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Foreign Line InfantryOrganisationIn addition to the Spanish Line Infantry regiments, the Spanish army also had a number of Foreign Line Infantry (Infantería Linea Extranjera) regiments. On 1 May 1808 the Foreign Line Infantry consisted of 10 regiments. The Swiss regiments in the service of Spain were numbered according to seniority but were known by their colonel's name; consequently, their designation changed numerous times throughout their history. The regiments are listed below showing their dates of creation:
Irish and NeapolitanThe Irish and Neapolitan regiments have the same 3 battalion composition and strength as the Spanish line regiments. However their actual strengths when war broke out in 1808 was very low. They did appear to have their full complement of officers, but numbers of NCOs and privates was far below the regulation 2256 NCOs and men.
The Neapolitan regiment was formed from citizens of Spain's now lost province. The Irish regiments were originally formed of Irishmen who were seeking the opportunity to praciice freely their religion and, not to a small degree, to fight the English who had fielded an army in Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession. As time wore on the flavour and quality of these regiments waned and they were filled with whatever poor recruits that Spain could find. SwissSince the late Middle Ages, Swiss troops had constituted some of the finest infantry forces in Europe. From the 16th century onwards Swiss mercenary soldiers served regularly in the Spanish army and at the outbreak of the War of Independence they formed a significant group of foreign troops. The six Swiss regiments each consisted of 2 battalions, probably each of 6 companies. Their actual strengths when war broke out in 1808 was as follows:
The Swiss still recruited vigorously in their home provinces so they retained their Swiss flavour and quality, although they did except other recruits. After the 2nd May 1808, the Suizo de Reding No.2 and Suizo de Preux No.6 were forced to join the French. At the battle of Bailen on 19th July 1808, the Suizo de Reding No.3 formed part of Reding's 1st Division and detachments of Suizo de Reding No.2 and Suizo de Preux No.6 formed part of Lapeña's 4th Reverve Division. During the battle, upon seeing their fellow Swiss in the Spanish army, the two regiments that had been forced to join the French defected back to the Spanish. UniformsRegimental Distinctions 1808
Irish and NeapolitanThe cut of the uniform is identical to that of the Line Infantry, differing only in color scheme. The uniform was a light blue long-tailed coat with yellow facings. The collar, cuffs, turnbacks and piping were in the individual regimental colour (see Regimental Distinctions above). Buttons were brass or white metal (pewter). The waistcoat and breeches were white and the gaiters were black. The headgear was a black felt bicorne with the red Spanish cockade and red plume. A light blue forage cap was also issued with piping in yellow. In the field the white breeches could be replaced by trousers, often in the ubiquitous Spanish brown cloth. Sergeants: Throughout the period, sergeants wore the same uniform as the rank and file distinguished by worsted fringed epaulettes in facing colour (yellow); two for the first sergeant and one on the right shoulder for the second sergeants. They had a short sword but were otherwise armed with musket and bayonet. Officers: The officiers' uniform was that of the private but with longer tails and better quality, worn with epaulettes and buttons in gold or silver depending on button colour. They wore white breeches and short walking boots or cuffed boots. Black gaiters were regulation for parades, just as for the troops, but not for field service. Their headgear was a bicorne, somewhat larger than that of their men, with a red plume above the Spanish red cockade. A gold gorget was worn in full dress on parade. Officers could carry either a straight sword or curved sabre. Grenadier officers preferred a curved sabre with a basket hilt. Grenadiers: wore the same basic uniform as the privates. They wore a bearskin grenadier cap with a yellow silk flame. They carried a short sabre and had a brass grenade on their cartridge case. Mustaches were mandatory. Drummers: wore the same uniform as that of the private but piped with red and white Royal Household lace. There is no concrete information regarding the color of the drum shells; they could be made of wood with painted coats of arms or, as Suhr illustrates, of brass with colored hoops. Alternative Drummers: some authors suggest that drummers wore a dark blue coat with red facings, like that of the 1802 line infantry (instead of that of their privates) and piped with red and white Royal Household lace.
SwissThe cut of the uniform is identical to that of the Line Infantry, differing in color scheme and a few minor details (see Regimental Distinctions above). The first five Swiss regiments in Spanish service (Wimpffen, Teodoro Reding, Nazario Reding, Betschart, and Traxler) wore identical uniforms. The uniform of the 6th regiment (Preux) differed from those of the other Swiss regiments by lacking the collar buttonhole detail, having a blue collar instead of a red one, and having a red cuff flap collar instead of a blue one. The uniform was a dark blue long-tailed coat with red facings. The collar, cuffs, turnbacks and piping were in the individual regimental colour (see Regimental Distinctions above). Buttons were white metal (pewter). The waistcoat and breeches were white and the gaiters were black. The headgear was a black felt bicorne with the red Spanish cockade and red plume. A dark blue forage cap was also issued with piping in red. In the field the white breeches could be replaced by trousers, often in the ubiquitous Spanish brown cloth. Notable details that different from the Spanish line regiments include the red Spanish cockade having white detrails (possibly a white border or a white cross) and the pocket flaps vertically along the coat tails, a style known as "à la wallonne". On the collar, they wear a blue buttonhole detail with white piping, secured by a button. Sergeants: Throughout the period, sergeants wore the same uniform as the rank and file distinguished by worsted fringed epaulettes in facing colour (red); two for the first sergeant and one on the right shoulder for the second sergeants. They had a short sword but were otherwise armed with musket and bayonet. Officers: The officiers' uniform was that of the private but with longer tails and better quality, worn with epaulettes and buttons in silver. They wore white breeches and short walking boots or cuffed boots. Black gaiters were regulation for parades, just as for the troops, but not for field service. Their headgear was a bicorne, somewhat larger than that of their men, with a red plume above the Spanish red cockade. A gold gorget was worn in full dress on parade. Officers could carry either a straight sword or curved sabre. Grenadier officers preferred a curved sabre with a basket hilt. Grenadiers: wore the same basic uniform as the privates. They wore a bearskin grenadier cap with a red silk flame. They carried a short sabre and had a brass grenade on their cartridge case. Mustaches were mandatory.
Drummers: wore the same uniform as that of the private but piped with red and white Royal Household lace. There is no concrete information regarding the color of the drum shells; they could be made of wood with painted coats of arms or, as Suhr illustrates, of brass with colored hoops.
FlagsPrior to 1802 a battalion carried two 1762 pattern colours: one Coronela and and one Sencilla. The Royal Decree of 1802 set the number of flags to one per infantry battalion. From that time on, the 1st battalions carried a Coronela and the 2nd & 3rd battalions carried a Sencilla. The Coronela had the royal coat of arms on a field of white. The obverse (or front, when the stave is to the left) had the royal coat of arms shown normally while the reverse (or rear, when the stave is to the right) had the royal coat of arms reversed. It usually had the regimental coats of arms in its four corners, but the Swiss regiments were without. For the Irish and Neapolitan regiments, the Sencilla had the red cross of Burgundy on a field of white with the regimental coats of arms at the end of each arm of the cross. The Irish regiments had a blur shield waith a golden harp and the Neapolitan regiment had a sky blue shield with a black horse. The Swiss regiments, had a Sencilla of a completely different pattern; either the cross of Burgundy, a white Maltese cross or red cross of St George on a background of different coloured flames. The ribbons (corbatas) that typically adorned the flags were usually a deep crimson-red, and the flagpole might be covered in crimson velvet and gold. Sources
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