WE'RE BACK!!!!

The 66e regiment de ligne was created in In 1616. King Louis XIII of France gave our regiment of Swiss infantry the name of Gardes suisses (Swiss Guards). The new regiment had the primary role of protecting the doors, gates and outer perimeters of the various royal palaces. In its early years this unit was officially a regiment of the line. During the 17th and 18th centuries the Swiss Guards maintained a reputation for discipline and steadiness in both peacetime service and foreign campaigning. Their officers were all Swiss and their rate of pay substantially higher than that of the regular French soldiers. Internal discipline was maintained according to Swiss codes which were significantly harsher than those of the regular French Army.

Each member of the 66e was a highly trained and experienced soldier and mustered into regiments; a formidable sight on any battlefield. The members were well-built, a member of the 66e was taught to fight unlike any other soldier in the Grand Armee there training was seen similar to that of The Imperial Garde.The most consistent and largest-scale employer of these troops was the French army, where the Swiss formed an elite part of the infantry. The famed Swiss Guard regiment, the most senior of the twelve Swiss regiments in French service, was essentially identical to the French Guards in organization and equipment, other than wearing a red uniform as opposed to the blue uniforms of the French corps

1795: Luxembourg
1796: Neckerau
1799: Mannheim and Alkmaer
1800: Offenbach
1802: Basse-Terre, Matouba, and Bel-Air
1808: Les Saintes, Saint-Martin, and Vimeiro
1809: Oporto and Cuidad-Rodrigo.
1810: Cuidad-Rodrigo, Busaco, and Torres-Vedras
1811: Redhina, Casalnovo, Foz-d'Arunce, and Fuentes-de-Onoro
1812: Arapiles and Tolosa
1813: Arlazon and Burgos
1813: Lutzen, Bautzen, Leipzig, and Hanau
1814: Laon, Athies, Reims, Fere-Champenoise, and Paris