MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES['~1Qilj1 90MILITARY

NAPOLEON'S GERMANALLIES (3):

SAXONY1806-15

OTTO VON PIVKA, RICHARD HOOK

Napoleon's GermanAllies (3): Saxony1806-1815

1806-1809Following the abdication of the Austrian EmperorFranz II from the office of Emperor of the HolyRoman Empire of German Nations on 6 August1806, King Friedrich Wilhelm III ofPrussia soughtto form a defensive coalition (the North GermanAlliance) with Saxony and the Electorate ofHessen-Kassel to counter Napoleon's ruthlessexpansionism in western Europe. Self-interest wasarcourse the main motivation. In 1803 France hadgiven the Electorate of Hanover to Prussia (see mybook The King's Gennan Legion in this series) andrumour now had it that Napoleon had promised togive Hanover back to England in return for a peacetreaty. (Prussia, of course, had not been consultedabout this developmenL) Another of Napoleon'splans was the formation of the Confederation of theRhine (see my books Napoleon's Gemwn Allies ( I) :Westphalia and Kleve-Berg and (2): Nassau andOld,nburg) and he also intended to give Russia thatslice of unfortunate Poland which Prussia hadwrested for herself in 1795 (see my book Napoleon'sPolish Troops).

Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia, usually quite themost docile and indecisive ofmonarchs, thus foundhimself forced inLO a 'war or dishonour' situation;thinking that his army was still the magnificentmachine that his forefather Frederick the Great

had made it in the Seven Years' War of I 756-1764,he formed an alliance with the Elector of Saxony(Friedrich August) and stood against Napoleon in1806 supported by promises of money fromEngland and troops from Russia.

In the twin battles of Jena and Auerstiidt (14October 1806) the myth of Prussian militaryinvincibility crumbled before the youthful elan ofthe French army, and the Saxon contingent,although acquitting itself with distinction, wasdragged into the defeat and returned home with itsmorale severely diminished. In fact, 170,000French had beaten 100,000 Prussians and 20,000

Saxons, and what was so remarkable was nOt thatthe Prussia.lS were defeated but rather the lOtai andrapid disintegration of that army in the daysfollowing their initial reverses in the major battles.As an example of the combat value of the Saxonarmy in 1806 this report of the last stages of thebattle ofJena (14 October) by the Prussian Oberstvon Hopfner quoted from Der Krieg 1806-1807 willserve to enlighten us:

'Those (Prussian) troops withdrawingon Weimar(those of the centre and right wing) were in fullflight; only one unit remained steady-it was theSaxon Grenadier Battalion Winkel with whom thePrince (Hohenlohe) was and who commanded itpersonally for a time. In this terrible moment, whendefeat and confusion was everywhere, this bat­talion stood like a rock. Surrounded by fleeing allies

•• g-Saxon musket, lBog. The weapon is about sixty inches long, and is shown here with theftint lock in the half.coc:ked position. Metal fittings are brassj note the nunrod storedbelow the barrel, and the lug under the muzzle on to which the bayonet 50Cket fits.(After an actual example in the MUseuD1 fUr Deutsche Geschichte, East Berli.n.)

3

JENA 14th OCTOBER 1806

~french

IlItIIJ pruss ian

~Baxon

0L'~~1_~-,--2~ 500::;;Oyds

&ttka~~eIUJ, 14 October 1106: A = Pruuia.D-SasOll forcesin the . t 13/14 October. B = Tauenzien, early OD. 14 October.C = l..azmes' attack on the mornia.g of the I ..th. D = Soult'sadvance. E = Holtundorfl' figbtiag Soult. F = Hohenlobe'sadvance. G = *011.8. H = Colonel Boguslawski'. po.itioD., J= Augereau'. advance. K = Imperial Guard. (Lefebvre). L =Ney. M = French advance against Hohen1ohe. N = Generalvon Riiebel'. Corps.

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•

who had thrown away their weapons and who nolonger heeded their officers' commands, con­tinuously attacked by the enemy, these menwithdrew in full control, with regular pace andwith band playing. The battalion had formed anopen square and whenever the enemy came tooclose they halted to give battJe. Neither the Frenchcavalry, constantly charging them, or the relentless

BaUuojPod,"'mu (Gorod4!CZ1UI). 11-111 A",rut 11,11: Russians:A.8-=Markowj C-D-E-Kameaskii F-G = Lambert. Allies:H =Scbwarzea.berg, II August;! = Reynier, II and 12 August;J =Wcoq's divisioD; K = Lilienberg's brigade; L = Funck'.division; M = Hessen.Homberg's division; N = Siegenthal'.divisioDjO = Trautenberg'sdivisionandFrirnont'.divisioDjP= Austria.o and Saxon cavalry.

fire of the lirailltuTJ could shake them. As soon asthey had won themselves a respite, they beat"columns of platoons" and marched off with bandplaying as if they had been on the parade ground.Whenever the enemy came too close the drumsrolled and the battalion stood ready to receive themagain.'

Following these lightning victories Napoleon,recognizing the martial value of the Saxon army,immediately wooed the Elector and concluded amilitary alliance with him. In return for politicaland military support, the Electorate was to beelevated to a kingdom and given nominal suz­erainty over the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, thusreviving, if in name only, an ancient historicconnection.

Until the battle of Leipzig in October 1813, theaxons were to fight and die in the service ofa man

who regarded them at best a efficient but expend­able cannon fodder; and their ruler, King Fried­rich August orSaxony, was to lose over halrhis statein 1814 to Prussia, in repayment for his faithfulsupport for the Corsican dictator.

On 1 1 December 1806 the Elector of Saxonybecame king and promised to support France witha military contingent of 20,000 men. For theimmediate campaign against Prussia and Russia,however, only 6,000 were required. This ap-

parently heartless betrayal of his ally Prussia mustbe explained: between Prussia and Saxony therehad existed a mutual suspicion and hostility sincebefore the Seven Years' War, and in 1756 thisculminated in a Prussian invasion ofSaxony and anattempt to make the Saxon army serve as part of thePrussian military machine. The hatred between thestates was so great that almost all Saxon soldiers(and officers) deserted from their regiments andmade their way to Austria or France, where theyre-enlisted in Saxon emigre regiments and foughtagainst Prussia for the duration of the war. ThePrussian-Saxon alliance of 1806 must thus be seenas a brittle expedient rather than a genuine act offriendship.

Saxon Line Infantry Regt., 1806Regimental staff: 1 Oberst (colonel), 1 Oberst­licUlenant (lieutenant-colonel), 2 Majors(majors), 1 Regiments-Quartiermeister (regi­mental quartermaster), 2 Adjutanten (ad­jutants), 1 Auditeur (auditor), 1 Re­gimentsfeldscheer (regimental surgeon), 1

Stabs-Felseheer (battalion surgeon), 1 Profoss(provost).10 companies (2 grenadier and 8 musketeer) totall­ing: 7 Kapitans [senior captains, also called'Hauptleute' (infantry) or 'Rittmeister' (cav­alry)), 3 Stabs-Kapitans (junior captains), 10

Premierlieutenants, 12 Souslieutenants, 8Fahnrichs (ensigns), 30 Sergeanten (sergeants),10 Fouriers (company quartermasters), 10

Feldscheers (company surgeons), Bo Korporals(corporals), 30 Tambours (drummers), 20

Pfeifers (fifers), 20 Zimmerleute (pioneers), 300

Grenadiers, 1,200 Musketiers.Grand total 1,753 all ranks

The 1807 Clllllpaign against Prussia andRussiaThe Saxon contingent with the French army was asfollows:Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Siissmilch' (grenadiers of

the regiments 'Prinz Clemens' and 'vonOebschelwitz')

Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Cerrini' (grenadiers ofthe regiments 'von Sanger' and 'von Low')

Infantry Regiments 'Prinz Anton' (two battalions),

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Battk ojLeipzig, 16-18 October ,8'3. Thisbattl~was th~ c:ubnj..nation of th~ Allies' manoeuvring during the 1813 (1IDpaign,during which they had been kept apart froDl. each other byNapoleon's cunning thrusts. His lack of cavalry and thegrowing disaffection of his G~nnan vassal contingentsgradually forced him on to the defensive, however; heabandoned the line of the Elbe to fall back on Leipzig, where hewas brought to bay with his back agaiast the River Pleisseafter four preliminary battles on 16 October (Mockern­where Mannont and the VI Corps lost to Blucher and York;Wachau-NapoIeon and Wittgenstein-a draw; Connewitz­Poniatowsky's vm Corps against the Austrians underMervddt; and LindeDau, where Bertrand's IV Corps foughtthe Austrians under Giulay). The French were pressed back onLeipzig where on the 18th they lost the m.ajor battle and ftedwest over the Pleisse and Elster Rivers. The Saxons were in theeast, and went over to the Allies on the afternoon of that day.

'von Sanger' (two battalions), 'Prinz Max­imilian' (2nd Battalion), 'von Bevilaqua' (1StBattalion)

Konig Klirassiers (the old Klirfurst Klirassiers)-4squadrons

'Prinz]ohann' Chevauxlegers-go men'von Polenz' Chevauxlegers-60 menOne artillery detachment (two batteries)-16

guns.This force became the I st Division of Lefebvre's

Corps on 10 March 1807; it was divided into twobrigades under Major-Generals von Oebschelwitzand von Glalrey. They served at the siege ofDanzig(which capitulated on 27 May 1807), and un 10June they became the 3rd Division of Lannes'Corps and fought at Heilsberg. Here the KonigKlirassiers saved the 72eme de Ligne from annihi­lation at Russian hands. On 14 June 1807 theSaxons fought in the battle of Friedland, where the

Detail of bearskin for other ranks, Saxon Leib-.Grenadier-Garde and Line Grenadiers, 17&9-1806.The brass front plate shows the Elector's cypher 'FA'under an electoral cap. The back cloth is in theregimental facing colour, the cross and cords white,the pompoo showed the facing colour over white.(After a COD.temporary colour plate by C. A. Hess.)

Konig Klirassiers again distinguished themselvesand were later rewarded with the title'Lei b-Klirassier-Garde'. After the PeaceofTilsit theSaxons returned home.

The Illog CampaignAs a result of Austria's preparations for war onFrance, Saxony was required to produce her20,ooo-strong contingent, which was taken over byMarshal Bernadotte, Prince of Ponte-Corvo, atDresden on 22 March 180g. The two Saxondivisions formed the IX Corps of Napoleon's army,and in fact totalled some 16,000 men:Order ifBattle if the IX Corps, April 180g:

Commander: Marshal Bernadotte; Chief of staff;Brigade-General Gerard; Commander of Engineers;Bataillons-Chef Giradin; Commander of the Artillery;Brigade-General Mossel.

~french

~saxons

DalliesLEIPZIG 18th OCTOBER 1813

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/st Divisio7lCommander: Generallieutenant von Zeschwitz

Chiifofstaff: Oberst von Gersdorff/st Brigade (Generalmajor von HartilZSch); 'Leib­

Grenadier-Garde' (I bn.); Grenadier-Bataillon·von Bose' (Regiments 'Prinz Friedrich' and'von Burgsdorf'); Grenadier-Bataillon 'vonHake' (Regiments 'Prinz Clemens' and 'vonOebschelwitz'); Regiment 'Konig' (2 bns.);Regiment 'von Dyherrn' (I bn.)

27ld Brigade (Generalmajor von Boxberg); Regi­ments 'Prinz Maximilian', 'Prinz Anton' and'Prinz Friedrich' (2 bns. each)

Cavalry Brigade (Generalmajor von Gutschmidt);Garde du Corps (2 sqns.); Karabiniers (2 sqns.);'Prinz Clemens' Chevauxlegers (4 sqns.); 'PrinzAlbrecht' Chevauxlegers (I sqn.); Husaren (3sqns.)

Artillery Two batteries each of six guns.

Sauk of Kobryrl, 37JtJy ,Iu. It was here that von K1ens-el'sisolatedb~dewas overwhelmed by vasdy superior Russian£01"«5. Havmg only three squadrons of cavalry, the Saxons'intelligence gathering was DOt adequate to warn of the

271d Divisio7lCommander: Gencrallieutcnant von Polenz

Chiif ofstaff: Oberst von Langenau/st Brigade (Generalmajor von Lecoq); Regiments

'Prinz Clemens', 'von Low' and 'von Cerrini' (2bns. each)

z7ld Brigade (Generalmajor von Zeschau) ;Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Radcloff' (Regiments'Prinz Anton' and 'Niesemeuschel'); Grenadier­Bataillon 'von Winkelmann' (Regiments 'vonLow' and 'von Cerrini'); Regiment 'vonNiesemeuschel' (2 bns.); Regiment 'vonOebschelwitz' (I bn.)

Cavalry Brigade (Generalmajor von FeiJitzsch);'Leib-Kiirassier-Garde' (4sqns.); 'PrinzJohann'Chevauxlegers (4 sqns.)

Artillery Two batteries each ofsix guns.

impending d.isutu. A. the left can be SeeD the initial Russiancavalry attack i the Russian Dlain body came up from west lUldsouth. The Saxon last st:aJ:l,d was on the old earthworks by theabbey.

Bulkow

'"Bnelk

!A

to Anwpol

to Antopol

°L'__~__~~ .i-__':.;?"mLa Dywin

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Grenadier's cartricile pouch, .".8.0. The centralcrest i. of Saxony-Poland and expresus a historicconnection. Musketeers wore the sam.e centraldevice but no cornu grenades.

cJ

the sharpshooters of the various Saxon infantryregiments were concentrated officially into twobattalions each of four companies of ISO men.These later became the Light Infantry of the army.

