1st Swiss Regiment

The 1st Swiss Regiment is raised by decree of March 15, 1805. its 1st and 2nd are formed using the remnants of the 3rd Helvetian Half-brigade, the 3rd battalion with 1st Half-brigade and the 4th battalion using the 2nd Half-brigade.
Regiment is at first posted in the Army of Italy. Its 4th battalion is detached to the Army of Naples at the beginning of 1806, joined there by the whole regiment at the end of the year.
The 1st Swiss Regiment leaves Italy to Strasbourg at the end of 1811 and joins to the Grande Armée in March 1812. it takes part in the Russian campaign in the Oudinot 2nd Army Corps.
In 1813 Regiment is reduced to a single war battalion that takes part in the fights around Bremen and is then dispersed in garrisons in Netherland.

Unit commanders

• 1805 : André Raguettly
• 1813 : Rodolphe Real de Chapelle

Battles

• 1805 : Trafalgar, Castel-Franco
• 1806 : Maida
• 1809 : Capri
• 1812 : Polotsk(août), Polotsk(octobre), la Bérézina

Standards
When created, the Regiment keeps the flags of the Helvetian Half-brigades.
It is granted in 1805 with four eagles and flags of the 1804 Challiot type bearing the following inscriptions:

on the obverse

on the reverse.
In 1808, the number of eagles is reduced to one for whole regiment. The 1st Swiss Regiment did not receive a flag of the 1812 type.

Fusiliers

• Long tailed french cut coat of light red cloth. Yellow collar piped sky blue. Light red shoulder straps piped sky blue. Yellow squared lapels piped sky blue. Yellow cuffs piped sky blue with red flaps (rectangular with three buttons) piped sky blue. White turnbacks piped sky blue bearing red five pointed stars or eagles patches. Vertical pockets simulated by sky blue piping. Brass buttons.
  From 1813 short tailed coat with closed lapels of light red cloth Yellow collar piped red. Light red shoulder straps piped yellow. Yellow squared lapels. Yellow cuffs with red flaps. White turnbacks bearing yellow crowned N patches. Vertical pockets simulated by yellow piping. Brass buttons.
• White waistcoat and breeches. High white gaiters in full dress, black in campaign dress, replaced in 1813 by short black gaiters in all dresses. Black shoes.
• Black felt shako with black leather top and base band and side V, bearing a brass rhomboid plate stamped with an eagle. Company coloured ball pompon over french tricolour cockade with white strap. White cords and flounders. Black leather peak and brass chinscales.
  From 1813 brass eagle with base plate stamped with regimental number.
• White leatherwork. Black leather cartridge pouch. Infantry sabre with brass single bar hilt and black leather scabbard with brass fittings and white sabre strap.

Grenadiers
Troopers’ dress with white wool epaulets with red crescent and red grenade patches on turnbacks.
Black fur bearskin with red cloth patch, bearing a brass plate stamped with a grenade. White cords and flounders and scarlet plume.
Scarlet sabre strap.

Voltigeurs
Troopers’ dress with green wool epaulets with yellow crescent and green hunting horns patches on turnbacks..
Green cords and flounders, green ball pompon and green plume with yellow top.
Green sabre strap, sometimes with yellow tassel.

NCOs
Troopers’ dress with orange yellow or gold rank stripes on both arms. For sergeants, gold lace around shako top and cords and sabre strap entwined with gold thread.

Officers
Troopers’ dress with gold or gilded rank insignias (epaulets, lace around shako top). Gold thread cords and flounders and for staff officers white plume.
For mounted officers, light red schabraque with gold lace.

Drummers and hornists
Troopers’ dress in dark blue cloth bearing companies insignias. Orange yellow lace trim to collar, maples and cuffs. For fusiliers’ drummers, light red cloth swallow’s nest trim with orange yellow lace.

Sappers
Grenadiers’ dress with sapper’s insignias (grenade over crossed axes) in white cloth on both arms. Whitened leather apron and sapper’s axe.

Musicians
Drummers’ dress with gold lace trims and gold trefoiled epaulets on both shoulders. Black leather boots. White plume and pompon.

Regimental artillery
Grenadiers’ dress in dark blue cloth with scarlet wool epaulets. Shako with red cords flounders and plume.