The Gâtinais Regiment was a French infantry regiment created in 1776 under the Ancien Régime. It fought in the American Revolutionary War and in 1781 received the name of Royal-Auvergne in recognition of its gallant service during the American campaign. During French military reorganization after the Seven Years' War, the original Auvergne Regiment was cut in two in a process which was called "dedoublement". It happened to all existing eleven regiments with four battalions. They formed twenty-two new regiments of two battalions strength. Under an ordinance of March 25, 1776, the first and third battalions of the Auvergne retained the old name, and the second and fourth were called the Regiment de Gatinais, No. 18.