Prussian Regular Infantryman 1808-15 Oliver Schmidt - Illustrated by Steve Noones ee x CONTENTS | ™ ‘Readers may care to note that the original paintings from -_ arian Se ee Se ces. eet 50 Catheter Ave, Pony | INTRODUCTION 4 Cac re b0e ‘The Publishers regret that they can enter into no. CHRONOLOGY 5 Bengt man Caro eee ! BECOMING A PRUSSIAN SOLDIER 5 Kerbybectia . Abreomie tone “Conscription + The Krimper system + Selecting recruits + The soldier's height ‘npr mre ia apr Lata Pas gh Po In memory Sabina Hermes. | movcoo waeresase age et scrcndcan bee he atosown CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 44 ronacio.oautor i oo RL oem TN The competion ean intr regiment» The slr pay + Camany fund + Ling quartra 2 Acknowledgements : eal ebepapcaoar TMU NETASIPRLTASE at express my thas othe falowing people: Franke TRAINING 20 ‘ace. Gitar Serer, John Cook, Michael Cra, Dale shoving protic + Camps browses and biting some USA. Meg FO Bo. TP Coven, Peter Slot, LareHlger Tammie, Ber | Saou mone ne Wodshelmer, Joka Zeger, Bruno Ole shermscum Eat econo Kaub) ana Jocchim Niemeyer GM Rasta, EXPERIENCE OF BATTLE 23 ‘standing n revere = Comrie and thing cover «Preventing a rout LEAVING MILITARY SERVICE 4 Desertion + tvaity «Discharge GLOSSARY 45 COLLECTIONS, MUSEUMS AND RE-ENACTMENT 46 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING 47 i COLOUR PLATE COMMENTARY 49 INDEX 64 FRONT COVER Combat ot Loneburg on 2 Ar 1813, byPRUSSIAN REGULAR INFANTRYMAN 1808-15 INTRODUCTION A: the Treaty of Tikit in 1807, Prussia was relegated io’ he second. tank of European pow. Of the army which ad’ been 235,000. men Strong a the outbreak of war, only 3,000 were left. Most of is forireses with their military sores tad been handed over to. the French, many of them without resistance, Praia had Tox half its territory and. high. reparations restricted the financial flexibility of the state for years The Prussian King laid the foundations for rectfVing the situation through farseaching reform ofthe Proian tate an the modemisaon of fits arm, howe tactics were greatly improned and toe incompetent leaders were replaced. Great emphasis wa lad tn traning the soldiers and officers for all the sitions they cond tencounter in war. The recruitment of mercenaries from the. lower Ievels of society was stopped and corporal "punishment "all but both As a result, the public image of the common soldier was significantly enhanced. This 3m one of the preconditions for the introduction of general onseription in Prusia~in 1815 for the duration of the wat, in 1814 for Ges of peace too ~ which increased the potental strength ofthe army radical Through the victories ofits army, Torred from priode citzens and led by capable officers and generals, the Prussian state reemerged. as an important player in the field of European polities, Numerically, the main part of the army vas the infantry. the regular infantry, who formed. the tackbone ofthis are the subject of this book. ‘ech With, King o Pras na generat ‘nl, ante in are by Gerard in 1814 We was {797 and dia in 1040. Every yer his birthdon ‘hapa wns oltre with porases an festitos ‘tne whole army He was beloved by Me slers and CHRONOLOGY 9 duly 1807 Testy of Tas establenas paace between Prussia ad France. The Yorer loses hal ts ery ana has top extemal igh reparations 25 July 1807 The coritas for mit reorganisation Is stl, posted ovr by “Genwa-Major von Scharmorst, Ths comtte wile tthe haat ofthe ‘8 Auguat 1808 Naw Atiies of War are crested, whic repute the cuts and ‘uniter othe soars, Corporal poshrent sal but abolished ‘8 September 1608 Convarton of Par. ictated by Napoleon the strength of he Trussian amy sto be reduced to @ madam of €2,000 men, nee 10 ine regents comprising 2,000 men. {27 Maren 1009 Instructions onthe Use ofthe Se vank or skirmishing are pubihed 46 July 1808 nsractons onthe use of fant are pubis Sanderise cot and serie tal the fant nite itn te Prosean ary. ie Staton in Beri and compote of ffcers ard men taken fom aline rien forthe curation of one year ater which peo they aro return to tha rgiments and be replaced by eter 18.lanuary 1812. New Prussian repuations fr exercise ae pushed. 2B February 1812. Aance betwoun Prussia and Francs, Passa Ma fo provide an "Avdlary Corp of 20,000 men against Russa ‘20 December 1812, Conventon of Tawroggen. Genea-Ueuterat von Yrck dares ‘he neutalyof he Pisslan Ausary Corps under i eonmand a sans an rms vith te Russian Gane Major von Diebisch 4 February 1819 Each ne bation ofthe army ls oad to form a reseve ‘atiabon, proving NOs and exparinced men fr ts cae 28 February 1819 Tooy of Kasach an alance between Prusia and Pus {8 March 1618 Decaraton of war again France S.June 1813 Armistice of Palshwitzbaneen France andthe As. 4 July 1813 Creon of 12 ne rogiment and 12 Rasere-nartari-Regimenter item batons roy ase neat 1813, ‘6 Auguat 1819 Reopening of Rosie. Aust jin the Alls 18to 19 October 1612 “Bate of he Natone’ at Lenzg. Napoleon is detested and rerets into Francs 4 January 1814 The Alles cross the River rine and invade France rom sever ‘31 Maroh 1834 Occupation of Pais by he Ais 180 May 1814 Fes ety of Parana the return of Luts XM othe heen of Fence, 30 October 1814 Offi sat ofthe Congress cf Voma 7 and 25 March 1818 Reorgursaon ofthe ne rarity ino 2 regiments {25 Maren 4818 Miltary Allance of Prosi, Russie, Austia anc Great Britain against "Napoleon, wha nas returnes fom exe 9 June 1815 Trey of Verna, which sates tho political ower of Europe forthe coming decades. 18 June 1818 Bat of Bole Aance (Wario). Complote deft of Napoleons ‘army. ly 1818 Second acevton of Par 20 November 1815 Second Tsty of Pars France has to pay high raperations toPrsea BECOMING A PRUSSIAN SOLDIER On 17 December 1807, an AKO (Alerhichste Kabinats Order, a decree issued by the Royal Cabinet) put an end to the active recruitment of Auslinder (foreigners) in large numbers, This meant that there were hnow only two ways that a man could enter Prussian military service — ‘conscription, of voluntary enlistment without bounty|e ABOVE Brass hit, 137mm igh, of he Fir sword 11727. Sabres of thi type thal were produce ater not have te fngr in, sometines twas even Me fo te hit and ae hauler 33-2mm wide Urmnemaneum Frearien dor Grote Pareenbura, Cllection Winona) brown esther belore 1816, on afta hat ato were tay ompany commander In 1806, von Stange woe Mer = Iftar Regiment Sehimonshy te. #0. (drmeemunoum Fredtah der Grobe Plszenbur,Caltcton ‘Winheimer GT Beta o he workmanhip onthe ear of tie ‘ear. Tha bras oor athe Dota Is eovered bythe Conscription Conscription was regulated by the Kanfonregement of 12 February 1792, issued by Friedrich Wilhelm Il. In its introduction the king lad out the obligation of the government to defend the country against its enemies land to ensure the security ofthe possessions of his subjects, as wells the “obligation forall his subjects to serve militarily The country was divided into Kanfone (recruiting cantons), which were assigned to certain regiments. Basically, every male was compelled ta become i soldier if called upon. However, ‘in the interest of the ‘of the state’ there were more than a few exceptions made Firstly, some regions and cities inherited the prisilege of fll exemption fiom conscription, This exemption had heen granted to them by the Prussian Electors, long before the position of the Prussian kings became sbushite in the 18h century. In 1808 the towne of Berlin, Potadam Brandenburg and Brestan were the only remaining pars of the kingdom sill to enjoy this privilege In the other areas, in which the Kandonmglement was in force, two types ‘of men could avoid conscription: those whose financial or social condition allowed it and those exempt provided that certain conditions were met Those unconditionally exempt were as follows: I the nobility commoners who ow Reichstaer 8 civil servants {the sons of university professors 5 thoxe with a personal fortune of more than 10,000 Reicstaler (as long as they were not crafismen oF peasants) and their sons. Foreigners who had settled in Prussia were exempt as well, ogether with their sons and any servants they had brought with them. If they Duilt a house or cultivated designated wasteland, their sons (provided they were born in Prussia) were also exempt. “Those who were exempt provided that certain conditions were met were as follows 1 those studying 2 those who were active on their own account in commerce or agriculture The exact conditions were laid out in paragraph 14 of the Kantonmglement ‘if [these ypes of exempt men] begin to lead a roaring ‘oran unstable lifestyle or leave their chosen occupation, they shall once more become liable for military service.’ From 24 May 1799 students had to demonstrate that they were engaged in study, as there were numerous abuses ofthis exemption, ‘The AKO of 21 November 1808 assigned the cantons to the regiments of the new army. It did not alter the rules for exemption, as there were no difficulties in finding sufficient recruitment for the army (which was limited to a maximum of 42,000 men). The men ed estates with a value greater than 12,000 preferred for recruits were those “most appropriate for serving thei country", eg soldiers from dissolved regiments that had returned 10 their cantons (especially those who had served less than 10 years and were stil young and fit for service). The sons of soldiers were preferred as reeruits, oo, Men with bad health or ‘acknowledged bad conduet’ were not to be recruited‘Those men not yet selected ax recruits sill remained liable for nltary service until they passed the age of 25, thus forming a kind of regimental recruiting reserve, They were named Kentonisen, From 6 June 1808, the sons of former Auslinder (a foreigner not subject t0 the Prussian state) soldiers living in Prussia were to. be regarded as ratives of the country and fully able for military service After 8 September 1809 the sons of any soldiers born in Berlin, Potsdam, Bradenburg or Breslau lost the rights of exemption granted to their residents, The AKO of 9 February 1813 suspended all the abovementioned exemptions ‘for the duration of the war’, Those who were previously exemptand were aged between 17 and 24 retained the right to enter the military voluntarily and choose their unit themselves, preferably in one of the detachments of Fwviwilige fier (volunteer vilenen). All dae others could be selected as reer for the field army of, if they were Denween 25 and 40, forthe Landa This AKO id provide for certain exemptions, as follows 1 all'weal” young men between the ages of 17 and 24 2 the heads of households whose fathers were dead 3 the eldest sons of widows 4 the single bread-winner of fam helpless 5 civil servants and the clergy Following the cessation of hostilities with France in 1814 an AKO of 27 May cancelled all the suspensions introduced by the AKO of ‘9 February this year. However, on 8September 1814, the Gesets ibe die Verpfichtung cam Krngsdenste (law on the obligation to perform military service) was signed by the king. Every man born within the Prussian state and above the age of 20 was compelled to defend hhis county. There ‘were no exemptions any more. Military service lasted three years inthe standing army with another ‘vo years on. standby, thus forming a reserve for the army in case of war ss who, without him, would be The Kramper system The main aim of the Prussian army reforms was to lay the foundations for the reestablishment of Prussian military power. One of the prerequisites for this was to create a reserve which would permit a swift and efficient expansion of the army in times of war, Im order tocomply with the restriction ofthe army to 42,000 men, an AKO of 6 August 1808 ordered each company to call up some five recruits per month. In exchange, five experienced men were dismissed, ‘0 thatthe effective strength under arms did not change These experienced men were called *Krimper, a word with a complicated etymology which literally means “shrinkers': early ‘thought had been that in times of war they would replace losses and as such prevent the snits’ strength from shrinking. After their period of service they reumed to their home villages or towns and did not receive any more pay, but they could be recalled to arms at any time, forming a kind of regimental reserve, Former soldiers who tad been in the army before 1807 and were living in the canton were also classified as Kriémper as long as they were stil ft for military service. | | | | | | | ‘The number of Krimperand the duration oftheirstayin the companies varied from unit to unit. For transforming a recruit into & good solder, 3 months of training were thought necessary, but, a an olficer in the 1 Sedleiches Infanerio Regiment pointed out with regard to the Kritmper of 1810/1: itseemed to be important only to give these men an idea oF the soldier's life, because no great detail was deemed necessary forthe war" The reserve bataions raised via the Krimper stem at the end of 1812 and beginning of 1813 had still to undergo significant training, before they were ready for field service, However, without the Krimper system this task would have been much more difficult Selecting recruits In each district, lists of all the eligible males were to be kept by the Lanivet (iniicr magine). These were updated once a year in cooperation with the priests of the parishes, sho kept track of deaths and Diets ‘Once a year the commander of each of the six brigades (administrative formations in use in times of peace betore 1813) gave the number of recruits his brigade needed to the chamber of the provinces in which his brigade was stationed. The chambers distributed these numbers to the districts, according to the number of int and the district magistrate distributed their share tothe parishes. ‘Ona given date, all young men between 20 and 25 who were Hable for military service had to gather in the capital of the district. Only those Fi for military service were desired, soall conscripts were examined by a surgeon and an officer: From those found fit the recruits were selected, sometimes los were drawn for this purpose. Their military service would hast 20 years To match the much higher numbers of recruits requited in spring 1813, men who were notin fll health were also accepted. On 22 March 1813) General StabsChirwgus der Armee Dr Gércke, the head of the Prussian medical service, issued a detailed instruction on how to select men for military service. The conscripts had to be inspected ~whenever possible ~ by military surgeons and assigned to one of five classes 1 Every ‘healthy, welHformed and ft man who possesses good sight, hearing and teeth and who is able to perform certain common movements with his body ‘eas considered fit for any military field service, be icin the infaney, eal, a ‘Minor Fults such as varicose veins or curved fingers were passed. 