On 31 May the Saxons moved off to Vienna,where they arrived on 4 June and remained untilthe end of the month. Bernadotte used this time toreorganize the infantry, reducing the regimentsfrom two battalions each into one and sending theoldest and least suitable officers and NCOs back toSaxony to be used to train new recruits.

Corps ReserveOne artillery battery of six guns, artillery train,artillery park, field hospital and ration train.

On 9 April 1809 Austria declared war on France,and on 16 April the IX Corps marched out ofSaxony via Regensburg (Ratisbon) to Linz on theDanube where it arrived on 17 May and joined upwith the Wurttembergers ofMarshal Vandamme'sVIII Corps, who were fighting off an attack byGeneral Feldmarschall Colowrat and his Aus­trians. The Wurttemberg-Saxon .cavalry clashedwith Austrian cavalry at Dornach that day, andcaptured four guns and several hundred prisoners.Next day the VIII Corps moved off to Vienna andleft the Saxons in possession of Linz and thefortified position of the Piistlingsberg. On 8 May

Musketeer private'. hat, ....8.0. Compared withthe officers' aDd the cavalry hats, this bicof'D wasextremely suuill, and was copied from the Pru••ia.nequivalent. The edgin~was white, the pompon in the£acing colour over white, the corner tassels crUnsonwithin white.

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The Reorgani?ed IX Corps Infantry, June 18°9, at StPolten (Vienna) :

I st DivisionGenerallieutenant von Zeschwitz

1st Brigade (Generalmajor von Hartitzsch): 'Leib­Grenadier-Garde' (I bn.); Grenadier-Bataillons'von Bose', 'von Hake', 'von Radeloff* and 'vonWinkelmann'*; Schlitzen-Bataillon 'vonMetzsch'*

2nd Brigade (Generalmajor von Zeschau): Regi­ments 'Konig', 'von Niesemeuscher and 'vonDyherrn'.

2nd DivisionGenerallieutenant von Polenz

I st Brigade (Generalmajor von Lecoq) : Regiments'Prinz Clemens', 'von Low' and 'von Cerrini';Schutzen-Bataillon 'von Egidy'

2nd Brigade (Oberst von Steindel): Regiments'Prinz Anton', 'Prinz Maximilian' and 'PrinzFriedrich'.

Having been defeated for the first time in hisimperial career by the Austrians at Aspern-Esslingon 21 May 1809 Napoleon called up all availableforces to avenge this insult. The result was the battleof Wagram (S-6 July 1809) in which the Saxonsstormed the Austrian centre at Wagram itself, andlost forty per cent of their strength in the bitterfighting ofthe first day. That nightthey slept on thebattlefield and renewed their struggle next morn­ing in the area of Aderklaa village, next to theHessians. By 4pm on 6 July the Austrians acknow­ledged defeat and withdrew north on Znaim.Saxon losses were 132 officers and 4,103 men dead,(. =dt'tached 10 Dupas' French division of the IX Corps)

wounded and missing out ofa starting strength on 5july of almosl 8,000. Bernadotte published acongratulatory order of the day to the IX Corps on7july 18og, for which he was sharply criticized byXapoleon, with whom his relat.ionship was alreadycool. The fighting ended when the armistice ofZnaim was signed on 12 July, and the SaxonsrCLUrned home on 22 January 1810.

Reorganization,181O-1812TheeventsofthecampaignsoflB06, IB07and IBoghad made it plain that extensive reforms wereneeded ifthe Saxon army was to function efficientlyas pan of Napoleon's war machine. King FriedrichAugusllhus instituted a military review committeeunder Generalmajor von Gersdorf in spring 1810,

and within a few weeks they produced an agreedplan which included the following points:

I. A permanent General Headquarters was set up.2. A general staff was established.3. The army was to be divided permanently into its

war formations of divisions, brigades andregiments.

4. The responsibility for clothing, equipping,feeding and providing training ammunition wasremoved from the captains who commanded thecompanies and given to the state.

5. Military legal affairs and courls martial wereregularized.

6. Finance and rations were improved.7. Tactics and drill were simplified (and modelled

on the French method).8. Provision of recruits was now to be by con­

scription and no longer by enlistment of vol un­leers-this to raise the 'moral quality' of thesoldiers.

g. Selection ofofficers and COs to be made witha bias towards younger men.

These proposals received the royal assent on 7March 1810, and the army was at once re-formedfrom its old 'Inspectorates' (IWO each for theinfantry and the cavalry, with lhe artillery underdirect control of the elector) imo three divisions,two infantry and one cavalry. Each division had its

CreD&dier officer's bearskin, .806-.8.0. The ptplate encloses a central area ofaaam.elled devices inthe following colours: crimson aad white electoralcap; black over white shield with red sword.(Polandh black and yello_ stripes -ith su.per­imposed green 'clover-leaf' band. (Sas.ony); crimsonfield with silver cypher 'FA'. (Alter a contemporarycolour plate by Hess.)

general staff and there was a further staff for theking as commander-in-chief.

The infantry regiments 'Oebschelwitz' l 'Cerrini','BurgsdorP and 'Dyherrn', the cavalry regimem'Karabiniers' and the artillery company of theRoyal Household were disbanded, and the menused to reinforce the remaining regiments.

Each infantry division had two brigades each oftwo regiments, each of two battalions, each of twogrenadier and eight musketeer companies. Thefour grenadier companies of each brigade wereconcentrated imo 'Combined Grenadier Bat­talions' in peace as well as in war. The two LightInfantry Battalions were expanded into regiments;the 'jager-Corps' (formed on 31 August 1Bog) wasretained.

The cavalry division was formed of three heavy,rour light and one hussar regiments each of four

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Bean.k:iD cap, other ra.nks, Saxon Garde-GreDadiere,1815' This item isUDusual ill that there is no 'calo" ordoth top patch as was the custOID at that tUne. Thisis taken CrolD a.o actW c:.aDI.ple in StrallibourgIDUseWU, and it is possible that it is a laterreconstruction usillg an original brass plate. Thecords are white.

squadrons, and was organized into three brigades.The regimental artillery (those pieces attached

to individual infantry battalions) was disbandedand the guns concentrated into one regiment offoot artillery of sixteen companies plus an artificercompany and a horse artillery brigade of twobatteries. An artillery train battalion was raised.

On the administrative side, an lnspectcur generalaux reuues and three SOUs-lllspectellrs were appointedto ensure that malpractices were kept to a min­Imum.

Changes in the uniform reflected the influence ofSaxony's new ally in that the shako replaced thebicorn, and French-style rank and companybadges were introduced. The pigtail and powderedhair were finally abolished. In the tactical field, theold linear infantry formation gave way to the newFrench system of the column and the protective,advanced swarm of skirmishers. Training was now

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directed more towards efficient battlefield perfor­mance rather than parade-ground precision. Newinfantry muskets from Suhl were issued to the LightInfantry; the Line used French or Austrianweapons. Bayonets were now longer than before,and new pattern sabres replaced the old. The newmuskets were effective up to 200 paces, whileartillery could throw solid shot 1,800-2,000 paces,and canister was used up to 400 paces. The use ofmassed artillery was particularly emphasized.

The cavalry remained least affected by thesereforms, and then mainly in the matter of the newuniforms.

On 22 and 23 July 18 t I, thirtccn infantrybattalions, five cavalry regiments, three footartillery and two horse artillery batteries wereconcentrated at Miihlberg, where they exercised asbrigades in the new regulations.

Russia, 1812

By spring I ~ I I relations between the Frenchdictator and the Tsar had deteriorated to such anextent that Napoleon issued orders to all his vassalstates to prepare to mobilize their armies for apunitive expedition against Russia. The cause ofthis breach was the attempt by Napoleon to exeludeall British goods from Europe by a blockade (theContinental System as defined in the BerlinDecrees of 1806). As Britain then truly ruled theglobal waves this meant an almost total crippling oftrade, and Tsar Alexander, never a convinced allyof France, turned a blind eye to continued Russianimports of British goods via the Baltic ports. Thisenraged Napoleon so much that he embarked onthe campaign that was to destroy halfa million Illen

and to achieve nothing but his own downfall.The Saxon contingent was mobilized on 15

February 1812 in two infantry divisions as the VIICorps of the Grande Armce, and in March theFrench General Reynicr assumed command overit.

Saxon Order aJ Battle, 1812, as VII Corps oJthe GralldeAnnee:Commander: General Reynier; Senior Saxon General:Generallieutenant Edler von Lecoq; Chiif oj staff:

Saxon Line Infantry Regt., 1810

Regimental staff: I Oberst, I Oberstlieutenant, 2

Majors, 2 Aerzte (doctorsL J Regiments­Quartiermeister, I Ober-Auditeuf, I Ober­Regimems-Chirurgus (senior surgeon), 2 Fah­nenjunker (ensigns), I Stabsfourier, I Stabs­Chirurgus, I Regiments-Tambour (regimentaldrum major), I Bataillons-Tambour (battaliondrum major), 8 Hautboisten I. Klasse (firstclass musicians), 12 Hautboisten 2. Klasse, I

Biichsenmacher (armourer), 1 Biichsenschafter(musket woodworker), 1 Profoss, I Proross­Knecht (provost's lad).8 musketeer and 2 grenadier companies totalling: 6Kapitans I. KfaSse, 4 Kapitans 2. Klasse, 10

Premierlieutenants, 20 Souslieutenants, 10

Feldwebel (sergeant-majors), 20 Sergeants, 10

Fouriere, 5 Chirugen, 100 Korporals, 6Grenadier-Tambours, 24 M uskelier­Tambours, 4 Grenadier-Zimmerlcute, 16Musketier-Zimmerleute, 360 Grenadiere,1,440 Musketiere.Grand Total, 2,073 all ranks.

Oberst von Langenau; ChiifofLogistics: Major vonRyssel; Commander of the Artillery: Oberstlieutenantvon Hoyes; Commander if the Engineers: HauptmannDamm

2 Jst DivisionGenerallieutenant Edler von Lecoq

1St Brigade (Generalmajor von Steindel):Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Liebenau' (Regiments

'Prinz Friedrich' and 'Prinz Clemens')Infantry Regiment 'Prinz Friedrich'-2 battalions

and four 4pdr. regimental gunsInfantry Regiment 'Prinz Clemens'-2 battalions

and four 4pdr. regimental guns2nd Brigade (Generalmajor von Nostitz) :Infantry Regiment 'Prinz Anton'-2 battalions

and four 4pdr. regimental gunstst Light Infantry Regiment-2 battalions4th Foot Artillery Battery- four 6pdr. cannon, two

8pdr. howitzersDivisional Artillery Park and sapper company.

22nd DivisionGenerallieutenant von Gutschmidt

lsi Brigade (Generalmajor von Kleugel):Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Brause' (Regiments

Bearskin cap, officer, Saxon Leib-Grenadier-Garde,J8JO-J8JS, The gilt plate shows the black, yellow andgreen Saxon crest over a silver-edged crUnson fieldbearing ffAR' in silver. The cords are silver. (AfterSauerweid's contetnporary watercolour.)

'Konig' and 'von Niesemeuschcl')Infantry Regiment 'Konig'-2 battalions and four

4pdr. regimental gunsInfantry Regiment 'von Niesemeuschel'-2 bat­

talions and four 4pdr. regimental guns2nd Brigade (General major von Sahr) :Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Anger' (Regiments

'Prinz Anton' and 'von Low')Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Spiegel' (Regiments

'Prinz Maximilian' and 'von Rechten')2nd Light lrifantry Regimenl-2 battalions3rd Foot Artillery Battery-four 6pdr. cannon and

two 8pdr. howitzersDivisional Artillery Park and sapper company.

23rd Light Cavalry Brigade (Generalmajor vonGablenz) :'Prinz Clemens' Ulans-4 squadrons'von Polenz' Chevauxlegers-4 squadronsHussars-s squadronsHeavy Cavalry Brigade (Generallieutenanl von

Thielmann) :Garde du Corps-4 squadronsKurassier-Regiment 'von Zastrow'-4 squadrons'Prinz Albrecht' Chevauxlegers-4 squadrons

II

Saxon infantry ...br~, pre-I806. Thegrip is brass, the blad~ S8'7CID long,2'gan wide; total I~gth. 7OC"'. W'eight"16kg. (Source, Hi~b ..Nod Stiehwaffen.)

Ri.rllt :Saxon infantry ...br~, 1806. The simp­l~r brass hilt rdlects th~ gradual movetowards functional weapons withoutexcessive Ol'DJUDeDtation.. Blade 59CIDx 2·8ani total length ']2C1D, weight'62kg. (Source, Hi.eb ..Nod Sticllwaff_.)

FAT "lilt:PalUucli of Saxon Kiirasaien (otherranks), 1806. The bra•• basket hiltbears the cypher 'FA' under the dft>tom caPi the sheath i. in brownleather; brass tip, steel rings. Blade93"SCID x 3"3C1D, total leagth IOg'SCID,W'eisbt 1'27Kg. (Source, Hieb uNJ.StieIlUiaffera.)

r

each of four 6pdr.cannon and two8pdr. howitzers

2nd Horse Artillery Battery-four 6pdr. cannonand two 8pdr. howitzers.

