Saturday, February 23, 2008


Arquebusiers de Bergerac - The only light infantry in the army de St. Maurice was added to the lists last Summer as Les Arquebusiers de Bergerac. We would like to suggest that the similarity between these gentlemen and their counterparts, the Grassins, is purely coincidental. This is, however, not the case as it is common knowledge that large stores of uniforms and equipment were "liberated" from French military stores at approximately the same time as the unit was organized. There is, in fact no noble family named Bergerac in St. Maurician service, and it is thought the name was derived from the hero of Rostand's famous play. No mean feat as the play will not be published until 1897. While this theory may seem absurd, the battalion's motto ("We have a nose for trouble") may actually lend some credence to the idea.

5 comments:

Fitz-Badger said...

Nice unit and "unit history" :-)

Bluebear Jeff said...

I agree . . . it is almost poetic . . . like a journey to the Moon.


-- Jeff

justMike said...

Ah my Lord Bluebear, well done! You know your Rostand...

freecloud said...

Would love to use this unit as one of my "imagi-nation" units in my 7YW French army, the Corps du Vin:

What was the uniform like in the 7YW period, so I may reproduce them accurately? Did they follow the pattern of the Legion Flandres, or mayhap adopt a red Mirliton instead?

Was there another cache of equipment from the back of a wagon (honest guv?) changing colour entirely?

freecloud said...

PS Corps du Vin:

http://www.btinternet.com/~a.patrick/France7YW.html