Premier Consul Bonaparte orders on may 18th, 1803 to raise four Piedmont’s Legions among former soldiers living in French departments of Italy.
Each legion is planned to comprise five line battalions – of four centre and one grenadiers companies –, two light battalions with same strength and one artillery battery. This strength was however never reached as poor recruitment allowed raising only a single legion of 4000 men at first named Piedmont’s Legion then, from June 30th, 1804, Legion of the South.
In June 1805 1st battalion is sent to Martinique and 2nd to Santo Domingo where they are disbanded in May 1807 and their remaining strength distributed among 5th Light and 37th and 89th Line regiments.
Following this the 3rd and 4th battalions remaining in France are re-titled as 1st and 2nd battalions and take part in the invasion of Portugal in 1807 and in the campaign of 1808. At the beginning of 1810, both war and depot battalions are regrouped in a single war battalion comprising six companies, one grenadiers, one voltigeurs and four fusiliers.
On August 11th, 1811 the Legion is disbanded with the strength remaining in Spain transferred to 31st Line Regiment and those remaining in France and Italy transferred to 11th Light Regiment.
Unit commanders :

• 22 décembre1803: Joseph Chevillard de Marlioz
• 27 janvier 1807: Jean-Pierre Maransin
• 1810-1811 Battalion chief Charles Spring

Main battles:

• 1809 Coruna
• 1810 Busaco
• 1811 Fuentes de Onoro

Fusiliers
Projected uniform 1803

• Long tailed coat of iron grey cloth. Legion coloured collar. Legion coloured shoulder straps. Red squared lapels. Legion coloured cuffs. Grey turnbacks piped red, horizontal or vertical pockets simulated by a red piping. White metal or brass buttons.
• White waistcoat. White kersey breeches. Black high gaiters and black shoes.
• Black felt cocked hat. Red pompon over cockade with white strap.
• White leatherwork.

Uniform 1804-1811
The Legions’ dress is modified to brown cloth with sky blue facings by a decree of July 23rd, 1803, with facing colours initially attributed as before. The sole legion actually raised seems to have worn the dress of 4th Legion thereafter described.

• Short tailed coat of brown cloth. Sky blue collar. Green epaulets with red crescent and fringes. Sky blue lapels. Sky blue cuffs with brown flaps piped blue. White turnbacks piped blue, vertical pockets simulated by a blue piping. Brass buttons.
  Dress seems to have been modified again in 1807-1808 with all green epaulets, all blue cuffs flaps and turnbacks.
• White waistcoat. White kersey breeches. Black high gaiters and black shoes.
• Helmet with black leather skull and brass comb bearing a brass plate stamped with imperial eagle. Green horsehair tuft. Black leather peak and neck guard with brass strengthening. Brass chinscales.
  From 1807-1808, black felt shako with black leather top and bottom band bearing a rhomboid plate stamped with imperial eagle. Green pompon. Black leather peak and brass chinscales.
• White leatherwork. Black leather cartridge pouch and infantry sabre with white strap with green tassel with red fringes.

Grenadiers
Scarlet fringed epaulets. Black fur bearskin bearing a brass plate stamped with a grenade then an eagle. Red cords flounders and plume. Red sabre strap.

Chasseurs of light battalions
Green fringed epaulets with yellow moon.
In first uniform, pointed cuffs, other details as before.
Brown lapels piped blue. Brown kersey breeches. Black felt shako, yellow plume with green top on left side, green cords and flounders.

Voltigeurs
Green fringed epaulets with yellow moon. Green cords and flounders and green plume with yellow top.

NCOs
Troopers’ dress with orange or gold rank laces on both sleeves.

Officers
Troopers’ dress with gold rank epaulets.

Drummers
Troopers’ dress with white lace on collar and lapels and in chevron on both sleeves.

Gunners

• Long tailed coat of dark blue cloth. Scarlet collar piped blue. Scarlet fringed epaulets. Blue squared lapels piped scarlet. Scarlet cuffs with blue flaps piped red. Scarlet turnbacks, vertical pockets simulated by a red piping. Brass buttons.
• Dark blue waistcoat and kersey breeches. Black high gaiters and black shoes.
• Black felt cocked hat. Red dropping plume over cockade with white strap.
• White leatherwork. Black leather cartridge pouch and infantry sabre.

Flag
Each battalion was granted in 1805 with an eagle and a flag of unknown type and motto.