricorne hat with white edging and white cockade of ribbon
- Grenadiers wore beards, and sabres, and from 1759 bearskin caps
Campaign History
- Battle of Hastenbeck, 26 July 1757
- Battle of Roßbach, 5 November 1757
- Battle of Krefeld, 23 June 1758
- Battle of Minden, 1 August 1759
Lineage
- Incorporated into the 89th Regiment Nassau in 1760
Bibliography
- Mollo, John: Uniforms of the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763, plate 29
- Montendre-Longchamps: État militaire de France, pour l’Année 1758 (Paris 1758)
- Mouillard, Lucien: Les régiments sous Louis XV (Paris 1882)
The German foreign regiments of the French army look very dashing in their blue uniforms.