All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one reenactor in his time plays many parts. At first, the recrue, with his borrowed uniform and shining morning face, creeping like snail semi-willingly to drill. Then, the experienced soldat, full of strange oaths, … Continue reading Le Soldat Mécontent?
A sentry passes the time by dreaming of colder climates than Saint-Domingue…
Photo by kind permission of JackProphotographypicture
Portez vos armes!
As illustrated here in this wonderful photo captured by Daz's Photography, French soldats only ever carried their muskets on their left shoulder, whether at the "portez" or "au bras" positions. By contrast, a French Officer or "bas Officier", a supernumerary NCO such as a sergent or a caporal acting as a sergent, always carried their … Continue reading Portez vos armes!
Avoncroft International Living History Festival
What a weekend! An unexpectedly warm time at Avoncroft Museum with Redcoats and Revolutionaries saw our soldats busy with drill, speaking to the public, and some work on an exciting media collaboration (more on that later this year). We even got to introduce our newest recrue to the wonderful world of le Gatinois at his … Continue reading Avoncroft International Living History Festival
On this day…a Royal wedding!
On this day, in 1770, Louis XVI marries Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria in a proxy ceremony. They would not meet in person until 14th May. Pictured is a contemporary illustration of the wedding ceremony which took place on 16th May - with them both in attendance. And *absolutely nothing else* of importance happened on … Continue reading On this day…a Royal wedding!
Learning on the job?
One aspect of the #RevWar which often receives less than its fair share of attention is training - specifically, officer training. European nations throughout the #18thcentury were beginning to warm to the idea of preparing their general for the job before actually sending them into the field, and one way of helping them to learn … Continue reading Learning on the job?
Marching on with more equipment
Now whilst it may be fair to say an army marches on its stomach, crucially it actually marches on its feet! Information about French army footwear in this period is "helpfully" vague and, as with many other issues, the first time any official standard was set was during the reforms of the late-1780s. We therefore … Continue reading Marching on with more equipment
Présentez la baïonnette!
Photo by kind permission of Jack Langsdon
Chapeaux Update
Another example of us continuing to learn and improve. After we posted about our 1779 chapeaux, historian Dr Robert Selig was able to provide us with some new information from the journal of Jean-Baptiste Dupleix de Cadignan. As Lt.-Col. of le Régiment de Agenois, Dupleix noted that, in August 1779, the regiments stationed in Saint-Domingue … Continue reading Chapeaux Update
AGM and Training 2025
We had our AGM this weekend, with a few fun notices coming soon! In the meantime we thought you'd like to see how even the smallest space can be used to work on the essentials of l’Ecole de Soldat (the school of the soldier). Marching is a difficult art for those of us in the … Continue reading AGM and Training 2025
Le Régiment Gatinois 