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Nassau battalion at Almanza 1707
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:14 am
by Eugenio von Savoy
Hi chaps
I'm looking for help with this unit please. It served in Breton's brigade at the battle alongside three British units; Bowles', Breton's and Portmore's. It is recorded as being comprised of Germans but I suspect they may have been Huguenots.
I cannot find details of their uniforms or the battalion colours. Any assistance would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Tim
Re: Nassau battalion at Almanza 1707
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:37 pm
by danschorr
The Nassau regiment you are looking for is not a German regiment. It is a Huguenot regiment in English service raised by H. de Nassau Auverquerque (Count Nassau), 1st Earl of Grantham. The regiment was raised in 1706. To my knowledge, there is no uniform or flag information known for this unit. Perhaps Wienand or Graf Bretlach can provide more information.
Re: Nassau battalion at Almanza 1707
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 12:29 am
by Graf Bretlach
Thank you Dan but I don't have any info to hand, maybe something in one of my books somewhere.
Re: Nassau battalion at Almanza 1707
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 10:59 pm
by Eugenio von Savoy
Thanks for that Dan.
As much as I thought. All information is useful on this one.
Sadly a very under recorded event.
Regards
Tim
Re: Nassau battalion at Almanza 1707
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 3:29 pm
by wdrenth
hi Tim,
Only info I have is that the regiment numbered 422 men prior to the battle. Five officers were killed, and 16 other officers were taken prisoners together with 217 other ranks. Number of other ranks killed is unknown.
The regiment itself was discontinued early 1708, in order to free funds for the prisoners taken in that battle. Though half-pay was granted to officers after their release, the regiment was never officially reduced and did not appear in any precedence lists.
The colonel of the regiment was Frans van Nassau-Ouwerkerk, brother to the 1st Earl of Grantham. In English, Ouwerkerk is usually written as Overkirk, in French as Auverquerque. The regiment was indeed a Huguenot one. Though the colonel was not a Huguenot, most of the officers were and were drawn from the Irish Pensioners list. It was raised, together with a handful of other Huguenot regiments, for a planned descent on the French coast in support of a Huguenot rising in the Cevennes. Better known as Lord Rivers' expedition. This never materialized, and the regiments ended up in Spain.
Frans van Nassau was to meet his death in the battle of Almenar in July 1710, as colonel of a regiment of dragoons.
kind regards,
Wienand