The 10th Hussar Regiment, 1792-1815

D. H. Hagger illustrates and describes two French Napoleonic Hussar Regiments.

By D. H. Hagger

Trooper, 10th Hussar Regt., c. 1808.

On the 2nd November, 1792, a corps of volunteer hussars was raised in the Department du Nord which took the title of Corps Francs des Hussards Noir, also known as Hussards Francs du Nord ou de Jemappes. On the 4th June, 1793 this unit was embodied into the regular army as the 10th Hussars. They served honourably at Wattignes and Fleurus in 1794, with the Army of the Ocean Coasts in 1796, and with the Army of Italy in 1800. In 1801 they were commanded by the celebrated cavalry leader, Lasalle.
    In 1796 the 10th already wore the entirely sky-blue uniform which they retained until the end of the Empire, i.e. sky-blue pelisse with white braid and buttons, trimmed with black fur; sky-blue dolman with scarlet collar and cuffs and white braid and buttons; scarlet waistcoat; sky-blue Hungarian breeches trimmed with white braid; sky-blue riding overalls strapped with black leather and fastened by 18 white metal buttons on each side; a black felt mirleton with a scarlet ″wing″, laced white; and a scarlet sabretache trimmed with white lace. The sheepskin shabraque was edged with scarlet ″wolves-teeth″ and the portmanteau was sky-blue, trimmed with white braid. The head-dress was subject to a number of alterations over the years and the sabretache was exchanged for a plain black leather version bearing a white metal shield with the regimental number thereon. Apart from these minor modifications the aspect of the hussars changed very little. For the officers, of course, the white lace and braid was changed for silver and they were permitted a certain latitude in other directions — boots, for example. Rene Louis illustrates in ″Nos Hussards″ two officers of the regiment in 1803, one of whom is wearing viridian green boots and the other, crimson. Their belts are of crimson leather edged with silver lace.
    From August 10th, 1803, the 10th were with the Corps of Observation of the Gironde, based on Bayonne, and the start of the 1805 campaign found the 10th (now commanded by Colonel Beaumont, replacing Lasalle who had been promoted to general) alongside the 9th Hussars in Treillard′s brigade of Lanne′s 5th Corps. They were at Wertingen, near lngolstadt, where Lannes and Murat overthrew an Austrian corps and took 2,000 prisoners. They were present at the Battle of Ulm and were always with Murat′s advance guard. At the entry into Vienna, Napoleon issued an order of the day commending the service rendered by the 1st, 16th and 22nd Chasseurs and the 9th and 10th Hussars. At Austerlitz the 10th were on the left wing and distinguished themselves against Bagration′s Russians.
    The Prussian campaign of 1806 saw the 10th again in the 5th Corps but Treillard now had a division consisting of the 9th and 10th Hussars and the 21st Chasseurs. At Saalfeld at the very outset of the campaign, Prince Louis of Prussia was killed by a sabre thrust delivered by Marechal-des-Logis Guindé of the 10th. Guindé himself was killed seven years later at the Battle of Hanau, by which time he was a Chef d′Escadron in the Grenadiers a Cheval de la Garde and decorated with the Legion of Honour.
    After the Prussian campaign the 10th remained in cantonments in Silesia for over a year before proceeding to Spain, where they spent the years between 1808 and 1812 brigaded with the 21st Chasseurs, the brigade being commanded by Beauregard in Mortier′s 5th Corps. There they found themselves engaged in convoying supply trains, carrying out reconnaissances and suffering, along with the French Army in general, the ambushes and massacres of isolated soldiers carried out by the vengeful Spanish guerillas in this most savage of campaigns. They were at d′Ocana where they carried out a number of useful charges under General Sebastiani and were present at Badajoz.
    The 10th returned from the disastrous Spanish venture in time to take a full part in the almost equally bloody fighting in Germany during the 1813 campaign against, among others, a Prussia aching to avenge the 1806 debacle. The regiment was with Ney′s 3rd Corps (Beurmann′s brigade) and were present at Lutzen, Bautzen, and Liegnitz where their then colonel, the noted light cavalry leader Curély, was severely wounded. Despite his wounds, Curély and the 10th covered the retreat after the Battle of Katzbach and saved part of the artillery. At Dessau the 10th destroyed a Russian column and took 450 prisoners and they continued to perform valiantly at the battles of Wachau, Leipzig and Hanau.
    1814 and the Campaign of France brought more arduous work for the regiment, noteworthy actions being fought at Rothiere and Chateau-Thiery, where Curély and the 10th defeated 30 Russian squadrons, after which Curély was promoted to the rank of General; a well-earned honour.
    The 1812 pattern standard of the 10th Hussars carried the battle honours Ulm and Austerlitz. Thanks to their long sojourn in Spain between 1808 and 1812 the 10th took part in no other battles commanded by Napoleon in person, which were the only ones inscribed on these standards, but there is no doubt that the regiment had a very distinguished record during the turbulent years of the Republic, Consulate, and First Empire.

Source: p. 171, Military Modelling, March 1977.

Also from the same month: French 6th Hussar Regiment, 1792-1815 by D. H. Hagger
Other 19th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers