Garde Impériale 54e

It was formed in 1657 during the Ancien Régime as the régiment Mazarin-Catalans, being renamed the régiment Royal Catalan in 1661 then the régiment Royal Roussillon in 1667. Its first battalion fought in the French and Indian War from 1756 to 1761 in Canada under the command of général Louis-Joseph de Saint-Veran, Marquis de Montcalm, with M. de Sennezergue as its colonel. It fought at the Battle of Fort William Henry and at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham - at the latter it was broken and forced to flee by steady fire from the British 35th Foot, whose members are traditionally held to have picked up the 54th's plumes and placed them in their own headdress (the Roussillon Plume being formally incorporated into the badge of the 35th Foot in 1881). A second battalion of the Royal Roussillon served in Germany (1756-1762). In 1756, the 54th Infantry Regiment's uniform was white with blue facings, five gilded buttons for the linings and 3 buttons on each pocket.


Revolution and First EmpireIn 1791, just before the French Revolution, it lost its royal title and first became the 54th Line Infantry Regiment, then in 1793 the 54e demi-brigade de bataille (consisting of the 1st Puy-de-Dôme Volunteers’ Battalion and the 1st Indre Volunteers’ Battalion). From 1796 it was made up of the 43e demi-brigade de bataille (itself made up of 1st battalion of the 22nd Line Infantry Regiment, 4th Seine-et-Oise Volunteers’ Battalion, and the 3rd Lot Volunteers’ Battalion). In 1803 it reverted to its title of 54th Line Infantry Regiment. Distinguished at Barossa and led the assault on Le Haye sainte at Waterloo. Between 1804 and 1815 it lost 23 officers killed, 89 wounded and 14 died of wounds. During this period it fought at:

1792 : battle of Valmy and battle of Jemmapes.
1793 : Kaiserlautern.
1794 : Mainz - Battle of Mainz.
1799 : battle of Bergen, battle of Alkmaar.
1800 : battle of Hohenlinden.
1805 : battle of Dürenstein and battle of Austerlitz.
1806 : Crewitz and Lubeck .
1807 : Battle of Ostrołęka and battle of Friedland.
1808 : Espinosa and Somo-Sierra .
1809 : battle of Essling, battle of Wagram, and battle of Talevera-de-la-Reyna .
1810 : Saint-Louis .
1811 : Barossa/Chiclana, battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, and Zujar.
1812 : Tarifa and Cadiz.
1813 : Oignon, battle of Vitoria, Col de Maya, battle of Dresden, battle of Leipzig, and Danzig.
1814 : battle of Bar-sur-Aube, Fère-Champenoise, and Maestricht.
1815 : battle of Waterloo.

Owner the Regiment: Hadaki
Second Command: N/A

6 Regimental Unit Compagnies of this Regiment.