2 Those soldiers who were unable to do longer marches die to bad feet or legs, but had no other defects, were considered still fit for military field service in the cavalry. 3 The following were considered only fit for ‘military duties in garrison’: men who had served in the military for a long while, but whose limbs had developed ‘a certain bluntness; those with bad (but not very bad) sight; men with painful feet; men with sveollen or painful throats; men who were short of breath; men with deformed but funetioning limbs; illery, oF tra commending btn ofthe 2: Wesipoutoches Inantere: ‘eaiment roboiy between Fank o sta oie Mejor ant there: Borman 20 November {759 and staring hie itary10 men with one leg shorter than the other, men with no front teeth but who could sill bite ‘open a carteidge; men with minor hernias; and men with missing fingers, as long as they had their thumbs Those men who were ill but who would be expected to recover, and young men aged between 17 and 20 who were ‘not yet fully formed” were considered temporarily unfit for wilitary service Men who stffered from physical nf for defects oF disfigur ‘considered “Forever Royal military service Becatise so many men hid to be ‘examined at the beginning of 1813, ‘examinations could not have been very thorough. Each man had to undress only iThe claimed to possess hidden defects which would make him unfit for military service. Naturally, there were men who tied to bear the system. Johann Karl Hechel, aged 28, a stableman from Mahlenzichn in the prosince of Brandenburg, was called 10 be ‘examined on I March 1813 in the town of Genthin, 20km distant “My master didn't wa me and believed that I would also be happy to stay put, He rubbed snuff in my e7es to make them look sore so that on examination I should be declared unit for soldieving But Hechel was more patriotic than his master expected him to be, (On his way to Genthin he washed his eyes 1 the nearby River Buckat and became a soldier, leaving us a very vid account of his military service from 1813 to 1815, nesses, 1 t0 To The soldier's height The minimum height requirement to be a Prussian soldier was 5 Fy (1.5m). The IS11 survey of the Kantonistr ofthe line regiments gives the average height of the Prussian soldier as 1.63m, In fact, for the 11 Bine regiments in existence at that time the average height may have been slightly higher, if we assume that men of greater height would have been preferred for military service: the sherter ones would ha used a the reserve in the regimental canton. Asa general rule, taller men who were nat transferred tothe guards centered the grenadier companies of the regiment. The most agile and the orp wound round wih ‘wth ter ana tophy etchings she ht rmeemaseum Collection Windsheimer | ‘oe Pras tose. Although (Wehroeachientiches Museum Paste aquick-witted should have been assigned to the ikslerbatalion: usually though, the shortest men were selected for this nit. Asan officer in the Biker battalion of the 1. Schesisches Infantrie Reginent, von. Blumen, remarked, “The later Fisitire were only distinguished by their short stature and their black leather belts In 1810 the minimum height for individuals entering the guards was 7 Zot (ie. Fup7 Zoll= 173m), but this height is found only in the fest, to battalions of the Garde-Regiment 21 Fup. When the GardeFitilerBataillon was formed in 1809, the men selected for it from the army were to have a height of between 1.66m and 1.7m. The 2. Garde Regiment zw Fup was established in summer 1813 from the existing line battalions, so that the men’s height represented the average found in an ordinary line regiment. "4‘rom ever trod with we sper Dac si, hed to Be one Sought be wound round he dy we tchermmen Kou) Distributing the men to the units ‘The AKOotS July 1809 severed the link between the regiments and their respective cantons, The commanders of the six administrative brigades received the right to distribute recruits to the regiments ‘in accordance ‘with their qualifications for the different arms’. For the infantry which didn't require any special qualification, things changed litle The rectuits had to gather at a given date “in a suitable place’ in ‘order tobe selected for line infantry, light infantry, cavalry or artillery by a commission of officers from all arms. Within each arm, the men could be distributed to the regiments by lot or by the decision of the brigade for regimental commanders, if these were present, If individuals volunteered for certain companies or units their wishes were to be given preference if possible, Tn spring 1819, before Prussia declase! is alliance wid Resi, he recruits were gathered in areas that were not occupied by the French. Johann Heevel hal to march with 610 other recruits from the prosince ‘of Brandenturg to the town of Liegnitz in Silesia: ‘Here our patriotic pride would be put to the test. From 10 o'clock in the moring until the stme hour at night we had to stand in formation at the roadside, awaiting selection for the different arms, But we did not complai ‘The lengih of time, 12 hours for 600 men, indicates that each man was {questioned prior to the decision as to which arm he shoul join. Hechel vas chosen for one of the infantry reserve battalions, Inthe summer of 1813, his batalion was disolved and he was transferred to the Fisiler battalion of the 2. Brondenburgsches Lanter Regiment Voluntary enlistment Military service was attractive 10 men without means and economic prospects, asthe army provided the basis of life: food, accommodation, and clothing ‘This was the reason why Friedrich Wilhelm Beeger, a fatherles son whose mother and other relations did not care too much for him, centered service. He became an apprentice to hunter, but after one year his clothing was in ‘the saddest condition’, Hs master provided him with food, but da give him a salary. He could see no way of buying new clothes for himself, and finally decided to walk to Berlin to become a soldier. There, a the age of 17, Beeger joined the lnantericRegiment von Arnim (No. 13) in 1799 oF 1800. In 1806 he was taken prisoner when his battalion defended Liibeck against the French. He wied to eeape from captivity sce, but was finaly forced join the Westphalian army, in which he rose to the rank of lieutenant, Sent to Spain with his regiment, in IS10 he deserted and after spending some time witha group of Spanish guerrillas, he volunteered 10 serve in the British King’s German Lagion and was sent back to England | its depot. There he changed his mind and, driven by