Reggimento Real Corso
The Royal Corsican Regiment (In Italian: Reggimento Real Corso) was a unit that served in the army of the Kingdom of Naples as a light infantry regiment, and was made up of Corsican émigres and volunteers. Going through several changes in organisation and designation, the regiment served with distinction in a variety of theatres during the Napoleonic Wars, until its eventual destruction and disbandment in late 1815.
The regiment was noted to be one of Napoleon's best counterinsurgency units during the Neapolitan Insurgency, seeing extensive service against various brigand and guerilla bands during the conflict. It earned international fame for capturing the infamous brigand Fra Diavolo after a gruelling chase through the mountains. Among its commanders were Joseph Hugo, father of famous French author Victor Hugo, and Nicolas Guye, favourite aide of Joseph Bonaparte.
Formation
The Royal Corsican Regiment was initially formed by decree of Napoleon as the Corsican Legion (In French: Legion Corse). The Legion, set up officially in Livorno in May 1803 from volunteers exempt from military service, was in fact a regiment of light infantry which, following the example of the Royal Corsican Rangers recruited from England among Corsican exiles, was specifically designated for mountain warfare and anti-guerrilla operations.
The original strength of the Corsican Legion was set to 5 battalions - however, in contrast to other French light infantry battalions at the time (each consisting of 7 chasseur companies, one voltigeur, and one carabinier company each), the Corsican battalions only fielded 4 companies of Chasseurs and one of Carabiniers. It is unknown whether the Legion was supplied with any number of sappers or other miscellaneous troops. Upon being raised, the legion’s officers were mostly Corsican, save for the battalion commanders, who were all of Italian origin. Among the regiment’s officers was Camille Guye, who would later become Palace Adjutant to Joachim Murat in Naples, and Leopold-Sigsibert Hugo, father of the famous French writer Victor Hugo. Colonel Leonardo de Giovanni, a veteran of the old Bourbon Corsican regiment and of the Armee d’Italie was appointed commander of the legion in March 1804, together with Major Bernardo Luigi Cattaneo.
Imperial Service
The Legion was ordered to Livorno in 1805 by Napoleon. There, it was reorganised and sent to fight in Lombardy under the command of General Masséna, against the Austrians of Archduke Charles. The Corsicans quickly distinguished themselves, most notably in an action where 50 Corsicans led by Sergeant Maestranti held the barracks of the town of Bassano against an entire brigade led by Generalmajor Prince de Rohan-Guéméné. The Corsicans at Bassano offered such fierce resistance that the Austrian commander thought he was facing an entire enemy regiment and offered the besieged defenders an honourable capitulation, which they promptly accepted. The Austrians were much surprised when only a handful of men marched out of the barracks. Subsequently, the Legion was employed in the blockade of Venice for the rest of the campaign, and hence missed the decisive Battle of Austerlitz later that year.
French Invasion of Naples
In January 1806 the Corsican Legion was transferred to the French Army of Naples, once again being put under the command of the brilliant French marshal André Massena, and set out to take part in the French Invasion of Naples later that year. Initially, the Legion was split, with 4 out of 5 battalions being sent to take part in dull garrison duty in the various strongholds captured by the advancing French. The remaining "chosen" battalion was sent to take part in the Siege of Gaeta, where it suffered considerable losses due to yellow fever outbreaks among the besieging French forces until it was withdrawn by express order of Napoleon himself, who did not consider the Corsicans suitable for siege and trench warfare:
There is no use in putting Corsicans, that is to say new troops, in the trenches. My intention is that you remove them from Gaeta and send them to Calabria, where they will be in their place. We cannot have a siege made by troops more clumsy, and less suited to it than these.
— Napoleon Bonaparte writing to General Masséna, the commander of the besieging force at Gaeta.
On June 30th, Napoleon ordered the legion to be transferred to the Neapolitan Army of King Joseph Bonaparte. This became the first instance of a French unit in foreign service, although this anomaly was partially mitigated by the fact that the Legion was a unit of volunteers not subject to conscription. The transfer from the French war commissariat to the Neapolitan intendancy was signed on 9 July. However, upon reviewing the state of the legion, King Joseph realized the real reason why his brother was so keen to give him the Legion: in fact, he wrote to him on July 11, resentfully, that he had given it to him "naked and behind on three months' worth of pay”.
On August 3rd, the Legion’s original commander, Colonel de Giovanni, died of malaria contracted during the siege of Gaeta. He was promptly replaced by Cattaneo, now promoted to Colonel, but the King recalled him to his court. Therefore, the command of the corps passed first to Lieutenant-Colonel Nicolas-Philippe Guye, and then to Major Hugo, however, this appointment was only made official on February 23rd, 1808, with Hugo’s promotion to Colonel.
Following the French defeat at the Battle of Maida, the Corsicans were widely employed in counter-insurgency operations in Calabria against the rebel forces of Fra Diavolo and served with distinction during the brutal skirmishes to retake key Calabrian towns held by insurgents. The legion also provided a large contingent of its troops to the mobile column under Major Hugo, and it was they who ultimately captured Fra Diavolo himself after many combats and skirmishes in the Campanian mountains. Following this, on January 6, 1807, the legion was redesignated as the Royal Corsican Regiment (Reggimento Real Corso). It was further reorganised as a Light Infantry regiment, consisting of three battalions, each with 4 companies of chasseurs, one of carabiniers and one of voltigeurs.
In Murattian Service
COMING SOON.
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