The Régiment de Guyenne was a French Army infantry regiment in the 18th century. It is principally known for its role in the Seven Years' War, when it served in the North American theatre. It recruited from the Bordeaux region of France.
The Guyenne Regiment (le Régiment de Guyenne) was one of several regiments of the French regular army that were stationed in New France (Canada and the Mississippi River Valley) during the French and Indian War (1754-1761). While American histories refer to the fighting that began in 1754 as the French and Indian War, Canadian and European histories usually treat the final contest for control of the North American continent as beginning in 1756, with the opening of the Seven Years' War. French Canadians refer to it as La guerre de la conquête (the war of the conquest)
The regiment sailed from the port of Brest, France on 3 May 1755 aboard the French Navy vessel Illustre, as a part of the convoy of nine naval vessels that carried General Montcalm to Canada. (The other vessels were: Actif, Algonquin, Dauphin Royal, Deffenseur, Esperance, Fleur de Lys, Leopard and Opiniatre). The Guyenne regiment was active from the arrival of the convoy at Québec, on 23 June 1755, until 8 Sep 1760 when the articles of capitulation were signed at Montreal.
Upon arriving they were sent to Fort Frontenac and then to Fort Niagara. In February 1756, some of the soldiers participated in the taking of Fort Bull, cutting the communication between Lake George and Fort Oswego. The regiment participated in many battles: that of Fort Oswego in August 1756 and that of William Henry in 1757. The regiment fought at the Battle of Carillon in 1758, and spent the rest of the year and winter at Fort Carillon. In March 1759, part of the regiment was sent to Fort Niagara, some others at Isle aux Noix, and the remainder of the regiment towards Quebec City to defend the city. They took part at the battle of Montmorency, that of the Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759 (placed at the centre of the attacking lines), and the Battle of Sainte-Foy in 1760.
They were encamped at Fort Frontenac at the end of June, 1756 and formed a part of the force under Montcalm that laid siege to Fort Chouaguen (Fort Oswego) and overwhelmed the British forces there in August of the same year. They fought at Oswego, Fort William Henry, Carillon (Ticonderoga), Montmorency Falls, Plains of Abraham, Fort Niagara, Sainte Foy and the surrender of Montreal.
At Ticonderoga, where a force of 3,800 Frenchmen defeated 15,000 British soldiers, the Royal Rousillon and Guyenne regiments took the center of the line, where General Montcalm himself was posted. According to the Journal of Military Operations Before Montreal, "the attack and defense were sustained with incredible valor and the loss of the enemy [British] forces was estimated at five or six thousand men killed or wounded; and ours [the French] at 300, including 38 officers. The Marquis de Montcalm had wine and beer conveyed to the field of battle, to refresh the troops who stood in great need of it; he and Chevalier de Lévis passed in front of all the battalions and expressed how pleased they felt at their conduct." When the Treaty of Paris at last brought the Seven Years' War to a close in 1763, the British flag waved over almost the whole of eastern North America.
The uniform of the regiment was a bit like that of the Régiment de la Reine: a white-grey coat with red reversed sleeves with three ornate buttons: red vest, white-grey pants; black shoes with metallic buckles. However, contrary to La Reine, the tricorne was black felt with a gold galon.
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