a strong sense of patriotism, he decided 10 return to Prussia, crossing the Channel in smuggling boat “Through a letter of recommendation, which he had received in England, he was introduced to a Prussian general in Berlin and finally icceeded in being allowed to join the LeibDyfantre Regiment, bi atthe rank of an Untoofsierand with the pay of a simple soldier, But he After 1807, Auslinder were sill admitted as volunteers, but they had to be Germans, of good conduct (no deserters were allowed), fit for service and not older than 30 years. Preferably they shoudl come from the Prussian provinces lost in the war of 1806/7. They were engaged for at least three years and did not receive financial reward. Foreign recruitment did not play any important part in the Prussian army after 180s, Sometimes, on campaign, even prisoners could become Prussian soldiers. On 2 January 1814, near Saarlouis, Filer Hechel, of the 2, Brandenburgisches Infante Regiment took a French soldier prisoner ‘Quickly Ttook his musket and made him prisoner. Now, he spoke German and I came to learn that he was Swiss, So I left him all his belongings, and was happy to do so when he said that he wanted to enter service with us, He immediately joined our 11th company, but when we came close to the Swiss border, he deserted. Women soldiers A volunteer of a very rate kind was giel, Sophia Dorothea Friederike Krriger, born in October 1789 in Friedland in Mecklenburg trelitz. At the end of 1812 she had been sent by her father to Anklam in (Prussian) Pomerania to become a tailor. She used what she learned to make male clothing for herself, cutoff her hair and volunteered in Match 1813, entering the Ist Company of the reserve battalion of the Kolbrgsches JInfanteroRegiment. In August 1813, when this regiment's Ist Battalion was transferred to the newly formed 2. GardeRegimen i Ff, her reserve battalion became the nev Ist Battalion, She soon gained the respect of her comrades by her outstanding bravery and presence of mind, always volunteering for dangerous task. Her gender was probably a ‘public secret’ within her company. It seems in one early incident she betrayed herself during an attack, shouting out with a high-pitched, feminine voice. When she was found out she was allowed to stay in the ranks thanks only to the protection of the commander of her brigade, GeneratLieutenant von Borstell: she promised him to be brave and remain chaste, which she did, 1314 During the Battle of Dennewitz on 6 September 1813, she was made Uniewjfser. Later she also received the Iron Cross 2nd class and the Russian order of St, George 5th class for refusing to leave the batlefield despite having being wounded in the shoulder and foot. Afterwards, in ‘hospital in Berlin, her gender became publicly known. As her moral behaviour was proven to be above dou, she sll was allowed to stay in the army: She returned to her regiment in time to take part in the 1814 and 1815 campaigns too. A fellow-countryman of hers reported an incident in 1816, when he visited her in Berlin. Whilst drinking with her in an inn, she was asked for help by a few soldiers of a Pomeranian regiment, who had been {insulted and pushed out of the dancing hall in the same place by some soldiers of the Royal Guards “she imyreaiately got up and went there. 1 followed and was witness to her thurdering at these tall guardsmen with her female voice, blaming them for their foolish haughtiness and their uncomrade-lke behaviour, r>minding them that the Pomeranians had bled, suffered and done infinitely more than the Guards, and setting them right in such a manner, that they didn’t know how to answer and got on well with their brothers in arms from that day onward. Tn 1816 she was allowed on her request to leave the service and the Prussian king granted her a yearly pension of 50 Reichstaler (her annual pay asan acave Untroffsierhad been 54 Reichstale. When she married shoruly aftenvards, and on the birth of her frst child, she received presents from the Prussian king too. ‘Auguste Xriger, as she was generally Known despite her christian ‘name, died in May 1848, She was the only woman in the Prussian army that yas allowed to remain in service after her gender was discovered. ‘There were also another dozen or so women documented who served, all of whom had to hide their real identity. The women serving a+ Prussian soleiers will not be much higher. CONDITIONS OF SERVICE The com) yn of an infantry regiment Each Prussian infantry regiment consisted of two Musketier and one isiler bataion of four companies each, In addition, there were two Gradier companies, The GardeRegiment zu Fup did not have any srenadiers, but the LibInfantrie Regiment had one complete Grenadier batalion of four companies instead, named Leib-GrenadierBatilon. The denomination “FisilierBatailion’ replaced the name *Leichies Bataillon’ (light battalion) following an AKO of | December 1800. "The Mustetier companies in each regiment were numbered from 110 8. The Fisiler companies were numbered separately from 1 10 4: in 1815, they received the numbers 9 to 12 instead ‘The Grevadier companies of the two regiments from a province were permanently grouped together in one battalion under a single commander: The six battalions of the Prussian army were named L Ospreuisces Grenadier Batation (from the Ist and nd East Prussian regiments), Pommerches GrenadierBataillon, 1. Osprefischer Grenadier Bataillon (Seon the Srl andl 4th East Prussian regiments), Wisiprepisches GrenadierBataillon, Leib-Grenadier-Bataillon and. Schesisches. Grenadier. Batailon (On Hand 19 October 1814 the six Gienadierbattalions were separated from their regiments and formed into two independent grenadier regiments, The Russian Tar and the Austrian Emperor were invited 10 be the Regiments Chg of these regiments and the new units became Grenades Fogiment Kaiser Alexander and Grenadier Regiment Kaiser Frans, In early 1813, 52 new reserve andl depot battalions were formed and were (at least technically) attached t0 the existing 12 regiments. These bavalions changed their designation several times, and «racing their development is beyond the scope of this book, Each regiment had a garrison company too, which was filled with those soldiers who were no longer fit for etd service, ‘The soldier's pay Pay had to be distributed to each soldier in front ofthe whole company: and in the presence of an officer on the Ist, 11th and 2st of each month. Ifthe soldier was absent on leave for 10 days or mote, he would not get his pay. The money thus saved remained the property of the ‘government This pa seems to have been relatively lows. Inthe old army” (pre-1807) the pay ofthe private soldier was 2 Reichstalr (ie. 48 Grscen) per month, but was distributed every five days. Wilhelm Beeger recalls these times ee ‘Monthy payin tines of peace for tho infontny on ordered on ‘00 May 1800 For esi comparison, the salary ofa ‘he ine infty ha rence {210 Relate (40 Gronchon) 1 ronacte tation recetves . UU UU Un Sa eee eee ee et ete te eee Pe ee ee seme ete ete teeth =e ee cares tet te = 18 = company expec we [ae [0 [foe wet = ets 15i [Sime eT | ap