Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia
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| Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia Compañía Franca de Voluntarios de Cataluña |
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| Active | 1767 - 1794 |
| Country | .svg/20px-Flag_of_Spain_(1785-1873_and_1875-1931).svg.png){kind=small} Spain |
| Branch |  Spanish Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Garrison |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort San Miguel (1790 - 1794) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Pere d'Alberní i Teixidor |
The Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia (Spanish: Compañía Franca de Voluntarios de Cataluña, Catalan: Companyia Franca de Voluntaris de Catalunya) was a military company of the Spanish Army serving in the Spanish colonial empire.
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[edit] History
The company was raised in 1767 for service in the Americas. Modeled after the 2nd Regiment of Catalonian volunteers stationed in Spain, the company was in fact recruited in Mexico from regular units of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Command went to Captain Agustí Callis.
In 1772 the company was divided between the First Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia, which remained under the command of Captain Callis, and the Second one, which was assigned under the command of Pere Fages. Fages and his men were from 1769 to 1774 in California under the commander of Gaspar de Portolà. When in 1782 Callis died, the soldier Pere d'Alberní was named Captain of the First company. In 1790, the First Company provided men to garrison the Spanish Fort San Miguel in Nootka Sound. This was the first European military unit posted to present-day British Columbia.[1]
[edit] Uniform
Its uniform consisted of blue coat with yellow collar and cuffs, yellow waistcoat, blue breeches and black tricorne hat with the red cockade of the House of Bourbon.
There were two drummers on the strength of the company. After 1760, Spanish army drummers wore the livery of the King of Spain - a blue coat with scarlet collar and cuffs, along with a scarlet waistcoat. Both coat and waistcoat were trimmed with scarlet lace that was embroidered with a white chain pattern. This same pattern of lace had decorated French uniforms before the French Revolution began in 1789. The Bourbon kings of Spain were a branch of the French royal family, and adopted a similar livery.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Chartrand 2000, The Nootka Incident.
[edit] References
- Catalans al Canadà
- Chartrand, Réné, Canadian Military Heritage, vol. II, Art Global (published 2000), <http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/image_281.asp?flash=1>. Retrieved on November 29, 2007;
