Royal Deux-Ponts Regiment

The Régiment Royal Deux-Ponts, (Zweibrücken/Two Bridges) was a German-French infantry regiment created under the Ancien Regime in 1757. The regiment was raised on April 1, 1757 by the duc de Deux-Ponts (Herzogtum Zweibrücken) in his estates as well as in Alsatian bailiwicks. This family owned the Petite-Pierre county, the bailiwicks of Bischwiller, Guttemberg, Seltz and Hagenbach. Outside France, it also owned the bailiwicks of Neucastel, Barbelroth, Cleeburg and Weylenbourg in Alsace.

The regiment initially counted 2 battalions but was soon increased to 3 battalions.

In February 1758, the regiment was increased to 4 battalions.

On January 18, 1760, when the German Infantry was reorganised, the regiment was reduced back to its original strength.

Commanded by Baron de Clozen in 1758. from February 20, 1761 to February 21, 1765: baron de Scheidt [edit] Service during the 7 Years War: Somewhere between August 23 and September 6, 1757, the joined the Army of Saxony, led by Soubise, in the area of Erfurt and Eisenach. Soubise considered the regiment as being of a particularly bad quality. On September 27, it was brigaded with Royal Roussillon Infanterie in the first line of the left wing of the Franco-Imperial Army. On November 5, the regiment was at the battle of Rossbach where it was still brigaded with the Royal Roussillon Infanterie in the first line of the centre. At the end of the year, it took its winter quarters on the Kinzig River in Hessen.

At the end of January 1758, the regiment was assigned to the army that Louis XV planned to send to Bohemia for joint operations with the Austrian Army. However, when Ferdinand of Brunswick launched his surprise offensive in West Germany, the regiment retreated towards Düsseldorf and Deutz with the bulk of Broglie's army. It passed the Rhine on April 3 and 4. In the first days of June, Soubise's army assembled near Friedberg in Hesse for an offensive in Hesse, the regiment was part of a detachment under the command of Broglie who followed up Ysenburg during his retreat. On July 23, 1758, the regiment took part to the battle of Sandershausen where one of its battalion was placed in the first line of the centre to support Royal Bavière Infanterie, while another battalion guarded the defiles at Sandershausen and the two remaining battalions guarded the town of Kassel. Three of its grenadier companies fought against the Hessian occupying the Ellenbach woods on the French right wing.

On April 13, 1759, the regiment took part to the battle of Bergen where it was part of the troops occupying the town of Berge.

In 1761, the regiment was at Frankfurt am Main.

In 1762, the regiment served in Western Germany.

Kronoskaf: http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=Royal_Deux-Ponts_Infanterie

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In the time of the American War of Independence, the Regt was commanded by Comte Christian de Forbach (son of Christian IV, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, deputy commander was his brother Philippe Guillaume (later renamed to Wilhelm), but due to their mother's forthcome not their father's successors) and was one of the four regiments that arrived at Newport with Rochambeau in 1780 and went on to participate in the Battle of Yorktown on the side of the Americans in 1781.

The "Royal Regiment of Two Bridges", commanded by the Comte Christian de Forbach, was part of the Expédition Particulière (French Expeditionary Force) that was sent to the United States to help it fight for its independence. Many of the soldiers came from the region around the city of Zweibrücken (German for "Two Bridges", deux ponts), an independent duchy within the Holy Roman Empire whose territories are now parts of Germany or France.