RARE – Revolutionary War French 18th Infantry Regiment button, recovered at Yorktown

This is a very rare button being offered, it is off the uniform of a French soldier who was in the 18^th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Régiment d'Agenois. The Régiment d'Agenois was part of the Brigade D'Agenois, which also included the Régiment Gâtinois. The button was recovered at Yorktown, Virginia.

These troops were instrumental in the assault on British redoubts at Yorktown, particularly during the storming of Redoubt No. 9, which was taken by French forces alongside American troops who captured Redoubt No. 10. Their actions helped complete the second siege parallel, tightening the noose around Cornwallis’s forces.

This button is made of brass and has a 15.4mm diameter. These buttons did not have backmarks. It has a near perfect face with the number “18” inside of a wreath. The French played a very notable role in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, the decisive battle of the Revolutionary War. It comes in the glass top display case pictured.