ae = | | | —_| =] |= spate ay a] a | arena ae) ae | or] ae] ae = [aateiem cane | war | we | ww | a | ar [ncmgesnecnae [aa Tas [ame wae) "aa ae ie | J Lovefew fhe pot tbe of craft 1 Pruon fn epimers 01, The ble its nl men etwon 18 and {yore and oes not cman the las omen whowere ‘tomate what conn. Te ttt nbs er the ‘moore othe gnats wo ent aay flow neta ‘Jrtam of aaentonThe Coberches atroeginent ‘ect those men wh eau not be aed immed oe ‘ral bce thy were Mors 18 yar ob nd ot et ‘Sra eneh orto itr in the calegry of" es ncn’ And shards Bale Wal te were ro m= ‘eh 9 Fa (Pm) the ent of nate ovine Th menge sem ft umexompod orats was “After deducting the expenses for cleaning and other living costs, the 8 Grschen pay received, every 5 days did not suffice to satisfy the needs of the soldier even with great thrift” When Beeger rejoined the Leibynfanterie ‘Regiment in 1811, a8 an additional Untemficie, he received only a private’s pay. He could preserve ‘a smartness better than that of my comrades’ only by using his own savings. As the prices in Berlin, where his regiment was garrisoned, were particularly high, we can assume that regiments Sationed in the provinces would have been beter of Company funds ‘The companies had several fonds supplied by the government whose administration followed basic regulations dated 11 July 1808, The first fund was that of the Geawigelder (musket money). One Grschen per man every month was paid in, based on the regulation strength of the company. The fund was intended for the repair of the ‘company’s muskets. Money that was not spent during the month could ‘be caried oxer tothe next month, butitwas not to be used for any other purpose, The second fund was that of the KomponieCinkosten (company expenses). It was allocated at 2 Graschen per man forthe line infantry, 2 Groschen3 Pfonnigper man for the guard infantry and 2 Graschen 6 Pfeonig ‘per man for the garrison companies. This sum was aso paid monthly and based on the regulation strength ofthe company: This fand was wed for repairing uniforms, feeding the sick, supporting the infirmaries, paying the funeral expenses of soldiers and the purchase and maintenance of ‘musical instruments. Both funds were administered by the officer directly below the company commander, assisted by the company’s Felduebal and Kapitain ‘arnes. They had to provide accounts to the company commander each month. Once a year these monthly company accounts were audited by a regimental commission consisting of a stafT officer, a Kapitain, a iewlenant and the regimental quartermaster. Any surplus of the KompanieUnkosten was administered by this regimental commission and was only to be spent ‘for the good of the common soldier, for his military education or traning’. Extraordinary regimental expenses could be paid from this surplus too, after having. been approved by the king himself “Any expenses for irregular decoration or musicians above the strength allowed by regulation’ were striely forbidden: in 1814 and 1815, in many regiments the officers made private collections in order to improxe the standards of regimental music, For the Medizingelder fund (medicine money), 2 Grschen were allocated per month for every man present under arms. This fund was ‘administered by the regimental or batalion surgeon. ‘The Kline Montenungyglder (money for minor uniform parts) was paid to the regiment for purchasing small items, so that advantage could bbe taken of local suppliers and transport costs saved. For NCOs and ‘musicians, dhe rate was 21. Groschen in the guard infantry and 16 Graschen| 6 Pjemnig in the line infantry. For ordinary soldiers the rate was 17 Gnschen, and for drummers and buglers the rate was 12 Grschen 8 Pyennig. This fund was administered and the materials purchased by a regimental commission consisting of the regimental quartermaster and ‘one officer of each rank from staff officer down to StrondeLirutonant ‘Two NCOs had to keep the list, In a detached battalion, this commission consisted only of the battalion's quartermaster or a Feldwbr, one company commander, one Premior and Secondo Lieutenant ‘each and two NCOs. The soldiers’ wives were to be engaged ‘as much as possible’ in making and supplying such items: this aspect was organised by the commission too. The members ofthis commission were elected by al the officers of their respective ranks. Half of them ~ except the quartermaster — were to be replaced each year. a7For Kleine Ausgabon (small expenses) there was a monthly allowance ‘of 5 Reichsalr, which was pad to each company commander. He did not have to Keep account of this fund, but fiom this sum hacl to provide for all writing materials, his share ofthe sary ofthe regimental scribe and any administrative postal expenses, Living quarters provisional regulation of 24 December 1808, followed by the AKO of 7 March 1810, regulated all aspects of quartering officers and men, The soldiers were generally quartered in houses in the town, and the dlisgibution was organised by the town council. The hosts received financial compensation from the government for all their expenses, which amounted to 1 Reihialer in average towns and 1 Reichstler Pranian cartridge pouch M 1908. ror 2m by f3:hom by em roe ned for ataching te va rave pute for Muskters ana {Grenades ich hed sat ota tops soldered to Reba, The carpe pouch cou be ‘bre bet by the ozo wits leather ara. (slction reyes) ‘or utter the Nopeoent ne sina pice of eather: The French and Brits carne pouches of he Napotenie Wars, Sina plece of eather. 8 Grchen in more expensive towns. Each company had to be quartered as close together as possible, Faldsbe were entitled toa single room, but privates and Unterfizine were quartered in rooms averaging four men each. The rooms had to be ina healthy part of the house’ and accessible by “ordinary stairs’. Each room had to contain one table, one stool per man, hangers for the sniforms and one sleeping place per man, complete with mattress, straw, pillow and blanket, No more than two men should sleep in one bea sharing a bed was not unusual, as this also happened i cisilian life In winter, the soldiers had the right to make use of a heated room, during the day, and lighting until 9 pm, (allow candles oro lamps were rota, ued for tring re ‘ratonae an 3 wor fr pling ‘ut uted earmape. i amser {sem nae te care pouch ‘sseongianed bys boxmase ftom ton seating and ded Into two compartments. The Sone by Som esr vew of he same cartridge pouch The agonal lather strap20 ‘cost factor 100), For cooking, they were allowed to use the host's kitchen ‘and had be provided with the cooking equipment they needed TRAINING In addition to basic training, great importance was given 10 the taining of skirmishers. The third rank of all companies was used for skirmishing. In the Aisiter battalions, all three ranks were used for this purpose. Field service was practised every year in autumn ‘After the wars, Max von Busse, an officer in the 11, Reservefifenteie Fegiment, suromed up his experiences of training reeruits in wartime asf ‘The recruits will receive their muskets on the first day of training, ready to start immediately with the first movements of charging arms. These will be continued in the following days, and, being the main focus of exercise, will be continued dais so that after Lt days they can move on to firing, first with blanks, and then at practice target. Instruction in other movernents will have but Hite time levoted, and should be left completely until the men are sure in the movements of charging their arms. Inst 7. skirmishing, including the signals, and the details of daily service will ako start on the frst day, 10 be followed within the ist eight days by instruction in field service, Training in. marching, including the movements, is « be used only for variety and shoul! not have much time invested in it the time spent on their way tothe army’shall be used for ths instruction, ‘When the recruits, who have been trained in such & hasty ‘manner, are integrated into the rank and file, they should be placed in the middle files of the Sétuionen, regardless of their height, and the flank files of the Séltionen andl Zige should be filled with men who have served fora longer time. Shooting practice The insvuctions of 3 June 1808 and 2 May 1810 emphasised the Importance of shooting practice for privates and young NCOs of infantry and cavalry: New recruits would frst fire a few blank rounds to ‘get used to the flash ofthe pan. Then they would fire live ammunition and 50 paces, learning the prineiples of aiming. For shooting at 50 Schrit (37m) and 100 Sehrit (73m), the target was to be 6 Fp (188m) high and 4 Fy! (125em) wide, with 4 black vertical line in the middle and 12 concentric circles Hem apart, The centre was white, the next two rings were black, and the other rings were only ‘marked by rings. For the distances of 200 Schnit (146m) and 300 Set (220m), nwo targets were placed next to each other. An example ofthis target ean be seen on colour phate B ach year, the three best marksmen of each company received awards of Land ahalfand 2 eichstolerrespectively. These awards were handed out in front of the company commander's quarters. On the given day, the best marksmen would march there, theit shakos decorated with oak leaves, followed by the carried target, the next six best marksmen and the rest of their company, and accompanied by the regimental band, In the Fister batallion of the 1. Schlsisches Infanere Regiment the four worst marksmen of the company had to carry the target. This practice continued until 1840. ‘Camps, bivouacs and billeting On campaign, troops were generally billeted in the houses of citizens, who had to provide their food too, Altematively, troops could set up bivenacs| in the open or, if longer stay was intended, hur camps could be built, “The size and construction of the huts was described in an instruction fof B August 1809, The setting up of the roof of one of these buts is depicted in colour plate E, is base was 19 up by 19 Fup (470em by A7OeIm), giving space for eight men at each side. In the middle, an empty space of 3 Fup (®4em) was Te, so that every man had 188em by Siem at his disposal for sleeping and storing his equips only 15 men should live in one hit ‘On each sie, four poles, each 4 Fup (125em) long and 3 Zoll (Bem) diameter, were du 2 Ff (68em) deep into the ground 150em apart. On the top, on each sie, they were connected by a row of thin beams 1.5 10 2 Zal (4.0 Sem) in diameter ‘The peaked roof was constructed of four thick poles on the front and back sides ofthe hut with eight thinner poles in between. The ends of these poles rested between the two rows of lathes on top of the side ‘wall. Each of the poles was 10 Ff (314em) long. Bach side of the roof thus had six poles witha distance of 99cm between them, Forty-ive thin beanpoles were fixed horizontally to these poles on. cach side. Supposing that three beanpoles were needed to cover the length of 15 Fu (470em), the horizontal poles would be fixed in rows bout 20m apart from each other. Bundles of straw were bound to these poles, ‘thickly enough to keep the rain off, For one hu, 20 bundles of staw each weighing 24 Ffund, were provided ~ a total of 233kg. "The front and back walls and the small 60cm side walls were made from interwoven willows, bushes and straw. The front door wis 3 Fup (Oem) wide and 5 Ff (157em) high, and was made from the same materials ‘With the exception of a few wooden 1 together using only willow-tsigs, ‘The completed hut hada height of § Fup (25tem), and was surrounded bya sinall ditch, On elevated and dry ground, the side walls were only to be 1.5 Fu (47cm) high and the interior dug 1 Ff (Slem) deep, with the earth being used to reinforce the walls on the outside. ‘The huts of a battalion stood in two Fines, all the doors facing the same way, to the front, The huts of the odd-numbered Zige were in the front row, those of the even-numbered ones in the second, The to rows ‘were 15 Schrtt (Im) apart, and each hut was 2 Fuf (63cm) apart. A distance of 9 Fup 2.8m) was kept between each company: In front of the right and the leit wing of each company the muskets were piled together. The battalion colours and the drums were kept in front of the ‘middle of the battalion als, everything was bound{he iver nh, andthe efcers shoulder steps Oficer’ shar nrees the whole Infor bore «smal eagle wth s heok st each sie, These eagles were ever or ‘olde, dapending onthe colour ofthe uniform ton, and supported wv or {olan chin Omer’ parade pues were made rom fostor: Hanging fom © Gocket nie trousers ea farhonabe mall sit atahed to pocket watch 15 Schr (Lim) behind the second ne of huts were dhe huts of the officers, so that behind both the right aad the left wing ofthe rank and file's huts an offier’s hut could be found. The commander's hut lay directly behind the middle of the battalion. 900 Schvit (2201) before and 50 Sevit (37m) behind the middle of the battalion were the huts for the guards, The cooking fires were also located 50 Schritt behind the battalicn. Privies were dug a decent distance in front ofthe batialion. The availability of material and other conditions obsiously had an impact on the construction and layout of the camp and the huts. Pegiment zu Fue 181% in 8 ‘contemporary enaraving by Frlodich gel after «drwing by tg Wot Privates ofthe Pasian quad inom were named Grenadiers, even Rou ‘hoy were techicaly Musevore ‘= ete butte. nadton, to ‘arde-Regimert 2 Ful ha & Iho white ples tem goat (orde-Foaiter Botan, 1812 byte lack batt A an tra {isinetn, Besides the tes en ‘ho ctr and eu dere ot al brags pat on ta sabre bots Tis was ator suppressed yan andr aated 7 May 1034. EXPERIENCE OF BATTLE Preparing for battl The typical proceedings and preparations prior to a bate were described by Renner in his published memoirs dated 1820: his intention was to satisfy the curiosity of young soldiers who wanted to know what war was Tike Before the battle starts, the foremost units ‘which have already reached the batlefild are allowed to stand at ease. The infantry piles up its arms for a short while, the cavalry routs, Adjuiants dials aloug. with an ‘unusual urgency. During this period, you will rove in haste from one unit to the other looking for your good friends, talking with them nit only about the presing situation, but you will alo think of your homeland, talk about dear and beloved persons there, drink their health and ask each other to convey your las farewell t0 them in ease you should ‘meet your death on the battlefield. On parting, fiends and good comrades wil clasp ‘each others hands more earnestly and whole heartedly than usual. Before the beginning of the battle, some will sit or stand. stoicaly ‘without fear in them. Others will be lively and ‘sll ssiflly empty their boule of spirits, and, if posible, have i filed again, before the order to commence the battle is given. Nearly ‘everybody will try before the battle to obtain Tinen and bandages. Finally, the adjurants Dring the orders for atack, Now you hear the vigorously and vividly called commands Break the piles of arms!’ ~ “Shoulder arm ~ ‘Cavalry mount" ~ ‘Skirmishers advance! ‘Then batle will commence. The thunder of ‘cannons resounds, the trumpets of war and the bugles join in, and with the thought of Vieiory or Death, every brave son of the country enters the fr An officer, Ludwig von Rel that sometimes soldiers who had fallen out with each other would shake hands and make peace before they went into battle, Some soldiers would pray The most important thing before battle was to inspect the musket sand check it was working, 10 put a new flint in the cock and make the cartridges ready: The cartridges were transported in paper packages of 20 each (in three rows, of seven, six and seven). They were untied just before they were needled, a, due to the constant shaking caused by the soldier's movements, single cartridges in the cartridge box would lose part oftheir powder in the course of time, observe24 Cartridge pouch m 1808. Tie Im Dare the val ras plate Carrdge pouch of Muskatore (hore are contemporary pint of ‘rena on tar etre (Biechermceum Kaub) If available, bandages and Tinen for first aid were distributed to the men, Some of the men would throw them away, possibly in the hope that if they didnot think about being hit, they would escape Joharn Ludwig Fischer, Friwiliger Jager in the 2. Pommersches vanteric Regiment, reported that on 23 August 1813, before the Bate of Grotheeren, he ‘swallowed a cartridge’ (probably without the lead ball) Most of his comrades did $0, too. This had been started by afew men ‘who expained that ie would prevent infection if they were wounded. Ie may also have stemmed from the belif that someone who already had ‘a cartridge (or part of it) inside his body would not attract another one. ‘Sometimes soldiers would try to lighten the weight oftheir backpacks so that they could run faster in battle if need be, throwing away old shoes, books oF whatever they considered wnnecessary at that moment. Some wto followed suit regretted it afterwards. Some soldiers believed that playing eards would attract musket balls, ‘Others were simpy not keen on their bodies being found with soc ‘sinful (but nevertheless very common) items on them. There are many’ reports ‘of the roads leading to a battlefield being strewn with playing cards, which had beer thrown aay by the men. Often this was done only when the fist musket falls had been fired, asthe men were reluctant to discard objects that woutd cost money to replace ‘Song books wit far from religious content sometimes shared the same fate, as did dice. Withelm von Rahden, Secnde F,Lientenant inthe 2. Schssces Infante Regiment, reports that the soldiers of his regiment observed a certain formality in such customs: the items had to be thrown backwards over their heads, without turning to look at them, After bate, the danger to body and soul being over, most soldiers would try to recover their playing eards and dice To cheer up their men and distract their minds from the imminent danger, some commanders would speak a few words before battle. To give just ‘one example, on 16 October 1813, before attacking the village of Lindenthal near Méckern, Majoron “Krosigk galloped in front of his Fisider battalion of the 2. Brandenburgisches InfantrioRogiment and shouted: ‘Brave men of war! The hour has come, prepare for batle. All ofyou are fighting for one fim alone: the freedom of Europe. All for on fone for all. With this wancry let righteous bate ‘commence. We shal take the village here infront ‘of us by storm, The first battle On 27 September 1812 Kael Renner, Museter in the Ist Battalion of the 2. Wesiprepisches Infante. Regiment, sa combat for the first time: About a quarter of a mile south of Eckau our infantry formed up behind a small piece of rising ground. When this had been done, we put the muskets together and we were allowed to rest a while, as we hadl been ‘marching all the night until then, shorty before noon. In front of four battalion, on the rising ground a battery had unlimbered. In ‘order to watch the deployment ofthe enemy, many curious soldiers ran to the top of this ising ground, I among them, We had been looking for only a few minutes, shen we st in the distance sone smoke rise up and almost at the sme momenta canton ball passed above us with a loud buzzing. Our artillery, whieh had been waiting ready for action on this rising ground (which we immediately ‘acated), replied tothe kind invitation of the enemy-‘The command ‘Groehr in die Hand? [Fake up arm] was given... But the enemy cannon continued as before, starting to bring death and destruction suing tm, lit caer Boar wil bei autong Ue young sobdies, who tried to escape the imminent danger by dcking down, soon asourbrave battalion commander, Majorvon Libell (now {in 1899), GenerakMajor), sw this, he coolly ode up and down our front, as if on the parade ground, Several other officers showed the same calmness and fearlessness, especially our brave company commander, Kaptain von Robr (now Obentand commander of the 26. Infante Rginen), andthe adjutant of our battalion, Liewenant ‘von Legat (now Obetin the Ministry of War). This display made us so proud that nobody thought any more of ducking, even though the buzzing of the balls beeame more and more intense. ‘We had stood there a few minutes, and the command was shouted *Tirailewre sor? [Skirmishers advance!] The bugler blew for the fist section to deploy as skirmishers. n front of us there was thicket of birch and alder trees, encircled by a shallow and dry ditch with a thin fence, which we used for cover. We had just arrived at this place, when the enemy bullets began whizzing above ts in massed volleys, and here and there one of the punched through the tiny fence, oblivious to the fact tha it was Dur sole protection, We couldn't not respond to the enemy, so we sent bullets back to them, but were not able to make out ifa few of them achieved their aim, The enemy skirmishers who were hidden in the undergrowth were most discontent with our countergreeting, they came out of the forest, shouting ‘Hurrah! and in a number so superior to ours that they forced us to leave fur position, The retreat was performed with the greatest precision, and as only a few were wounded, the whole affair Seemed to have been but an exercise on the parade ground. Now, in