Corps Artillery Reserve1St Horse Artillery Ba ttery }1St Foot Artillery Battery2nd Foot Artillery BatteryArtillery ParkPontoon train

On 9 April the corps reached Kalisch, where theSaxon Kiirassier Brigade under General vonThielmann, together with Hiller's horse artillerybattery, was detached as the 20th Heavy CavalryBrigade, and the Chevauxlegers Regiment' PrinzAlbrecht' was detached to join two BavarianChevauxlegers regiments as the t 7th Light CavalryBrigade. The Saxon infantry regiments 'vonRechten' and 'von Low' were detached as garrisontroops in the fortresses of Danzig and Glogaurespectively.

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After these reductions the VII Corps numberedt8 battalions, 16 squadrons, 5 balteries of artilleryeach of 6 guns (including Roth's horse artillerybaltery) and 20 regimental pieces. The lack ofcavalry and the subsequent lack of adequatereconnaissance was to prove nearly disastrous forthe Saxons later in the campaign.

The V 1\ Corps now joined the V (Poles underPoniatowski) and the VIII Corps (Westfaliansunder Vandamme) as the right wing of the GrandeArmee, under Napoleon's younger brother KingJerome of Westfalia, near Lublin on the ViSlula.On the extreme southern flank was the AustrianCorps (35,000 men) under Prince Schwarzenberg.At the end ofMay the allies were opposed by PrinceBagration with eight Russian divisions and 200guns on the right bank of the Bug from TarnopollOBrest-Litowsk.

Napoleon invaded Russia with the main body ofhis army on 28June t8t2 and the Saxons advanced

VIII

to Kleck (Lithuania), which they reached on '5July, while the Austrians to their right were atPruszana on the 20th. Reynicr now ordered the twocorps to exchange their positions, and the Saxonsmarched to Pruszana and Kobryn. Klengel'sbrigade was detailed to garrison Kobryn, a littlewooden town, and early on 27 July his 2,400 men,with eight 4pdr. regimental guns and threesquadrons of Ulans, were surprised by GeneralTormassow with 12,000 men. The Saxons foughtuntil their ammunition was exhausted and thetown was in flames before being forced to sur­render. Tormassow was so impressed by theirgallant conduct that he permitted the capturedofficers to retain their swords. Saxon casual ties were108 dead and 178 wounded, the rest captured.Russian losses were about 600 dead and wounded.Had the Saxons had more cavalry, a betterreconnaissance would have revealed the Russianforce in time for the brigade to withdraw intact.

Undismayed by this disaster, Reynier andSchwarzenberg united their forces and movedagainst an 8,000-strong Russian force with twelveguns under General Lambert at Pruszana, andattacked them on 10 August. Lam bert fell back onKobryn, but stood behind a boggy stream atGorodeczno on I I August. The allies came up,found the crossing points covered by artillery, andset about outflanking Lambert that night. Theyfound an unguarded crossing to the Russian left,and the 2nd Battalion, I st Light Infantry Regimentsecured it. By gam on 12 August a considerableSaxon force had been developed across the streamand in the rear of the Russian flank. To counterthis, Lambert had to change front hastily. Therenow followed a battle between 30,000 Russians(reinforcements had arrived) and '5,000 Saxons,with the Austrians pressing forward against theguarded crossings to the north. By 7pm theAustrians had crossed the river in the north and hadalso sent a division to support the Saxons in theirday-long battle, and Lambert began to withdrawtowards Kobryn. Saxon losses were '75 men and gohorses dead, 688 men and 32 horses wounded, 68men captured or missing. The allies pursued theRussians and occupied Kobryn on 13 August;Tormassow evacuated Volhyniaand withdrew pastDywin.

The Saxon cavalry was now so weak thatinfantry units were used for outpost duty, and on 24August they had a successful clash at Luboml withthe ubiquitous Russian cossacks. In late August­early September the Saxons remained in the areaKuszelin-Macowice-Toczyn, with the Austrians totheir left at Golowi and Kolki with a 5,000-mandetachment at Pinsk. Constant outpost bickeringwith the numerically superior Russians furtherreduced the Saxon cavalry strength. Allied strengthhere along the River Styr was now 40,000 men, butthe opposing Russians had 65,000, asTschitschagoff's Army of Moldavia had joinedTormassow. This reinforcement was made possibleby the conclusion of a Russo-Turkish peace treatywhich released the Moldavian army for dutiesagains Napoleon.

On 25 September the Russians attacked anddrove back a Polish brigade under GeneralKosinski at Pawlowice ; as their flank was nowturned, the Austrians and Saxons fell back over the

13

Officer's gorget, 1806. The gilt gorget had a crimson velvetcentrepiece framed in silver and carrying the silver cypherIFA' under the electoral cap. (Museum tiir Deutsche Ges­chiebte, East Berlin.)

River Tara at Turysk to Kowel and later toLubom\. By now the allies had 36,000 men, theRussians 70,000, and Schwarzenberg ordered afurther withdrawal over the River Bug. The Saxonscrossed that river near Opalin on I October atloam. On 4 October the allies stood again at Brest­Litowsk, until to October when Russian pressureforced them to withdraw over the River Lesna.

Things remained fairly static until 27 Octoberwhen the enemy suddenly and inexplicably fellback, and contact with them was lost untilDurutte's division arrived to reinforce the allies anda reconnaissance in force was undertaken. It wasdiscovered that the Russian main body had movedaway to Sionim (Tschitschagoffwas moving up toattack the remnants of the Grande Armee as theystumbled back towards the Beresina). Although theallies followed by forced marches, they were unableto catch the enemy-again the lack of cavalry wassevereIy fel t.

The Saxons became separated from the Aus­trians and were suddenly confronted by superiorRussian forces under Generals von Sacken andEssen III. On 14 November the battle of Wol­kowysk took place; Reynier withdrew that nightbut was caught again next day, and the strugglewas renewed. The 16th found the Saxons still

14

holding on grimly by Wolkowysk, not daring to fallback as they were so weak, when cannon shots fromthe rear of the Russian lines (at Izabelin) heraldedthe arrival of Schwarzenberg's Austrians. TheRussians withdrew-there was no pursuit as theSaxon cavalry had practically ceased to exist.Saxon losses from 2-16 November were 1,300 deadand wounded.

The Austrians and Saxons now moved to Rudniaand thence to Brzesc, chasing Sacken's corps andcapturing a large part of his baggage train. On 29November an order was received from Napoleon to'act against Tschitschagoff', but the Russian wasalready over the Njiemen and pursuit was in vain.By 7 December the Saxons were in Rozanna, theAustrians in Slonim having lost over 800 men enroute due to exhaustion and frostbite. It was herethat the allies received news of the dreadfulcatastrophe which had overtaken the GrandeAnnc.::c. ReYllier was lefllo do as he thought best byNapoleon, and he withdrew to Brzesc by 20December while the Austrians went their own wayto Ostrolenka. Saxon strength was now down to

6,000 men, but on that day the Grenadier­Bataillon 'Eychelberg' with 900 men joined themfrom Bialystock, where they had been serving asgarrison since 5 July. Reynier now pulled furtherback to Siedlce, Sokolow and Losyce, and Schwar­zen berg also moved west to Pultusk. The Russiansoccupied Brzesc and crossed the frozen River Bug.On 28 December the VII Corps withdrew over theLiwiec at Liw and Wengrow, and the Russianpursuit slackened olf. On 3 January 1813 theSaxons were around 'vVarsaw, and were attacked on10 January by large numbers of cossacks; on 30January Reynier crossed the frozen Vistula north ofWarsaw, where he was joined by Bianchi's Austriandivision next day. By this time the Austrians hadadopted almost a neutral attitude, as they knewthat their emperor would change sides and join theTsar against Napoleon as soon as possible. The VI ICorps now numbered about 4,000 men; Reynier,knowing of the probability of an Austro-Russianalliance, withdrew to Petrikau on 6 February and

The Saxon I von Zastrow' Kiirassiers stonning the Rajewskiredoubt at Borodino. The impractical old cavalry bicorn wasreplaced in 1810 by the much more impressive brass helmetshown here. Officers wore a wreath of gilt oak leaves aroundthe black fur turban; only the front plate of the Kiirass wasworn. (After Knotel.)

15

chwarzenberg surrendered Warsaw (and 1,500Saxon sick and wounded) to the Russians.

Reynier continued westwards to Kalisch. On 13February the Saxons were dispersed in widelyscattered cantonments around that town. In viewof the proximity of the enemy th~ axon generalsadvi ed Reynier to concentrate the corps, butReynier ignored them and the result was that at3pm that day they were attacked by superiorRu ian force and uffered heavy 10 ses as eachmall detachment fought its way back to Kalisch.

One uch force (600 men and 200 horses and abattery of horse artillery under Generalmajor vonGablenz) was completely cut off, and did not rejointhe main body for some month (after the battle ofLiitzen) during which it wandered throughPoland, Moravia and Bohemia. Saxon combatlosse on 13 February were over 1,000 men and six4pdr. regimental guns, all ofwhich could have beenavoided.

The VII Corps-now orily one weak division­crossed the Oder at Glogau on 17 February; by 1March they were in Bautzen, and reached Dresden

on the 7th. Here 600 Saxon reinforcements joinedthem, bringing their strength up to 2,000. Theco a ks followed closely, and on 19 MarchMar hal Davout blew up the two central arches ofth Elbe bridge in Dresden, all ferrie and boats onthe river having been concentrated in Torgau andKonig tein fortres es. On 21 March the Saxons inthe VII Corp were reorganized into a singlebrigade, and Durutte's division provided a further1,800 men.

16

Hehnet of a Saxon Kiirassier officer, 1810-1815. This item issimilar to that worn by Austrian heavy cavalry in the lionemblem along the side of the combe. At the front of the combeis the crowned cypher 'FA', and officer status is indicated bythe gilt oak leaf wreath and the Medusa's head chinstrapbosses. The crest shown is obviously an iteIn added at sometime after the Napoleonic era. (Museum fUr Deutsche Ges­chichte, East Berlin.)

Cartridge pouch, officer of the Banner of Saxon Volunteers,1813, When Landwehr and volunteer fOrInations were raisedin GerInany in 1813 there was a strong upsurge of religiousfervour connected with their mobilization, doubtless aRussian import! Note the oak and laurel leaves around thecross. (Museum fUr Deutsche Geschichte, East Berlin.)

Saxony was now split into two parts, one underFrench occupation, the other in Russian possession.The King ofSaxony negotiated with apoleon thatthe old VII Corps (now only 1,836 men strong)should be allowed to retire into the Saxon fortres ofTorgau, there to be united with 6,000 new recruitsunder Generallieutenant von Thielmann (vonGablenz's formation of 1,000 men was still wander­ing through ustria). Thus as ured, King FriedrichAugu t now went to Regen burg, hoping to receivefavourable terms from Austria which would enablehim to break free from the French yoke and join the

Allies. Unfortunately for him these negotIatIOnswere cut short by apoleonic threats to devastateSaxony, which forced him to continue the Frenchalliance until the Allied victory of Leipzig inOctober 1813 allowed him to remove the shatteredwreck of his kingdom from apoleon's influence.

The Musketeer Battalions of the Infantry Regiment'Prinz Maximilian' also saw service in August 1812when apoleon demanded that Saxony (amongothers) provide more than the agreed contingentfor his ambitious plans. Two battalions of theregiment 'Prinz Maximilian' and a foot artillerybattery of six guns, all commanded by Oberst vonEhrenstein, were therefore mobilized and joinedthe XI Corps under Marshal Augereau, Duke ofCastiglione. The XI Corps was entrusted with theoccupation of Swedish Pomerania and thedefence of the Baltic coast north of Berlin. TheSaxon contingent joined Morand's 'division',which now totalled only 2,300 men and occupied

The Saxon units attached in 18/2 to the main body of theGrande Armee were:20th Heavy Cavalry Brigade (Generallieutenant vonThielmann and General Lorge): Saxon KiirassierRegiments 'Garde du Corps' and 'von Zastrow',and a horse artillery battery-fought at Borodinoand successfully stormed the Grand Redoubt at2pm (Thielmann was created a baron for thisvictory). Destroyed in the course of the campaign.17th Light Cavalry Brigade (General de BrigadeDomanget) : Saxon Chevauxlegers Regiment'Prinz Albrecht', Bavarian Chevauxlegers Regi­ments os. I and 2. Fought at Smolensk andBorodino; ground to pieces in the retreat.31St Light Cavalry Brigade (General Delaitre) in theIX Corps: Saxon Chevauxlegers Regiment 'PrinzJohann', Baden Hussars. The Saxons were cap­tured at the Beresina Crossing in November 1812.Irifantry Regiments 'von Rechten' and 'von Low' EnteredRussia in August 1812 and joined the IX Corps;fought at the Beresina Crossing as the rearguard inGirard's division; destroyed at Wilna, 4 December1812.

Stralsund untilg March 1813. Then they withdrewalong the Holstein border, past Hamburg (alreadyoccupied by Tettenborn's cossacks); crossed theElbe near Zellenspieker and Winsen south ofHamburg on 17 March; and fell back over theWeser at Bremen on 22 March. Here three Frenchguns and the company ofmarines were detach d toSt Cyr's division, which formed the garrison of thatcity.

In spite oflack ofcavalry, Morand's division wasnow sent forward to act as outpost screen about

Saxon Kiirassier Pallasch, 11109-1813. An interesting cOJP­parison with the earlier illustration is possible here; theelectoral cap has now been replaced by the royal crown and'FA' has been expanded to 'FAR'. (MuseUlll fUr DeutschGeschichte, East Berlin.)

