The Regiment de Meuron was a Swiss infantry regiment, formed in 1781 under the command of Charles Daniel de Meuron, and originally employed as mercenaries by the Dutch East India Company in Ceylon. In 1799 the regiment entered the service of the British Army, and in that capacity participated in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War and in Mediterranean campaigns during the Napoleonic Wars before being posted to Canada. The regiment that arrived at Fort Chambly in 1813 was described as having "a most respectable appearance." The soldiers were "healthy, effective and fit for service. The arms and appointments in excellent order. Their winter clothing good and compleat. Their style of marching order good--their packs and blankets well put on."
For the Plattsburgh campaign of September 1814, De Meuron's Regiment joined forces with two other regiments of foot and the Canadian Voltigeurs to form the 2nd Brigade under Major General Thomas Brisbane. The historic marker at the site of Abraham Vantine's farm, where the regiment camped, states that the troops never made it to Plattsburgh, but this is not quite true. While about half of De Meuron's Regiment did stay in Chazy to provide defense, the other half continued south and were on the outskirts of "Platzbourg" (as the Swiss officers called it) on September 6. General Sir George Prevost's plan was for Brisbane's brigade to provide a diversion at the bridge over the Saranac River while a second contingent of troops crossed the river further upstream to attack the American fortifications from the rear. Meuron's Regiment would then join the assault from the front.
However, when Prevost saw that the Royal Navy forces had been defeated in Cumberland Bay, he ordered the ground troops to return. Charles de Goumoens, lieutenant in the De Meuron regiment, wrote later of his disappointment at this turn of events: "After two hours of combat, the English fleet goes back, is scattered and lowers their colors. This action occurred in front of the eyes of the Regiment De Meuron that was supposed to make the frontal assault depending on the outcome of the naval battle. General Prevost has committed a grave error, failing to give the order early to the regiment to attack. It would have been possible for the Swiss to take possession of the Citadel, stop the American cannon and prevent the Royal Navy’s embarrassment."
De Goumoens was not the only one to criticize Prevost's decision, and questions about his conduct during the Battle of Plattsburgh continued to haunt him for years. Eventually Prevost requested a court martial to clear his name, but died before it could be convened. As for De Meuron's Regiment, they returned to Canada and remained there until being disbanded in 1816. A large number of officers and men, 343 in all, decided to stay in Canada and were given grants of land in what is now Ontario. The story of the De Meuron Regiment is a reminder of the truly global nature of the War of 1812 and the ways that it brought together individuals from across the world right here in Chazy, if only for a brief moment in time.
Click Here for Related Material
An Account of His Majesty’s De Meuron Regiment 1795-1816
“The Finest Army Ever to Campaign on American Soil”? (on the British land forces during the Plattsburgh campaign)
Comments