Freicorps - Hainaut

Inhaber
1757 Thiersaint, 1763 Auguste

Unit History
The unit was created in March 25, 1757 through the disbandment of the Flanders Volunteers. The unit was a mix of fusiliers and dragoons. The Volunteers of Hainaut were composed of the 2nd brigade (ex-Grassin) and half of the 1st brigade (Breton ex-vol.). In 1757 there were 420 men which grew to 600 by February 1758 and finally to 950 by November 1759.
The corps was first present at Hastenbeck where they fulfilled their role which was to act as a light force that screened the regular force from the enemy. They then participated in the surprise attack on Harbourg where it captured hundreds of enemy soldiers and several flags. Later in March 1758, the corps surrendered along with the rest of the garrison at Minden after a stubborn resistance.
Re-raised by Thomas-Auguste de Grandmaison, the later author of ‘La Petite Guerre’ (a book on partisan warfare), the corps was again deployed in Germany to fight at Bork, Minden, Mardorf, Nordecken, and Langhaus in 1759. In 1760 the corps rescued the Bercheny Hussars in a skirmish and briefly captured Minden. In August 1761, the corps captured infantry of the Prussian Freicorps Gerschray at Nordhausen.
In December 1762, the Volunteers d Austrasy were incorporated into the unit which then was named the Légion d’Hainaut on March 1, 1763. Later in 1768 the unit was renamed the Légion de Lorraine before being disbanded 1776.

Comments
Work in progress. The figures shown are dismounted dragoons who are acting as fusiliers. The usual fusiliers would have had a tricorne edged in the button color but with an excess of figures with the dragoon style helmet I adopted some minor poetic license. The flag for the fusiliers is shown above. The dragoons wore the Schomberg style helmet and had a banner as show below.

Sources
Flag: Nec Pluribus Impar site at http://vial.jean.free.fr/new_npi/index.htm
Text: Nec Pluribus Impar site at http://vial.jean.free.fr/new_npi/index.htm