*

*

*

*

*

*

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Tostedt towards Hamburg, where light cossackforces were pu hed back. On 28 March a Russiancossack formation attacked them, and the newly­formed Hanoverian Landwehr came up in supportof their Russian allies. Morand was not content togive way to such lowly opponents, and on 31 Marchhe marched east against Luneburg; early on 1 Aprilthe division stormed the town and captured iteasily, driving off the few cossacks and local militiawho formed the garrison. Morand's casualties weretwo lightly wounded, while the Russians andHanoverians lost about forty dead. Although henow occupied the town, armed citizens continuedto snipe at the invaders; and next morning theRus o-Pru sian division of General von Dornberg,aided by detachments from Tschernitscheff'stroops, invested Luneburg and stormed it. After aviolent struggle, in which Morand was mortallywounded, the badly-managed Franco-Saxon gar­rison was scattered and captured. Saxon losses were255 men dead and wounded, and the rest of theregiment 'Prinz Maximilian' was captured.

The l8I] CampaignsIn the first three months of the year apoleon'sincomparable genius and energy threw a new armytogether in France and brought it into centralGermany to oppose Russian, Austrian and Prussianforces. The vassal states of the Confederation of theRhine, still under French control, were unable tobreak with the dictator and join the Allies as theyreally wished. By March Saxony had 11,000 men inTorgau fortress and was urgently training thesenew recruits for the coming campaign, hopefully onthe side of the Allies.

On 2 May apoleon and Prince Eugene with100,000 men defeated the Allies at Lutzen andforced them to withdraw over the Elbe, and on 10

May King Friedrich August of Saxony was forcedto issue orders for his troops to rejoin the GrandeArmee. Generallieutenant von Thielmann, com­mander of Torgau, could not stomach this order;he handed over his command to GeneralmajorSahrer von Sahr and joined the Russian army.

On 1 1 May 6,000 Saxons in one division wereplaced under General Reynier's command and,

18

Shako, sergeant of Grenadiers, Line Infantry, 1810-1813. Thisvery French item sbows the extent of the influence of thatnation on the dress oftheir vassal states. The cords and plumeare red, plate and chinscales brass, top band gold. The whitecockade (over the crown) is JDissing. (MuseUID fUr DeutscheGeschichte, East Berlin.)

together with Durutte's French division (withoutcavalry) they formed the new VII Corps. Togetherwith the III Corps ( ey) and the V Corps(Lauriston) they were to operate against Berlinunder ey's control, and to destroy their Prussianopponents under Bulow.

A change of plan took place, however, andNapoleon ordered ey to bring his three corpsagainst Barclay de Tolly and Blucher (86,000 men,700 guns) together with other French troops

(160,000 men, 450 guns). On 21 May the battle ofBautzen began. ot surprisingly, the numericallysuperior French won the day, but the Russo­Pru sians withdrew in good order. Due to lack ofcavalry, apoleon was unable to reap the fruits ofthis tactical victory; the VII Corps spearheaded hispur uit. In the next few days heavy skirmishingtook place during which the Russo-Prussians fellback slowly. By 24 May they had withdrawnover the River eisse. Saxon combat losses from 2 I

to 24 May were 40 de£!.d, 508 wounded and 98mi ing (most of the missing rejoined within thenext few day). othing more of note occurredbefore hostilities ended for six weeks on 4]une, inaccordance with the armistice of Poischwitz.

By the end of]uly the Saxons were joined in theircamp near Garlitz by new battalions whichpermitted the formation of two divisions again:

I st Division (24th of the Grande Armee)Commander: Generallieutenant Edler von Lecoq

ChiefofGeneral Staff: Major von Koppenfels1st Brigade (Oberst von Brausse) : Leib-Grenadier­

Garde (I bn.), Light Infantry Regiment 'von

Shako, sergeant of Musketeers, Line Infantry, 1810-1813.Plume, cockade and pOlnpon are missing; the top band is gold,cords white, chinscales and plate brass. Note the way thechinscales are buckled around the plwne socket. (Musewn fUrDeutsche Geschichte, East Berlin.)

Hussar sabretasche, Banner of Saxon Volunteers, 1813.Although an iteJn worn by troopers, there is a considerableaJDount ofexpensive decoration on this exaJllple. (Musewn fUrDeutsche Geschichte, East Berlin.)

Lecoq' (2 bns.), 1St Bn. Infantry Regiment'Prinz Maximilian', 2nd Bn. 'von Rechten', I

company Feldjager (military police)2nd Brigade (Generallieutenant von Mellentin) :Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Spiegel' (companies of

the Regiments 'Prinz Maximilian', 'vonRechten', 'Prinz Friedrich' and 'von Steindel'),Infantry Regiments 'Prinz Friedrich August'(2 bns.) and 'von Steindel' (2 bns.)

Artillery (Major von Roth) :1St and 2nd foot batteries (eight 6pdr. guns each)

under Hauptmann Kuhnel and HauptmannRouvroy

Engineers One company of sappers

2nd Division (25th of the Grande Armee)Commander: Generallieutenant Sahrer von ahr

ChiefofGeneral Staff: Major von Cerrini1st Brigade (Oberst von Bose):Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Sperl' (companies of the

Regiments 'Konig', 'von Niesemeuschel', 'PrinzAnton' and 'von Low'), Light Infantry Regi­ment 'von Shar' (2 bns.)

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Infantry Regiments 'Konig' and 'von Niesemeus­chel' (I bn. each)

2nd Brigade Oberst von Ryssel:Infantry Regiments 'Prinz nton' and 'von Low'

(2 bns. each)ArtiLLelY (Major Gau): 3rd and 4th foot batteries

(eight 6pdr. guns each) under HauptmannDietrich and Hauptmann Zandt

Light Cavalry Brigade (Generalmajor von Gablenz):Husaren (8 qn .), lanen (5 qns.)Two horse artillery batteries each of six guns­

Hauptmann von Prob thaynReserve ArtiLLeryOne battery of eight 12pdr. guns-Hauptmann

Rouvroy Artillery Park

On I August the strength of the corps was 18,344all ranks including sick and wounded; battalionsw re under 600 strong, batteries below 160, and thetwo cavalry regiments had 1,200 horses betweenthem. Durutte's division (the 32nd) now had about8,000 m n.

The 1813 Autumn CatIlpaignDuring the armistice fruitless peace negotIatIonwere conducted in Prague, and with their finalbreakdown a new anti- apoleonic alliance wasformed between Russia, Prussia, Austria, Britainand Sweden. Total field force were 490,000 men,100,000 horses and 1,470 guns, a figure which oweda lot to the Prussian 'Krumper' sy tern by whichthou ands of potential recruits had been trainedand then discharged again in the years 1807-18 I 3,allowing a rapid build-up of the army to beachieved. The allies were divided into three armies,one in northern Bohemia (Austrian) underSchwarzenberg, one in Silesia (mainly Prussiansand Rus ians) under Blucher, and the Army of the

orth under Bernadotte (crown prince of Sweden)con isting of 80,000 Prussians (Bulow and Tauen­zien), 10,000 Russians (Winzingerode), 25,000Swede and 15,000 volunteer (north Germans andsome Briti h).

Opposing them was apoleon with 360,000men, 40,000 horses and 1,300 guns, with Dresdenfortified and supplied a the base for his futureoperation. It will be noted that apoleon enjoyedthe advantages of a unified command system, asingle political aim and interior lines of operation.

20

Dolman of a trooper, Saxon Hussars, 1810-1813' This tradi­tional Hungarian gannent is clearly shown in all its detail. Thecentral ball buttons are larger than those at the side; note thepuffed shoulders, and the cuffs which are only added on theouter part of the sleeve. The Dlusket and helmet are shown indetail in other illustrations. (MuseUDl fUr Deutsche Ges­chichte, East Berlin.)

The Saxons (VII Corps) were grouped togetherwith the IV Corps under Bertrand (French,I talians and Wurttembergers- 18,000 men), theXII Corps under Oudinot (Bavarians, West­falians, Hessen-Darmstadters and French­24,000 men) and the III Cavalry Corps underArrighi (27 squadrons of light cavalry of variousnations). Commander of this wing of the GrandeArmee was Marshal Oudinot, and its task was tooperate against the Army of the orth, whichcovered Berlin.

On 17 August the armistice ended and all Saxonick were sent off to Torgau fortres . Oudinot at

once made a thrust at Berlin which led to the battIeof Gro s-Beeren on 24 August, in which the VIICorps made an advance into that village which wasnot upported by the IV and XII Corps. As a result,

the Saxons were attacked by 30,000 infantry and12,000 cossacks under Bulow and, when Durutte'sdivision crumbled and fell back, leaving themcompletely unsupported, they had no alternativebut to withdraw, fighting heavily all the way.Saxon losses were General von Sahr badly woun­ded, 116 dead, 359 wounded and 1,564 captured.Oudinot fell back on Wittenberg.

On 29 August a Prussian column of their IVCorp, under Generalmajor von Wobeser, attackedthe village of Luckau, whose garrison consisted of100 French and Italian gunners and sappers and600 men of the Saxon Infantry Regiment 'PrinzMaximilian' and forced them to surrender afteretting fire to the place.

apoleon would not tolerate Oudinot' retreatand replaced him with Marshal ey on 4 Septem­ber. ext day the IV, VII and X II Corps began anadvance on]uterbogk. On 6 September the battleof ]iiterbogk occurred in which von Bulow andTauenzien defeated the French and their allies.The IV Corps was overrun, the Saxon infantryadvanced in square to help them, but due to lack of

French Cuirassiers stonning the Grand Redoubt, Borodino.Repeated charges and counter-eharges were made at thisdefence work, which changed hands several tUnes during theday. Russian casualties in this battle were higher than theyneed have been due to their close, deep fonnations.

support from the XII Corps (the re erve) and to theappearance of the Russians and wedes at 4pm, theday was lost. The axons withdrew, again insquares, to guard against the ubiquitous enemycavalry. ey reported to apoleon that the Saxonshad failed in this battle-in truth they and theBavarians had saved a withdrawal from becominga debacle and the withdrawal was caused by ey'sbad general hip.

The Saxons fell back on Torgau in good order,the IV and XII Corps were in much worsecondition. In the last eight days the Saxon 10 eswere 1,098 men dead and wounded, 2,000 cap­tured, 12 guns and 40 waggons lost. Each infantryregiment was now re-formed in to one battalion, andon 21 September the VII Corps was reduced to onedivision again:

21

Commander: Generallieutenant von ZeschauChiefifstaff: Major von Cerrini

1St Brigade Oberst von BrauseOjficers Men Horses

Light Infantry Regiment 'von Lecoq' (I bn.) 17 750Infantry Regiment 'von Rechten' (I bn.) 12 300Infantry Regiment 'Prinz Friedrich' (I bn.) 15 580Infantry Regiment 'von Steindel' (I bn.) 17 6201st Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Spiegel' 9 330Feldjager (I company) 3 74

Totals 73 2,654

2nd Brigade (Generalmajor von Ryssel):2nd Grenadier-Bataillon 'von Anger' 9 320Infantry Regiment 'Konig' (I bn.) 9 300Infantry Regiment 'von Niesemeuschel' (I bn.) 6 540Infantry Regiment 'Prinz Anton' (I bn.) 9 600Infantry Regiment 'von Low' (I bn.) 7 250Light Infantry Regiment 'von Sahr' (I bn.) 16 700

Totals 56 2,7 10

Sappers and pontoniers 4 64 18

Artillery1st Foot Battery, 8 guns (Hauptmann Dietrich) 4 133 1072nd Foot Battery, 8 guns (Hauptmann Zandt) 4 133 1071St Horse Battery, 4 guns (Hauptmann Probsthayn) }

6 209 2772nd Horse Battery, 4 guns (Hauptmann Birnbaum)12pdr. reserve battery 3 177 150Artillery Park and Train 12 540 575

Totals 29 1,192 1,216

Cavalry Brigade (Oberst von Lindenau):Husaren-Regiment 16 607 603Ulanen- Regiment 21 6'7 594

Totals 37 1,224 t ,197

Grand tolals: 199 officers, 7,844 men, 2,431 horses, 30 guns

At the same time the XII Corps was disbandedand Guilleminot's division was given to the VIICorps.

Meanwhile the other two Allied armies-thoseof Silesia and Bohemia-advanced and madecontact with the Army of the North; Napoleonconcentrated his forces at Dresden. The PrussianGeneral Yorck (Army ofSilesia) crossed the Elbe atWartenberg, and beat off the IV Corps whichopposed him.

22

On 9 October apoleon reviewed the VII Corpsnear Eilenburg, and delivered the followingaddress:

'Soldiers of the VII Corps! You French andSaxons! You have been very unfortunate in the lastaffair. I have come to put myself at your head andto give you revenge I It is nothing new to see theFrench eagle and the Saxon flag together, as thisalliance has existed since the Seven Years' War!

'You should remember that you are the same

soldiers as at Friedland and Wagram!'I have not made peace so that the enemy can

extend his frontiers to the Elbe. The king, who isyour father has given his army into my hand; hewho cannot erve his king faithfully can go!'

Thi addre s, translated imultaneously intoGerman by Caulaincourt for the benefit of theSaxons, was greeted by the French officers with theu ual cries of'Vive l'Empereur!' and by the Saxonswith an eloquently stony silence. Their enthusiasmfor the French cause had wilted as they had seentheir homes plundered and destroyed by

apoleon's men during 18[3. All they wanted wastojoin the Allie, and throw the dictator out oftheircountry.

apoleon thrust forward at the Army of Silesiaat Wartenburg, but his quarry crossed to the leftbank of the Saale on 12 October, joinedBernadotte's Army of the orth, and marched upthe course of that river. apoleon re-concentratedhi forces around Leipzig. The VII Corps arrivednear Paunsdorfat 4am on 17 October, remaining inre erve on that and the next day. It was at this

The Grande Annee crossing a river during the advance intoRussia in 1812. Although only a nUnor strelUll, this picturegives some idea of the disruption and chaos which could becaused by a water obstacle. The steepness ofthe banks was asconsiderable a problem as the depth of the water whenconsidering the passage of horse-drawn vehicles of theartillery train.

juncture that the Saxons, voted with their feet,leaving the French lines to march into the arms oftheir natural allies. The German defections sufferedby apoleon at this period were as follows:

As the tide of events turned against apoleon inthe autumn of 1813, his German vassal states'contingents began to fall away from him on thebattlefields. On the night of 23 September atWorlitz near Oranienbaum, the Saxon 'BataillonKonig' of the 2nd Brigade (eight officers and 300men under Major von Bi.inau) went over to theSwedes. On 22-23 August the 1st and 2ndWestfalian Hussars had defected to the Allies atZittau, and the 25th (Wi.irttemberg) Light CavalryBrigade under Generalmajor Graf ormann didthe same on 18 October. The King of Saxonypublicly condemned this action, and Major vonBi.inau was court-martialled in absentia.

23

On 30 September the Army ofSilesia crossed theElbe at Wartenburg, and on 3 October they brokethrough the IV Corps (Bertrand) which opposedtheir bridgehead; Napoleon had to abandon theline of the Elbe. The three Allied armies con­centrated east of Leipzig and pushed Napoleonback; he decided to stand at that city, and thisresulted in the 'Battle of the Nations' (16--18October 1813).

Describing the mood of the Saxons on hearingNapoleon's address to the VII Corps quoted above,a Saxon officer wrote: 'I t must have been obvious toany bystander of this scene that the Saxon reactionwas not rehearsed but spontaneous. This mood wasnot solely the result of their recent battle losses butcertainly of the time spent in Torgau fortress [Apriland May 1813] during which hopes ran high thatthey \vauld soon join their German brothers in thecommon fight against their arrogant Frenchoppressors. Fate had decreed otherwise, but therewas certainly no Saxon soldier there that day whofollowed the French eagles with a light heart. Theirdiscontent had grown throughout 18 I 3 as they hadseen their homeland desolated, plundered andburnt by their French "allies". It cost the officersimmense trouble to maintain order in their units.'

At dawn on I i October, Reynier and the VIICorps reached the outwork 'Zum Heitern Blick' atLeipzig when the battle had already been ragingfor more than a day; they moved to Paunsdorfthatevening, VI/here news reached them that the Saxondivision was to march o[fto Torgau. (Napoleon hadjust heard that the Bavarians had defected to theAllies, and no longer trusted any German troops.)Enemy aClion prevented this order being carriedout, however, and the Saxons had to take upposition at Paunsdorf opposing the Russians andAustrians under Bennigsen, Platow and Bubna.

During the morning of 18 October the SaxonBataillon 'Prinz Friedrich' and some French unitswere captured in Taucha by the Army of theNorth, and the Saxon division was ordered to coverNey's Left flank in the ensuing crisis. It was herethat the defection of the Saxons occurred. The firstto go was the Light Cavalry Brigade (Hussars and'Prinz Clemens' Ulans), then the Schlitzen­Bataillon and, between 4 and 5pm, the infantry andartillery. The Allies, informed ofwhat was about tohappen, greeted the Saxons with cheers and sent

24

PlatolPs cavalry to hinder the French pursuit. TheSaxon generals (Zeschau and Gersdorf) refused tosanction this movement, but General vonGersdorfs ambiguous written reply to a request todefect did not help e1arify matters: 'Even nowevery brave Saxon must fight with increased vigourfor the good of the Fatherland and for the King'.Thus Napoleon lost a division, complete withthirty-eight guns, at a most critical moment. TheSaxon troops were sent to Leipzig after the battle tobe reorganized.

InAlliedServiceOn 19 October Generalmajor von R yssel assumedcommand of the Saxon division, which was sent tojoin Tauenzien's Prussian corps at the blockade ofTorgau. On 28 October King Friedrich August ofSaxony was taken into captivity by the Allies and aRussian, Prince Repnin, was appointed to governSaxony. Generallieutenant von Thielmann (pre­viously commander of Torgau and now in Russianservice) assumed command of the Saxon army.Dresden capitulated to the Allies on I I November.On 14 November remnants of the Saxon army leftTorgau and marched to Merseburg, where on the15th a reorganization took place. Four old infantryregiments ('von Niesemeuschel ', 'von Rechten ','von Low' and 'von SteindeJ') were disbanded, andthe following units established:

Provisional 'Garde-Regiment' of three battalions: 1stBn.-the old 'Leib-Grenadier-Garde'; 2ndBn.-the old Bataillon 'Konig'; 3rd Bn.-thegrenadiers of all remaining infantry regiments

Provisional 1st Line Infantry Regiment of two bat­talions: mainly from the old regiment 'PrinzAnton'

Provisional 2nd Line Infantry Regiment of two bat­talions: mainly from the regiment 'Prinz Max­imilian' and the disbanded regiments 'vonRechten' and 'von Steindel'

1St Light Infantry Regiment of two battalions: the 1stBn. out of the old regiment 'von Lecoq', the 2ndBn. of reconvalescents and ex-prisoners of war

2nd Light Infantry Regiment of two battalions: the 1StBn. formed ofex-prisoners ofwar, the 2nd Bn. of

1 Grenadier officer, Inf.Regt. 'Kurfiirst', gala uniform,2 Sergeant, Inf.Regt. 'Prinz Friedrich', 18063 NCO, Saxon Hussars, 1806

RICHARD HOOK

1806

A

3

RICHARD HOOK

2

1 Musketeer, Inf.Regt. 'von Thummel', 18062 Corporal, Inf.Regt. 'Prinz Anton', 1806

3 Artillery officer, everyday dress, 1806

,\

,.

l .r'•

'---~--------------~/B

, Artillery senior NCO, parade dress, ,8062 Musketeer officer, Inf.Regt. 'von Biinau', everyday dress, ,8063 Grenadier, Inf.Regt. 'von Biinau', parade dress, ,806

RICHARD HOOK

3

c

(

o

Troopers, Garde du Corps, parade dress, .806

RICHARD HOOK

RICHARD HOOK

NCO, Chevauxlegers Regt. 'Prinz Clemens', 1806

E

(

, Premier Lieutenant, Saxon Light Infantry, ,810-,8'3" Jager, ,8,0-,8'33 Musketeer drummer, Inf.Regt. 'Prinz Friedrich August', ,8,0-,8'3

RICHARD HOO

ueHARO HOOK

Officer of Hussars, Banner of Saxon Volunteers, 1813

G

RICHARD HOD

I

.-.'

2 3

;

1 Private, axon Landwehr, 181 32 Field officer, Saxon Landwehr, 181 3

3 Jager zu Fuss, Banner of Saxon Volunteers, 181 3

H

men of the old Light Infantry Regiment 'vonSahr'

A battalioll ofJagersA Kiirassier-Regimelll} h f h. cae 0 treeAll Ulallell-Reglmellt dA Husaren-Regiment squa rons

The artillery was re-formed into two foot batterieseach of eight guns, and two horse batteries each ofSIX guns.A company ofellgilleers alld a bridgillg IraillAfter the Austrian and Prussian models, a 'Land­wehr' (territorial defence force) was set up,consisting of four regiments each of three bat­talions, and a 'Banner' of Volunteers of twobattalions of light infantry and five squadrons ofhussars was also raised.

There was a desperate shortage of everythingfrom shirts to weapons, and uniformity ofdress wasscarcely to be seen. On 12 November, in an orderof the day, Generallicutcnant von Thielmannchanged the national cockade from white to green,yellow and black.

The Saxons joined the II [ German Army Corpson 8 December. It was commanded by the Duke ofSaxe-Weimar (a Russian general ofcavalry) and in­cluded only the Saxons and a Fusilier Battalion fromSaxe-Weimar. During t8t4 the III Corps operatedin the Netherlands and invested the fortress ofMaubeuge, which agreed to an armistice on 12

April following Napoleon's abdication. While theSaxon Landwehr now went home, the army movedto Aachen and, on 2t June, to the area Koblenz­Bonn on the Rhine. On 9 August they moved totake possession of the Electorate of Hessen-Kassel,which was being revived after having been sup­pressed by Napuleun in 18u6. By 25 August theyreturned to the Rhine. On 8 November 1814, inaccordance wi th a decision by the Congress ofVienna, the Russian administration of Saxony washanded over to Prussia, with Minister von derRecke taking over the government and Generalvon Gaudi the army. The Saxon army remainedaround K61n on the Rhine. The King ofSaxony wasstill a prisoner of the Allies in Berlin.

Standard, Garde du Corps, .8.0-.812. White cloth, gold and blue borders, goldembroidery and pike tip, red pike. This standard was lost in Russia. (Geschichte derSiU:hsi&CMn Fahxex un.d StGftdarlcm)

25

Obverse, King's Colour, Infantry Regiment ~on

Low' 181(~1812:. White doth; gold cypher, shieldedging and pike tip; lsteel' grenades with red andyellow 8.a.rnes; black border, green oak leaves,brown acorns and white dUunonds. Reverse as forreverse of cavalry Stalldards but with white cornershields bearins 'RS' in black. (Gel!ichichte derSichmcheft Fahrte1l und St4ndiJrllm)

Napoleon's return to France from exile in Elba inApril 18 I5 threw the Congress ofVienna into chaosand their armies into a frenzy of activity. Generalvon Lecoq had now been replaced as commanderof the Saxon field army by the ubiquitous General­lieutenant von Thielmann, who had now transfer­red to Prussian service. He was undemandablyregarded by his one-time compatriots as a blataIllopportunist and was very unpopular. On '7 Aprilhe left to take over the 11 I Prussian corps andGeneral von Ryssel assumed command of theSaxons.

The Congress of Vienna had meanwhile decidedthaI in payment for Saxony's faithful service to theCorsican dictator she should be divided, losing overhalf her area and nearly half her population togreedy Prussia. The army too was to be divided, allthose living in the northern (new 'Prussian') area ofthe kingdom being transferred to the Prussianarmy.

When Marshal Blucher held a conference wiIh

I, 'Ii,

'Soldiers! I have not spoken to you for a long time.The circumstances which preveIlled this are knownto you. I have however alwa),s shared your fa Ie andbeen touched by the many expressions of de­pendence, love and loyalty which you have made.

'Unavoidable pressures have forced me to panfrom you a great number ofyour comrades and givethem illlo foreign sovereignty-to me a painfulprocess. Only few of you are left, but it is notnumbers but the inner strength, the spirit whichmakes an army honourable.

'You have always retained your courage and Iam convinced that this will be so in the future; butgood discipline, strict obedience to the orders ofyour superiors, prompt fulfilment of all your dutiesand good treatmeIll of the populace-be it in anallied or enemy country-are also necessary foryour good reputation.

'Let it be your target that in all Germany-nay

the Saxon senior olficers on the evening of 2 May1815 near Liege to discuss details of the division ofthe army neXI day, some members of the Pro­visional Garde-Rcgimem mutinied and conducteda noisv demonstrauon outside Blucher's headquar­ters in protest at the impending division, breakingthe window of his office and causing a greatdisturbance. Order was restored; next day theseven ringleaders were courl-manialled and shot,and the Rag of the regimenI ordered to be burnedpublicly. There is considerable doubt if this lasIorder was actually carried out-certainly at leastthe centre portion of the colour was smuggled tosafety.

The original plan for a quick division of the armywas replaced by a more gradual process which wasformulated in the area Venlo-Geldern-Krefeldfrom I I to 17 Ma),. The Saxons then marchedeast to Waldeck, where the king's proclamauon ofabdication from north Saxony was read 10 themand the division of the field army took place.Prussia gained 6,807 men; 7,968 remained withSaxony. This sorry day concluded with the 'new'Prussians being officially reminded of their loyaltyand duty to King Friedrich Wilhelm Ill-moralecan scarcely have been good.

Shortly after this a proclamation of KingFriedrich August of Saxony was read 10 hisremalnlllg troops.

•

,

,

'I,,

~

._ • ...!:.- 0 •

,

:0I~.. • 0

I"

I,II',"

~-,~ ..",: , "

, ',

26

· ., .._,. ... ,~ .... ~ ....

oX

Saddle furniture, trooper, Garde du Corps, 1806. Oearly shown are the blacksbeepskin saddle cover, red sbabraque and pistol bolster covers, white greatcoat,regi.menta1lace, and the musket in the muzzle-up position.

in all Europe-the name "Saxon" will only bespoken with honour. For my part you will always beassured ofmy consideration and paternal affection.Laxenburg, 22 May 1815

Friedrich August'

On 22 June the re-formation of the Saxon fieldarmy was begun at Osnabriick. By 7 July therewere three line inrantry regiments each or twomusketeer and one grenadier battalions, a lightinfantry regiment (two battalions) and a Jagerballalion. The cavalry consisted of the 'Leib­Kiirassier-Garde', a regiment of Ulans and one ofHussars. The artillery had four foot and two horseballeries. Manpower came from the disbandedRussian-German Legion, the Banner of SaxonVolunteers and from the Saxon Landwehr. On 8July the Saxon corps was attached to the Austrianarmy of the Upper Rhine under Prince Schwarz­enberg; here they took part in the blockades of thefortresses of Neu-Breisach and Schlettstadt, while

the reserve was at Colmar. Schlettstadt capitul.atedon 25 August, Neu-Breisach somewhat later. TheSaxons marched home at last on 20 November, 8t 5·

The UniftrmsInfantry Unifonns 1806,Musketeer PrivatesSmall bicorns with white pompon having a centrein thc facing colour, round white cockade made ofpaper, white coat with facing colour on lapels,collar and cuffs, white or yellow buttons. Whitewaistcoat and knee breeches, long black gaiterswith brass buttons and shoes. White bandoliers,square brass buckle on waistbelt front with Saxoncrest, calfskin pack, black cartridge pouch; musketand bayonet, straight-bladed sword. Powderedhair, one roll over each ear and a long pigtail boundin black. Red stock.

27

Table of Saxon RegUneDts, 1806

disbanded 1810

disbanded 1810

Regiment'KurfUrsr' }'von Sanger''Prinz Amon' }'Prinz. Clemens''Prinz Maximilian' }'von Thummel''Prinze Friedrich August''von Low''Prinz Xaver' }'von Biinau''von Niesemeuschel' }'von Rechten'Garrison and lnvalides

RegimenlGarde du CorpsKarabiniersKiirassier 'Kurftirst'

Kiirassier 'KochLitzky'

Facings

red

dark blue

yellow

}light green

light blue

cnmson

black

Facingsdark blueredred

yellow

InfantryButtons Rnnarksyellow 20 December 1806- 'Konig'white disbanded 1810

whiteyellowyellowwhiteyelloW'whileyellowwhitewhiteyellowwhite

Heavy CavalryLaceyellow with (\,,'0 red stripesyellow with red and black edges-disbanded 181Uyellow with red edges-2o Dec. 1806 'Konig'; 24June 1807'Leib-Kiirassier-Garde'yellow with black and white edges-18og 'von Zastrow'

Regiment'Prinz Clemens''Prinz Albrecht''Prinz Johann''von Polenz'

Light Cavalry (Chevawdegers)Facings Bullons Remarkslight green} -18t I converted to Ulans (Lancers)dark green yellowblack buttons -1813 disbandedlight blue -1813 disbanded

Grenadier PrivalesAs for musketeers except: Austrian pattern blackbearskin bonnets with brass front plates, backing inwhite and the facing colour; brass match cases onthe pouch bandolier; sabres, short muskets. Mous­taches.SharpshootersTwo officers, two drummers from each regiment,one corporal and eight men from each musketeercompany. As for musketeers except with a greenplume on the bicorn; rifles.Muskeleer OfficersClothing of finer quality than the men, silver orgold hat edging, white silk cockade with gold loop,gold gorget with the electoral crest in silver andenamel, silver and crimson waist sash, gold hiltedsword in black sheath with silver and crimsonsword knot and tassel, black hessian boots. Malacca

28

canes with gulden tips, sponloons.Grenadier OfficersAs for Musketeer officers except: bearskin cap withgilt and enamel fron! plate and golden cords andtassels, carbines, small black cartridge pouches atthe front of the belt; two gold/silver epaulettes;carbines.Non-Commissioned OfficersCorporals: As for privates of their companiesexcept silver/gold edging to bicorn, crimson andwhite sabre knot, hazelnut cane, spontoons andpistols (musketeer NCOs) or carbines (grenadierNCOs). White silk cockade.DrummersAs for privates of their companjes except: whiteswallows' nests edged in the facing colour; shortfeather plumes in the facing colour; brass drumsedged white and facing colour.

. .. " ....' ." "." ,,:., .. ' " ' .. . . ': .' .'. . '.' . . ., ' : .

" ... " '.'

A

Following the 1806 campaign, officers lost theirgorgets and canes and orders were given that hairshould no longer be powdered.

In IBog the sash was abolished as an officer'sstatus badge and NCOs gave up their spontoonand pistols, receiving instead carbines.

J! !Iii! i!lll III IlI!illjlj!l II! II rjj(IIII1III11I1·1!1 II III !II Ii !IiI! Iljrl!r

: ... .... .

Sasoa heavy cavalry troopers' regi.tneata.llac~,1806.As in th~ Pru••ian army, ~ach heavy cavalryregi.tnent was distinguished DOt only by its facingsbut also by a particular pattern of lac~ WOI"II by themea a. an~ to the faciDg_ and to th~ sadd1~

furniture. A :., Karabiniers, B - Kurf"1int Ku­raniers (later Lab-Kiira..ier-Gard~),C - Garde duCorps) D _ Kocbtitzky Kiirassiers (later 'vonZastrow).

~L8 yellowred

~blue•

D

B 1•.llllL.wLL

ArtilleryDark green coats, red facings, yellow bUltons, buffbreeches and waistcoat.EngineersAs for artillery but with while buttons, redwaistcoat and breeches.Leib-Grenadier-GardeBearskins, red coats, yellow facings, white buttonsand breeches, yellow waislcoats, white/silver epau­lettes. Musicians wore yellow coats faced light blue.

Cavalry Unifonns 1806:Badges ofrank were as for the infantry except in thehussars where rank was shown by varying numbersof white (silver for officers) chevrons on the sleeveabove the cuff.Heavy CavalryLarge bicorn with white feather plume andcockade; loop, button and corner tassels as for theinfantry. Single-breasted buff tunics hooked to­gether to the waisl. Facings shown on turnovercollar, cuO:S and turnbacks; regimental lace edgingto collar, shoulder' su-ap, cuff's, turn backs and frOI11

of tunic. The waistcoat was in the facing colouredged in the regimental lace. Buff breeches, heavycavalry boots, buckle-on steel spurs, while ban­doliers.

Saddle furniture was in the facing colour edgedin the regimental lace and decorated with theelectoral cypher. A white or black sheepskin saddlecover was worn. Black harness, English saddles.Trumpeters wore reversed colours and had redplumes. Officers' plumes had black bases, NCOs'plumes black tips.Light CavalryAs above except: red tunics with two rows ofbuttons, worn with the top two buttons open andthe top corners of the lapels turned over to show thefacings. Facings worn on collar, square cuffs, lapelsand turnbacks. Waistcoats in the facing colour;buff breeches, heavy cavalry boots, white ban­doliers, buckle-on steel spurs, saddle furniture inthe facing colour decorated with the electoralcypher.HussarsBlack mirliton (winged cap) with light blue wingedged wllitc, white plume; white dolman with lightblue collar and cuDs, white lace and ball bUltons,light blue pelisse edge-trimmed with fur, white laceand ball bUllOOS, crimson and white sash, whilebreeches and belts. :'oICOs had white fur trim totheir pelisses.

29

Private, Light Infantry, 1810-1813. This conteIllporary plate bySauerweid is unusually crude for that accolllplisbed artist,and lIIust have been one of his earlier sketches. The Frenchshako has brass fittings, dark green cords and plUllle, and thedark green tunic is faced black with red piping and yellowbuttons. The grey breeches also have red piping to sides andfront. As well as a bayonet, this lIIan carries a Hirschf"anger orsword.

Right:Officer ofHussars, 1810-1813. In COIIIIIIon with other hussars,this regiIIIent used the traditional wooden saddle associatedwith the old Hungarian (and Asiatic) cavalry. The light bluedo1IIIan, pelisse and breeches are triIIIIIIed with silver lace andbuttons. The pelisse fur is black. As in the Prussian arIIIy,officers' plUllles had a black base. (After KnoteI.)

30

Swiss Life Guard (Schweizerleibgarde)Bicorns edged silver, yellow coats, light bluefacings, breeches and stockings, white buttons. Theuniform was edged in blue and white striped lace.Nobel Cadet CorpsBicorn, red coats, white facings, buttons, breechesand stockings, silver epaulettes.GeneralsLarge bicorns with gold lace edging loop andbutton, silver and crimson cords, double-breasteddark blue coat with gold embroidery to collar, cuffs,front and pocket flaps, full, dark blue skirts; redbreeches; heavy cavalry boots with buckle-on steelspurs, silver and crimson sash.

Infantry Unifonns 1810-1813:The new uniforms reflected the French influence asdid rank badges, tactics, discipline and (partially)organization in the Saxon army.Musketeer PrivatesFrench-style shako with crowned brass front platebearing 'FA', brass chinscales, white cockade, cordsand plume. Short white coat with collar, lapels,cuffs and turnbacks in the facing colour, buttons inthe regimental colour (white or yellow); whitebreeches and leatherwork, short black gaiters, shoesand pouch.Grenadier PrivatesAs for musketeers except: red plumes and cords, redepaulettes and sabre knots.Musketeer OfficersShako with gold top band in the form of cloverleaves, white plumes with black bases; long-skirtedwhite tunics, gold epaulettes according to rank inthe French fashion, silver and crimson sword knot,curved sabre. Grey breeches, boots.Grenadier OfficersAs for musketeer officers but with swords.DrummersAs for privates of their companies but red shakocords and plumes; swallow's nests and drums asbefore. White drum apron.

Rank InsigniaCorporal-two diagonal bars on the lower sleeve inthe facing colour, yellow top band to shako.Sergeant-one gold diagonal bar and gold top bandto shako.Sergeant-MaJor-two gold bars, two shako bands.

31

Adjutant, 'Prinz Albrecht' Chevawdegers, 1810-1813. In thisexcellent rear view, Sauerweid shows clearly details ofthe redlight cavalry tunic with its light green facings and yellowbuttons. The shako top band and cords are silver, thechinscales gold. The red shabraque is edged light green andyellow.

Company Quartermaster- two bars on the lower sleevein the facing colour, one gold baron the upper sleeve,one gold top band to shako.Officers' ranks were shown by epaulettes in thebutton colour.Sub-Lieutenant-two red lines along each strap; thinfringes.Lieutenant-as before but with one red line on eachstrap.Adjutant Major-one unfringed, plain epaulette onthe left shoulder, a fringed one on the right.Captain-two plain, fringed epaulettes.Chifde BataiLlon-one epaulette with heavy bullionfringes on the left, an unfringed epaulette on theright.Major-two fringed epaulettes with the straps ingold, the fringes in silver and vice versa.Colonel- bicorn, two fringed epaulettes in thebutton colour.General-Major-Black feather edging to bicorn, twostars on each epaulette, silver and crimson waistsash.General Lieutenant--.-White feather edging to bicorn,three stars on each epaulette, sash as before.

32

General-as before but with gold embroidery tocoat.

Cavalry Uniforms 1810-1813:KurassiersBrass helmet with black fur turban, brass combeand black crest, tunic etc. as before.ChevauxlegersInfantry shako, the new style tunic, otherwise asbefore.HussarsAs for Chevauxlegers except: light blue dolman,pelisse and breeches, black collar, cuffs and fur,white lace and buttons.ArtilleryShako, new pattern tunic, otherwise as before.SappersAs for artillery but with white buttons.

Trooper, Leib-Kiirassier-Garde, parade dress, 1810-1813' Thebrass shoulder-scales helped protect against sabre cuts andthe cuirass front plate was proofagainst pistol shot. The brasshehnet with black fur turban and crest was decked with awhite phune for parades; the red facings are edged in the redand yellow regiInentallace, as is the red saddle furniture. Notethat the carbine has replaced the musket and that it is nowcarried muzzle down in the boot. Contemporary plate bySauerweid.

Trumpeters 1810-1813 'Prinz Maximilian'Heavy CavalryAs for troopers except: red crest and plume, silver 'von Thiimmel'trumpets, blue and white cords. Garde du Corpsand Leib-Kiirassier-Garde-red tunics with blueand white facings respectively; vacant 'von Zastrow'Kiirassiers yellow tunic, white facings.Light CavalryRed shako and plume, white cords; tunics in thefacing colour faced red, brass trumpets, blue andwhite cords. 'Prinz Fr. August'HussarsLight blue shako red plume and dolman, light bluepeE se and breeches, white lace and buttons, blackfur; bra s trumpets, blue and white cords.Horse Artillery Brigade 'von Low'Green shako, red cords, plume and tunic, darkgreen facings, yellow buttons and edging to coll<}.rand cuffs, brass trumpet, yellow, red and green 'Prinz Xaver'cord.

- yellow and orange wi thsmall green leaves.

-as for 'PrinzMaximilian' butorange like theirfacings and silvergrey like theirbuttons; the smallleaves were darkgold.

- black ground, greenoak leaves, brownacorns, small yellowflowers (the buttoncolour).

-as above but whiteflowers (buttoncolour).

-yellow and blue.

In October 1813, after Saxony had joined theAllies against France, the cockade changed fromwhite to white-round-yellow-round-green. Uni­form (as such) was scarcely to be seen; the countrywas economically crippled and soldiers woreanything which would keep out the cold and rainwith little regard for smartness or uniformity.Officers' ranks were indicated by epaulettes in theRussian style and the gorget was discarded. From7 June 1815 the cockade became white with agreen rim, and officers' sword knots and hat tasselswere silver with green.

Saxon Flags and StandardsIn 1802 new infantry colours were issued, em­broidered on silk. Each battalion carried one flag,the 1st Battalion a white colour or 'Leibfahne', the2nd Battalion an 'Ordinarfahne' in the regimentalfacing colour. All flags bore the same devices andwere distinguished regimentally by their ownborders; the colours were as follows:'Leib-Grenadier-Garde' - Leibfahne red & green;

Bataillonsfahne blue& silver grey.

'Kurftirst' and 'Sanger' -red, yellow and whitewith green leaves.

-blue and yellow.

Trumpeter, Garde du Corps, 1810-1813. Again, a Sauerweidplate; the brass helmet has red crest and plwne, leopard skinturban with brass lion's head, and white cockade. Instead ofthe buff tunic ofthe regiment, the trumpeter wears red with aband of red, yellow and blue patterned lace across the top ofeach sleeve. The saddle furniture is in the facing colour-darkblue-and is edged with two bands of the regimental lace.

**

}

*

'Prinz Anton' and'Prinz Clemens'

33

-light blue shadedwith old gold.

-green shaded withsmall violet dotsbetween theleaf-like

iesemeuschel '

'Prinz Clemens'

'von

'von R yssel''von Rechten'

- blue and silver grey-ponceau & silver grey,

gold clover leaves.-as above but silver grey

clover leaves.The new flags were presented at Strie sen in

September 1802 and were carried until 181 I.

The 1810 pattern flags included a new centralcrest with cypher 'FAR' under a king's crown, andthe corner badges were 'RS' on a shield and theSaxon arms on a shield on the reverse and obversesides respectively. The light blue ribbon and star ofthe Order of the White Eagle was replaced by thegreen ribbon and star of the Order of the SaxonCrown.

Tips were gold and showed the electoral/royalcypher. Gold cords and tassels were attached belowthe speartips. J agers, Schii tzen and artillery carriedno colours.Cavalry StandardsCavalry carried one standard per squadron andused their old (1735 pattern) standard until 1811.

These were embroidered, fringed and came in twoversions, the white 'Leibestandarte' and the red'Ordinarestandarte'. The heavy cavalry had fourwhite 'Leibcstandarten', the Chevauxlegers regi­ments one 'Leibestandarte' and three red ones.

All fringes cords and tassel were white andcrimson and the regimental borders were a shownin the diagrams with colours as below:

'Leib-Kurassier-Garde' -crimson shaded.Karabiniers -ponceau and green'Kochtitzky' -yellow hadedThe Chevauxlegers standard edgings were as

follows:'Polenz'

'Prinz Johann''Prinz Albrecht'

Officer, Leibgrenadier-Garde, parade dress, 1810-1813.

Sauerweid's plate clearly shows the Austrian Savour of thebearskin cap with its gilt plate and silver cords. For paradewear officers had this expensive red tunic, with much silverembroidery on the collar, lapels and euft"s. The sash had beendiscarded in 1810, but the silver gorget was worn when onparade, as were the bearskin cords.

ornaments.- black and green-green and brown oak

twigsAll other detailit as for the heavy cavalry.

To differentiate between the four squadrons of aregiment an 'ell' of taffeta ribbon was tied withcords of the same colour to the lance-head. The

34

colours were: white (Leib-Eskadron); red (2ndgn.); blue (3rd gn.); yellow (4th Sgn.). The

hus ar carried no standards.

The Landwehr carried white or green colourswith the Saxon crest on one side, the Landwehrcross on the other (in silver or gold) and optionalmottoes and regimental designations.

The PlatesA is 0 often the case when studying evidence ofuniform of the Napoleonic and earlier periods,minor or major variations may be found betweenwritten regulation and contemporary illustrations.Since it is unusual for the researcher to be blessedwith exact knowledge of the sources used bycontemporary arti t, or the circumstances inwhich their work was prepared, it is pointless topeculate. That variations should occur is a matter

of no urpri e to tudents with a reasonable generalknowledge of the actual condition of military lifeof the period.

AI Grenadier oificer, Infantry Regiment (Kurfurst', galaunif01m, 1806

At this time only grenadier and artillery officers ofthe Saxon army wore epaulettes. All 'metal' was inthe button colour. The Austrian-style bearskin hadgolden cords and tassels added for full dress.In tead ofa spontoon or halberd, grenadier officerswere armed with a carbine whose ornate, broad­bladed knife-bayonet incorporated the electoralcypher. The barrel was browned, the ramrod ofwood, the pipes and furniture ofbrass, and the slingof red leather. The brass waistbelt plate bears theenamelled escutcheons shown rather more clearlyon C2. The heart-shaped gorget and the cap platebear the 'FA cypher on a red backing in a crownedilver e cutcheon.

A2 Sergeant, Infantry Regiment (Prin<. Friedrich', 1806Rank i indicated by the crimson and silver sword­knot, the malacca cane, the spontoon, the gold hatedging, the glove , and the pistol carried on thebandolier (see B2). The cane was a practicaldi ciplinary instrument as well as a status symbol!

Sapper, 1810-1813, Apart froID the white buttons, the specialcap badge, the ann badge and the collar lace, the dark greenunifOrJD faced red was of artillery cut. The leatherwork wasbuff, the breeches grey with red piping; the plUIDe was darkgreen. (A contelDporary plate by Sauerweid.)

35

Saxon General, parade unUonn, 1812. The hat braid is gold, thefeather trUn black, while the dark blue parade coat carriesmuch gold embroidery (the everyday coat was plain). Thewaist sash is crUnson and silver and, like Austrian generals,the Saxon commanders wore red breeches. The saddlefurniture is red and gold.

AJ CO, Saxon Hussars, 1806Typical hu ar uniform of the period, completewith mirliton cap, dolman and fur-edged pelisselaced acro s the che t, barrel sash, and low-slungsabre and sabretache. The pelisse would be worn asa jacket in cold weather. ote interesting blue­vandyked leather elbow patch.

(All three figures on this plate are from con­temporary colour plates in the Lipperheide Col­lection, Berlin.)

BI Musketeer, Infantry Regiment (von Thummel' 1806Saxon musketeers wore a small cocked hat edged inregimental button colour, with a pompon halved infacing colour over white; the corner tas els or 'pulls'were crimson within white. ote interesting scarletstock on thi and other figures. The nickname of theheavy and inefficient musket, with it red ling, wasKuhfuss-'cow's foot'.

B2 Corporal, Infantry Regiment (Prinz Anton', 1806This unusual rear view shows the peculiar pistol

36

The Battle of the Nations, Leipzig, 18 October 1813' PrinceSchwarzenberg (centre, mounted, at the salute) brings news tothe Emperor of Austria (in white), the Tsar (to his left ingreen) and King Friedrich Wilhelm ill of Prussia (right, indark blue) ofthe Allied victory against Napoleon and his allies.

holster and 'carbine hook' arrangement to preventloss of the weapon in action. The sabre is obscuredhere, but would have a crimson and white sword­knot. ote the CO's hat edging; and the canehooked to an upper tunic button, pa ing under thearm and tucked through the turnbacks. Thespontoon head is a different design to that of thesergeant (A2).

BJ ArtiLLery o.1fi.eer, everyday dress, 1806The dark green coat, faced red, with yellowbuttons, was the Saxon artillery's hallmark at thistime; for daily wear a single-breasted coat wasworn, replaced for full dress by a double-breastedmodel with buttoned-back red lapels, exposing thebuff waistcoat, which was heavily embroidered [orfull dress. ote the small collar patch.

(All three figures from contemporary colourplates in the Lipperheide Collection, Berlin.)

C1 ArtiLLery senior CO, parade dress, 1806The elite statu of the branch is reflected in the goldlacing; note that the two lines of lace followed therear edge of the gauntlet cuff. Rank is indicated bythe black-topped plume and the cane. ote thespecial sabre of the branch. Corporals wore only asingle line oflace on the cuff. (After contemporaryplate, Lipperheide Collection, Berlin.)

C2 Musketeer o.1fi.eer, Infantry Regiment (von Bunau',everyday dress, 1806

Gorget and sash would be added to the uniformwhen on parade with the troops. Plain silver hatedging indicates a junior officer. The silver beltplate bears the enamelled Saxon and Polish arms: asilver and crimson electoral cap above two ovalescutcheons tilted inwards, the left halved blackover white with crossed red swords, the right o[yellow and black stripes with a decorative green'clover-leaf' vertical. The hat cockade is white silk.Incidentally, it may be noted that infantry officers

The storming of Liineburg, late March 1813_ It was here thatthe Saxon Infantry Regiment 'Prinz Maximilian' was capturedwhen Morand's division was overwhelmed by the Russiansand Prussians.

saluted with the left hand, and cavalry officers withthe right. (After a contemporary colour plate byAdolph Heinrich Hess.)

C3 Grenadier private, Infantry Regiment 'von Bunau',parade dress, 1806

The front plate of the Austrian-style bearskin showsthe 'F ' cypher beneath the electoral cap andbetween laurel sprays and grenades. The top patchis in facing colour, with a white cro ; white cordsand tassels hanging to the right were added forparades (these furnishings being silver for officers,as was the cross). Grenadier soldiers wore mous­taches. ote the red musket sling. (After AdolphHeinrich He s.)

D Troopers, Garde du Corps, parade dress, 1806Each Saxon heavy cavalry regiment had its ownlace edging, hown on the men's tunics and horsefurniture. This elite regiment had gold-edgedparade headgear even for troopers. The ammu­nition pouch wa lung on a rather narrowerbandolier than the carbine. ote the rowel spurs,and the scarlet stock, just visible. The yellow beltplate again bears the arms ofaxony and Poland.(After Adolph Heinrich Hess.)

E CO, Chevauxlegers Regiment'Prinz. Clemens', 1806NCO rank i indicated by the black plume tip, thecane lung on the front right of the saddle, the lackofa carbine, and the gold hat trim. Cavalry bicornswere much larger than those of the infantry. Thered tunic has a turn-over collar, and two rows ofeight bras button. The docked horse tail isapparently a reminder of the distinguished partplayed by the regiment in the battle of Kolin, 18

June 1757·

F I Premier Lieutenant, Saxon Light InfantlY,18/0-1813

The dark green uniform faced black at collar andcuff was introduced in 18 I 0 to give this regimentcamouflage in its skirmishing role. The ornate goldtop band to the shako is in the form ofa clover-leafmotif, as in the decorative strip down the centre ofthe axon crest. The Hungarian breeches and bootsand the slung sabre emphasize the typical 'lightcavalry' flavour of light infantry uniforms of theperiod. (After Alexander Sauerweid.)

38

;P"

SlUton Infantry Colour edgings lBog-lS; top tobottom: 'Prinz Anton' and 'Prinz C1ernens'-blueand yellow. 'Kurfiirst' and 'Singer-red borders,red and yellow rings and waves, green 'leaves', whiteground. 'Prinz Max;mjljan' and 'von ThiiDunel'­green leaves, yellow and orange rings for 'Pz Mu:',orange leaves, orange and silver rings for 'von Th'.'Prinz Friedrich August' and 'von Low'-blackground, green leaves, brown acorns, with yellowdots for 'Pz FA' and white dots for 'von L'.

F2 Jager, Saxon Jager-Corps, 18/0-1813Alone among the infantry, theJagers wore a shakoplate other than the crowned cypher. Uniformdifferences between Light Infantry and Jagers wereslight. Note black facings on cuff and front part ofthe collar edged red; and double rear turnbacks oflight green edged red, united at the points by a goldbutton. The shoulder-straps were of 'duck-foot'shape, three-pointed at the outer end. A blackpouch with a cut-out brass royal cypher on the lidwas slung at the back from the bandolier passingover the left shoulder. ote the Jager rifle andsword-bayonet. (After Alexander Sauerweid.)

F3 Musketeer drummer, Infantry Regiment 'Prinz.Friedrich August', 18/0-1813

The 18IO uniform of the Line Infantry In­

corporated many French items, including the

~o 0

Saxon Infantry Colour and Cavalry Standard edg­ings, 11109-15; top to bottom: I.F. 'Prinze Xaver' and'von Rysse1'-fonner yellow and blue stripes, lattergrey and blue stripes. Garde du Corps-whiteground, blue edging, gold elDbroidery.Karabiniers-white ground, gold edging, red '9S'and green leaves. Kochtitzky Kiirassiers-whiteground, orange edging, yellow dots and leaves.

hako, tunic cut, and rank and company badges.Drummers' distinctions included the red shakoplume and cords, and the swallow's nests edged inblack and yellow diagonal 'twist' lace on whitebetween green edging. ote 'duck-foot' shoulder­straps and tunic turnbacks piped green. (AfterAlexander Sauerweid.)

G Officer ojHussars, Banner ofSaxon Volunteers, 1813In common with other German states which fellunder Allied control in 1813, Saxony was requiredto rai e as many armed men as possible, as quicklya pos ible. To make the prospect of soldiering aspalatable to the middle classes as was feasible, theywere urged to join Freiwillige or volunteer units; therequirement for membership of these selective unitswas sufficient money to arm and equip oneself.Such units were thus usually well dressed, and

Saxon Cavalry Standard edgings, 11109-15; top tobottom: Leib-Kiirassier-Garde-crUnson on white.Chevauxlegers Regt. 'Prinz CleJnens'-whiteground, green leaves, violet dots. ChevauxlegersRegt. 'Prinz Johann'-white ground, green edgingand leaves, black crescents and diaInonds. Chevaux­legers Regt. 'Prinz Albrecht'-white ground, rededging, green leaves, brown acorns.

were handled by drill ergeants with considerablymore respect than other recruits.

HI Private, Saxon Landwehr, 1813Another widespread German practice in that yearofcrisis was the raising ofLandwehr or Home Guardunits on the Austrian model. The example illus­trated is unusually well and completely dressed andequipped and probably represents an ideal hardlyever achieved. Shortages were endemic, and mo tof these enthusiastic but (initially) not very effectivetroops wore whatever they could lay hands on.Civilian coats and clogs were to be seen in plenty,with arms and accoutrements of every source andvintage. 'Shakos' of wickerwork covered withoilskin were not uncommon. After the armistice,however, when inten ive training was given andstocks of French, British and Austrian weapons

39

were distributed, the Landwehr performed verywell in the autumn fighting. This soldier hascomplete French equipment and a French musket.

ote the new white-yellow-green cockade.

