Paintings showing scenes from the American Revolutionary War

[ts]

This is not my period.
I can see, the paintings show episodes from the American Revolutionary War - with American, English and possibly French soldiers.
What else can be said about these paintings?

[Jabba]

Not sure about American Revolution, that castle looks a bit too European?

[Emir of Askaristan]

Difficult to tell but they seem post 7yw and European. Probably French from the cumpled flag in picture two but they could be from one of the states of the empire .

[Arthur]

I don't think these paintings have anything to do with the American Revolution : the troops depicted look nothing like British or Continental soldiers. They certainly have a very French appearance about them and the uniform styles appear to be typical of the 1780's.  

My initial guess was the army of Piedmont-Savoy-Sicily, which certainly had its musicians in a red livery and the mounted officers wear a blue sash which may well be that of Savoy. But the white hat cockades are wrong for the Piedmontese/Savoyards and point to the French army instead.

The unit of horse could be Orléans-Cavalerie, which certainly had dark blue uniforms faced sky blue in the 1780's. The musicians' red coats with blue facings also tally with the Orléans livery. The infantry probably belong to one of the ten régiments princiers which were given scarlet facings by the 1779 regulations. Their musicians also wore coats in the colour of their colonel's livery with the same facings as the rank and file, which would account for the all red uniforms. The half-furled flag is hard is interpret but could be that of Orléans Infanterie with the feuille morte quarters rendered as a brownish red.  

If my assumptions are correct, then these paintings may have been commissioned to depict the various units belonging to the House of Orléans just prior to the French revolution.  

[ts]

Hi Arthur
thank you for your very knowledgeable answer.
I agree, the paintings have nothing to do with the American Revolution, but show French units on French ground ca. 1780.
To me the flag seems to have a feuille morte field and maybe a very dark (blue?) field?
Did there exist any Orleans hussars?
The shabraques of the princely regiments seem to should have been red, but the officer - if he is from the cavary regiment - has a dark blue shabraque?
The lightblue shoulder sash of the hussar with red wing on his cap must point to a high-ranking fellow, a prince?
What more to deduct and where to look for further information?
Do you know any sites or persons, who specialize in the period, who perhaps can get a solution even coser?

[carlos marighela]

Did they have a revolution in North America? I missed have the memo.

[Arthur]

To me the flag seems to have a feuille morte field and maybe a very dark (blue?) field?

It almost certainly is the Orléans-Infanterie drapeau d'ordonnance which had blue and feuille morte quarters (1-4 and 2-3 respectively). This is consistent with the soldiers' uniforms and the musicians' livery coats. 

Did there exist any Orleans hussars?

No, but the Colonel-Général hussar regiment was created in 1783 and given to Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres, who was appointed Colonel-general of the hussar mounted arm. He is almost certainly the figure depicted here in the Colonel-Général uniform uniform of a dark blue dolman and black mirliton with red flame. His breeches should be blue instead of red, but that may be an error on the part of the painter. Here's a famous portrait of Louis-Philippe d'Orléans by Reynolds :



On the death of his father in 1785, Louis-Philippe inherited the title of Duke of Orléans and was no longer referred to as the Duc de Chartres. He later sided with the radical Montagnards during the French revolution, changed his name to Philippe-Egalité and voted in favour of the execution of his cousin Louis XVI. He then fell out with the Jacobins and was guillotined in 1793, essentially for being born a Bourbon. 

The shabraques of the princely regiments seem to should have been red, but the officer - if he is from the cavary regiment - has a dark blue shabraque?

They weren't necessarily red by the 1780's : Orléans-Cavalerie is recorded as having dark blue schabraques by the 1780's, and the two mounted commanders next to the Duc de Chartes are obviously senior officers from that regiment since their blue coats have light blue facings. 

[ts]

Thank you.
Wonderful painting of Louis-Philippe d'Orléans.