Demi-brigade

However, by early 1793, having guillotined Louis XVI of France on 21 January, France found itself at war with a coalition including Great Britain, the German States, the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, and Spain in addition to Austria and Prussia.

The Army included three main types of infantry, all with different uniforms, organizations, equipment, and rates of pay: The variations between units created logistical problems, and animosity (due to different rates of pay) among units.

The purpose of the Demi-brigade was to blend all three formations into a single unit, with identical equipment, organization, pay, and uniforms.

The levée en masse had swelled the ranks of the French army, so by August 1794 over a million men (1,075,000) were under arms.

As the French Revolutionary Wars progressed, demi-brigades were issued with specific coloured uniform jackets.

Peace was restored under the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, and Napoleon ordered the reinstatement of the historic term "régiment" in 1803.

Officer and soldiers of a demi-brigade of the French Revolutionary Army
French troops at the Battle of Valmy in 1792. To the right are white-coated regulars from the Royal Army, while to the left are blue-coated National Guardsmen .