H2 Field olficer, Saxon Landwehr, 1813Badges of rank were normally as for the Line, butuniforms were often very simple. The litewka ordouble-breasted coat, as illustrated here, was verypopular. The gold collar lace adds to the Prussianflavour. Dark blue or black coats were normal, sothat men could dye civilian coats of other shadesand achieve a degree of uniformity. Retired Lineofficers frequently received appointments in Land­wehr regiments. ote that the sash fell from thebow under the left arm in two long tasselled ends.

Farbtafeln

AI Die Parademurze aus Barenfell mit Goldleinen verzieTl, die Epaulenen, clerKarabiner mit reichgeschmucktem Bajonell aussergewohnlicher AusfUhrungwaren aile Kennzeichen des Grenadieroffiziers. A2 Die hochrot und silbemeDegenquaste, die HUlumrandung, der Stock, die Handschuh, die Pike und diePistole bezeichnelen alle den Sergeant. A3 Typische Husarenuniform derPcriode-bemerkenswert iSl der sellsame, miL blauem Schnurhesatz umranrletcLederflicken am Ellenbogen.

BI Der Hut war mit gelb oder weiss umrandel, je nach der Farbe derRegimenlS-knopfe, die Quaste war in der Mille geteilt mit Regi­menlSaufschlagfarbe uber weiss. B2 Die Unterschiedszeichen des Oberge­freilcnranges sind bemerkenswert: die Umrandung des Hutes, der Stock, dasunterschiediche Pikenmuster, die ungewohnliche Disposition der Pislole, die sichauf einem gefederten Haken innerhalb einer Art VOn Beutel befand. B3 Bei derParadeuniform wurde die Jacke durch eine andere, mit zuruckgeknopftenAufschlagen erselzl, wobei eine gestickte, lederfarbige Weste sichlbar wurde.

C, Durch reiche Goldtressenzierde an Hut undJacke wurde der Elitestand deri\rtillerie betont. Obergefreiler trugen nur eine Reihe Goldlresse auf denArmelaufschlagen. C2 Einfache silbeme Unrandung am Hut bezeichnen denRang eines untergeordneten Offiziers. Auf Parade mit den Truppen halle erzusiitzlich ein gorget (Ringkragen) und Leibbinde getragen. C3 Der obersteTuchslreifen der Barenfellmiitze tragt ein weisses Kreuz aufcinem Hintergrundder Regimentsaufschlagfarbe, weisse Leinen kamen daw bei der Paradeuniform.Bemerkenswert ist der role Tragriemen an der Flinte.

D elbsl die gemeinen Reiter dieses EliteregimenlS hatten Goldumrandung anden Huten. Jedes Regiment der schweren Reiterei halle Goldtressenzierdeeigenartiges Musters auf Waffenrock und pferdeschmuck.

E Die schwarzen Spilzen seines Federbusches und der Slock, der vome amrechlcn Rein Yom Salle! hangt, gehoren zu den Rangskennzeichen dieses

nteroffiziers. Vome am Waffenrock sind zwei Reihen Knopfe mil je achlKnopfen.

FI Die grUne Uniform mit schwarzen Aufschlage~.wurden im Jahre 1810eingeftihrl. F,. Es ist zu merken, dass wiihrend die Armelaufschlage und derVorderteil des Kragens au' schwarzem Stoffe mil rotem Schnurbesalz hergestelltsind, die Aufschlage des Waffenrockschosses hell-grun mit rotem Schnurbesalzsind. F3 Typische Infanterieuniform c.t8to mit vielen franzosischen Eigen­schaften.

G Offiziere und Soldaten dieser freiwilligen Einheilen waren Oflers Burger, diereich genug waren ihre eigene Uniforme und Waffen ziemlich verschwenderischanzuschaffen und deshalb oft besonders gut angezogen waren.

HI Dieser sehr gut angezogene Landwehrmann steUt wahrscheinlich das Ideaiedar, dass selten tatsachLich e.rreicht wurde; in den fruhen Monaten des Jahrest8'3, wenigstens, waren viele dieser Truppen schabig angezogen und schlechtausgeriislet. Ih Einen preussischen Ansehen wurde durch den bewahrtenLitewko-Rock mit Goldtrellstabchen aufdem Kragengeliehen. Der Hauptteil derfreiwilligen Regimente trugen entweder schwarz oder dunkelblau. sodass,wahrend der Knappheiten dieser Periode, ZivilkJeider leicht zu einer ungefiihrrich tiger Farbe umgefarbt werden konnten. H3 Typische ]iigeruniform derPeriode, mit aufgeschlaglem Filzhut, grunem Waffenrock und des Forstersfeinhergestelltes Gewehr. Das Kreuzemblem auf dem Hute wurde sehr haufigVOn deulSchen freiwilligen Einheiten getragen.

40

H3 Jager zu Fuss, Banner rifSaxon Volunteers, 1813Jagers of this period were often recruited fromamong peacetime state forestry employees, whosemarksmanship and above-average fieldcraft wereinvaluable in the skirmishing role. The broad­brimmed felt hat is typical ofGermanjagers, as is theoctagonal-barrelled rifle (here, a Westfalianmodel) and the Hirschfanger sword-bayonet. Thecross was typical of the insignia ofLandwehr units;note the brass lion mask and looped chain above it.A single shoulder-strap is balanced by goldaiguillettes on the right. It was unusual to have acomplete unit armed with rifles, due to theirrelatively slow rate of fire. The tunic turnbacks aredouble; that is, both corners of each tail foldedinward to meet at the point, exposing the red lining.

Notes sur les planches en couleur

AI Le bonnet poilu agremente de cordons d'or pour la tenue de parade, lesepaulenes, ainsi que la carabine avec sa bayonnene omementee d'un motifinsolite, etaient particuliers a I'uniforme d'officier des grenadiers. A2 Lepommeau d'epee cramoisi et argent, la bordure du chapeau, la cane, les gants, lapique et Ie pislolel (voir B2) indiquaient Ie rang de sergeant. A3 Uniformetypique des hussards de I'epoque-noter, en particulier, la piece de cuir aucoude, qui est bordee d'un filet bleu.

BI Le chapeau i:tail borde de blanc et jaune, suivanl la couleur des boUlOns duregiment; Ie pompon, divise en deux, etail couleur du regiment sur fond blanc.B2 oter les distinctions marquant Ie rang de capora!: la bordure du chapeau, lacane, Ie differem motifde la pique, et la position speciale du pi tolet, relenu parun crochet a ressort a I'interieur d'une eSpf:ce de sacoche. B3 Pour la grandetenue, la redingole, d'un autre genre, hail arevers main tenus par des boulons,revelant Ie gilet brode de couleur chamois.

C, La riche broderie de dentelle d'or au chapeau et a la redingote soulignel'importance de l'artillerie, elite de I'annee. Les caporaux n'avaiem droit qu'aune seule rangee de dentelle au poignet. c,. La simple bordure d'argent auchapeau indique.le rang d'officier subalterne. Pour parader avec les troupes, ungorget el une ceioture en echarpe se portaient de surcroiL C3 La partieculminante du bonnet poilu comporte une croix blanche sur un fond all"couleurs du regimem; des cordons blanes s'y ajoutent pour la parade. Noter labandouliere rouge du mousquet.

D Les troupiers ordinaires de ce regiment d'elite avaient eux aussi une borduredoree a leur chapeau. Les regiments de cavalerie lourde avaie.nt chacun leurmotif de dentelle, dont etaient omes la lunique et Ie hamachement du cheval.

E Les indices de rang de ce sous-officier comprennem: la pointe de plume noire,et la cane, portee sur Ie devant de la jambe droile. La tunique est fennee sur Iedevant par deux rangees de boutons.

FI Lc port de I'uniforme vert arevers noirs date de 1810. F2: Noter Ie noir a filetrouge des revers de poignets et de col, qui contrastem avec l'envers des pans de laredingotc a queue, qui sont vert clair a filet rouge. F3 Unifonne typique deI'infanterie de 1810, comportant de nombreuses caracteristiques fTanlYaises.

G Les officiers et les hommes de ces unites de volontaires etaient souventbourgeois; leur affluence leur pennettait de se procurer I'uniforme a leurspropres frais, ce qui explique souvent I'elegance de leur tenue.

HI L'elegance raffinee de ce Landwehnnann represente un ideal rarementpratique; dans les premiers mois de 1813 du moins, nombreuses etaient lestroupes qui manquaient de vl:temenlS el d'equipement. Ih La populaireredingote Litewka prete une apparence prussienne a I'unifonne, dont Ie colcomporle des galons de dentelle. La plupart des uniles de volontaires portaienll'uniforme noir ou bleu fonce, ce qui, en co temps de penurie, permertait deteindre assez facilement les velemenlS civils. H3 Uniforme]iiger typique de cetteperiode, avec chapeau de feutre retrousse sur les cOtes, tunique verte, et beau fusilde forestier. La croix au chapeau etait un insigne courammenr choisi par lesunites de volontaires allemands.

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ELITEDetailed infonnation on the history and appearance of the world's famous fighting men. Each 64-page

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CAMPAIGNConcise, authoritative accounts of the great conflicts of history. Each 96-page book contains more than

90 illustrations including maps, charts and colour plates, plus a series of three-dimensional battlemaps that mark the critical stages of the campaign.

THE ANCIENT WORLD218 Ancient Chinese Armies109 Ancient Middle East137 The Scythians 700-300 B.C.69 Greek & Persian Wars 500-323 B.C.

148 Army of Alexander the Great121 Carthaginian Wars46 Roman Army:

( I) Caesar-Trajan93 (2) Hadrian-Constantine

129 Rome's Enemies:I ): Germanics & Dacians

158 2): Gallic & British Celts175 3): Parthians & Sassanids180 4): Spain 218-19 B.C.243 5): The Desert Frontier

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD247 Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th C154 Arthur & Anglo-Saxon Wars125 Armies of Islam, 7th-I Ith C150 The Age of Charlemagne89 Byzantine Armies 886-1 I 1885 Saxon, Viking & Norman

231 French Medieval Armies 1000- I30075 Armies of the Crusades

171 Saladin & the Saracens155 Knights of Christ200 EI Cid & Reconquista 1050-1492105 The Mongols222 The Age of Tamerlane

50 Medieval European Armies151 Scots & Welsh Wars 1250-140094 The Swiss I300-1 500

136 Italian Armies 1300-1500166 German Armies 1300- 1500195 Hungary & E. Europe

1000-1568140 Ottoman Turks 1300-1774210 Venetian Empire 1200-1670II I Crecy and Poitiers

Please note that (or spoce reasons abbreviatedtitles are given above; when ordering, please quotethe title number, e.g. 'MAA 109' (or 'AncientArmies o( the Middle East', etc.

I .... Medieval Burgundy 1364-1477I 13 Armies of Agincourt145 Wars of the Roses99 Medieval Heraldry

16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES191 Henry VIII's Army58 The Landsknechts

239 Aztec Armies101 The Conquistadores235 Gustavus Adolphus (I)

14 English Civil War Armies110 New Model Army 1645-60203 Louis XIV's Army

97 Marlborough's Army86 Samurai Armies 1550-1615

184 Polish Armies I569- 1696 (I)188 Polish Armies 1569-1696 (2)

18TH CENTURYI 18 Jacobite Rebellions236 Frederick the Great ~ I)240 Frederick the Great 2)248 Frederick the Great 3)

48 Wolfe's Army228 American Woodland Indians

39 Brit Army in N. America2.... French in Amer. War Ind.

NAPOLEONIC PERIOD79 Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign87 Napoleon's Marshals64 Nap's Cuirassiers & Carabiniers55 Nap's Dragoons & Lancers68 Nap's Line Chasseurs76 Nap's Hussars83 Nap's Guard Cavalry

141 Nap's Line Infantry146 Nap's Ught Infantry153 Nap's Guard Infantry (I)160 Nap's Guard Infantry (2)

Avec annotations en fran~is sur lesplanches en couleur.Mit Aufzelchnungen auf Deutsch llber denFarbtafeln.

.... Nap's German Allies (I)43 Nap's German Allies (2)90 Nap's German Allies ~3~

106 Nap's German Allies 4122 Nap's German Allies 5199 Nap's Specialist Troops211 Nap's Overseas Army227 Nap's Sea Soldiers88 Italian Troops

176 Austrian Army ( I): Infantry181 Austrian Army (2): Cavalry223 Austrian Specialist Troops152 Prussian Line Infantry149 Prussian Light Infantry192 Prussian Reserve & Irregulars162 Prussian Cavalry 1792-1807172 Prussian Cavalry 1807-1 5185 Russian Army (I): Infantry189 Russian Army (2): Cavalry84 Wellington's Generals

114 Wellington's Infantry (I)119 Wellington's Infantry (2)126 Wellington's Light Cavalry130 Wellington's Heavy Cavalry204 Wellington's Specialist Troops167 Brunswick Troops 1809-1598 Dutch-Belgian Troops

206 Hanoverian Army 1792-1816226 The American War 1812-14

96 Artillery Equipments77 Flags of the Nap Wars ~ I)78 Flags of the Nap Wars 2)

115 Flags of the Nap Wars 3)

19TH CENTURY232 Bolivar and San Martin173 Alamo & Texan War 1835-656 Mexican-American War I846-863 American-Indian Wars 1860-90

Title list continued on inside bock cover

ISBN 0-85045-309-7

111111119 780850 453096