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France: Regimental flags during the Revolution

1791 and 1792 regimental flags
The 1794 reorganization of the French Army
1st Demi-Brigade of Infantry
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
2nd Demi-Brigade of Infantry
- 1st Battalion
6th Demi-Brigade of Infantry
- 1st Battalion

See also:

1791 and 1792 regimental flags

Flag of the 1^st Battalion of the 1^st Regiment of Infantry, versions of 1791 (left) and 1792 (right) - Images by Olivier Touzeau, 24 September 2026

The castle of Emperi in Salon-de-Provence houses an important army museum. Among the historical flags shown in the museum, one, dated 26 September 1791:
- shows a white cross over white, limited by lines and a vegetal circle upon the center of the cross;
- There is a full tricolor total border, blue at the upper left and lower right, red at the upper right and lower left, white in the middle;
- In the canton, there is a flag horizontally divided blue-white-red.

Philippe Lacroix, 3 November 2003

Flags with white crosses over white were characteristic of infantry flags dating back to the Ancien Régime.
The design described, dated 1791, featuring a white cross and a tricolor border, with three blue, white, and red stripes in the canton, corresponds to the 1791 pattern for the first-battalion flags of infantry regiments.
During the early years of the Revolution, while the monarchy was still in place, regimental flags evolved by retaining features of the previous regime (white crosses) and beginning to combine them with the tricolor. The fleur-de-lis was still present on the 1791 model but disappeared in favor of a small tricolor diamond on the 1792 model.

Olivier Touzeau, 24 September 2026

The 1794 reorganization of the French Army

In 1794 the infantry of the French Army was reorganized in demi-brigades, each with three battalions. The first and third battalions of the demi-brigades were raised from the volunteers of 1791-92 and the conscripts of 1793-94. The regiments of the old army were disbanded and their battalions became the second battalions of the demi-brigades. Thus the former royal Army was amalgamated with the new Army of the French Republic.
Each demi-brigade received three blue-white-red colors, one per battalion. The first and third battalions were issued identical colors whose design varied by demi-brigade, and the second battalions were issued the standardized color.
The central device and the inscriptions were the same for all, but the colors of the first battalions were different for each demi-brigade. Those of the second battalions were all identical except for the numerical designation of the demi-brigade. The inscription were: