One of the units I mention was Regiment de Navarre which has a proud history under Louis XIV. One part of its history was that when it surrendered at Blenheim its troops were so angry at the decision they almost mutiny and called out for a breakout attempted. They destroyed their colours so they wouldn't be captured.
I believe I have seen this story more then once on paper.
On of the responses I recieved on the Miniature Pages was from an user name seneffe who seems very knowledgeable about the period.
and I quote
Now on the webpage www.spanishsuccession.nl there is a reference again made about the burning of the colours.The story of the the Navarre burning its colours at Blenheim is famous but not, it seems, true. Doubtless the rank and file were enraged at the surrender, but there are contemporary records of Navarre's colours amongst those taken back to England later in 1704, including an illustrated list of the trophies by Robert Spofforth (great name). I have a modern copy of this document and it shows the Colonel's colour and eight Ordinance colours of Navarre as trophies, all with the regiment's distinctive circlet and crown device on the white cross. If Navarre had three battalions inside Blenhiem- it would seem all of its colours were handed over to the British.
I'm not sure where the burning colours story orignates from, but its rarely challenged in modern works.
[The Navarre regiment was explicitly mentioned for the first time in 1597 when Henry IV retook Amiens from the Spanish. However, the account of the event also stated that it was a Huguenot troop raised by King Antoine, the father of Henry IV who died in 1562. This thus enables us to date the foundation of the Navarre regiment to 1562 or before. It seems certain that after the death of King Antoine the Navarre regiment was reduced to a bodyguard for the young King Henry of Navarre. He was compelled to send his bodyguard to join the troops of the first Lique against the Huguenots and we may therefore assume that the Navarre regiment fought in the battle of Dormans on 10 October 1575. The Navarre regiment was next mentioned under the command of the Sieur de Valliraut in the battle of Arques (15-29 September 1589). In 1589 the Navarre regiment was present in the siege of Paris under Henry of Navarre. In 1591 it was at the siege of Chartres. In 1595 it was present at the siege of the castle of Beaune and the siege of Dijon. In 1597 it took part in the siege of Amiens mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph.
More recently the Navarre had signaled itself in the battle of Saint Denis in 1678. In 1703 it was present at the battle of Speyerbach. It seems that in the succession war the Navarre regiment was commanded by brigadier de Signay. When the regiment was forced to surrender in the village of Blenheim it was he who ordered the regimental flag to be burned and the rifles to be broken.
So did Navarre really burn its colours or were they captured at Blenheim.
Interesting
cheers
Edward