our first engagement, we had convinced ourselves that the banging and whizzing of bullets would not bear inevitable death, but that above us, in front of us, at our sides and behind us there was plenty of space to cause them to missus Not everybody described their first action as cheerfully as Renner. Fisilier Hechel of the 2. BrandenburgscesInfantric Regiment vas much less reluctant to reveal his inner feelings. His memoirs were not written down in order to be read by a wider public, but intended for himself and his family, and published more than 10 years after his death. Hecher’s frst battle was the crossing ofthe River Elbe at Wartenburg on 3 October 1813:Te was the first time in. my life and my heart was beating against my ribs, so that I believed the man at my side must hear i But he didn’t feel any bewer There we had Wartenbung in front of us, and a single small dam of the River Elbe led towards it, raked by the enemy batteries. The cannon balls were buzzing above us. Now the order was given: “Patron ls? [Ready cartridges!) The packages were luntied and 60 cartridges poured in the cartridge box. The command *Geladen!" [‘Load!"] was shouted, and at our sides, before and behind us shells fell down. One crushed the atendant ‘of our Kaptain, others tore big branches from the trees and passed through the undergrowth, Now all my limbs were trembling, the hair on my head bristled and I believed it would Tift my shako high into the air. looked around, but whoever I looked at, he was trembling 100. I have lite to tell about my first battle, My confusion was sill 00 strong. Also, the LesRagiment stood in front of us in the line of fire and had to bear the strongest thrust, To reach the dam ef the River Elbe, we had to cross swamp in a shower of bullets. Many of those before us fell, but we bravely shot back. Behind the dam, we found French soldiers. Beside them, they had heaps of already bitten off Cartridges, for reloading faster. Those of them who could ran, ‘ran, But many stayed, all of them had been wounded in the head, as the rest oftheir bodies had been protected by the dam. Besides the cartridges, the enemy had also let pots and cauldron full of plum soup. We took hold of itand ate in the midst ofthe heaviest Imusketry fire. So much had our fear let us, none of us surely ‘would have touched @ mouthful when first under fire. Now the Famous lighting attack by Genera Horn followed, all along the narrow dam of the River Elbe, onto the enemy cannons and in, the middle of the village Wartenbarg. The Leibegiment was attacking in front of us~ Twas, a told still too confused and don't iknow myself how I reached the end of the dam. We moved along ‘over the littered corpses of our commades. When I recovered my senses, the enemy hal already been jut to flight and the glorious day, which was the cause for Gereral von Yorck’s honorary surmame ‘von Wartenburg’, came to an end. Most soldiers agreed that the more battles they took part in, the more they lost their fear. But there are others whose feelings were different. Lieutenant Kretzschmer of the Ist bation (raised in the Pomeranian town Anklam) of the 2. Kirmarkisches LanduwehrInfanteri- Regiment narrates his experience: “Many deseribe their feetings ding ther first action as anxious, and are convinced that the more often men are fred upon, the better Drawing ofthe carpe pouch Brace pete with top ccoaton The dimensions of uraing orginal ar tom | {autem by 10.6em over 121om ty t0.om 6 t2em by Stem. ted Zeger they get used to the conditions and become familiar with the danger. But for me, it was the opposite. With good cheer, and with high enthusiasm fll of eagerness to give battle with the French (he led hhis men into his frst action). Finally, the long avaited moment had come to look the hated enemy in the eye... But this cheerfulness diminished with time, the more often I entered combat, the more I became aware of the dangers awaiting the soldier. After afew times, as we marched out T would think: if only today the biter cup would pass and se do not give bate’ or, if we were already in combat: ‘if only today the sun would seta Title faster, tat the thing would ‘come to an end! ... Those who say they would go into bate as readily asa dance are but bragging! Atleast for me, it was so only during my first batle, later my reflections before battle became more und more serious... Let this confesion uf what went ot inside me and which God alone can know for sure, be received not fs one of a coward, because I have never been one, but as one of a lover of the ruth, And I do believe that the bravery of a man who does his part out of a sense of duty is worth much more than the foothardiness of braggard who doesn't know himself Rules of war Renner in his memoirs, which were also meant to serve for the instruction of young soldiers, refers to the following rules of war: ‘The expression ‘war’ denotes in international law the status between independent nations, in which these pursue their rights ‘with force, The rules of war of civilised nations do not allow at all that prisoners of war are killed or hurt. Their captor is only allowed to take possession of their property. Often the prisoners, expecially the officers, are released on parole, not to serve agai before they have been formally exchanged, and to present themsehes whenever it is demanded. Anybody breaking his parole, when caught, will be treated as deserter without honour, Spies snd marauders (those soldiers who singly or in groups, Without orders oftheir officers, dare to commit violent or hostile acts against the inhabitants) cannot claim to be treated as prisoners of war, usually they will be sentenced to death without a long tral. During negotiations in times of war, bearers ofa flag of truce as well as guards left behind to protect individuals or their property are to be treated as inviolable, ‘These may have been (or should have been) the accepted rules during the Napoleonic Wars, but they applied only to those who were already recognised as prisoners, There was no right of the defeated to be taken prisoner. The unspoken and unwritten rule was that an enemy soldier who entered the battlefield had forfeited his life. Whether he kept his life or not depended on the mercy of the victorious troops. This was fair and in that it applied equally to both sides. We find many references to battles in which quarter was ‘neither given nor sought’ by Prussian soldiers (and their adversaries). Much, of course, depended on the individual soldiers character and psychological state, a7Preparing te gestae or ev-nvantere-Rogiment. The ‘rotenat wus spend ot fate the ne ning) ond then the “The greateont was then rolled {tp starting rom the to. Fal the two onde were Sound tothe and the rol wae ready tbe sng oer tee ‘pecteots of the period were ut ‘ierenty fom te Proven ‘ho wore equipped with tem Jong ena One of the days where quarter was not given was 16 October 1813. In the afternoon the Fisiler batalion of the 2. BrandenburgichesInfantevie- Fogiment, which formed part of the Sth brigade commanded by GeneratLieutenant von Hanerbein, joined the general attack of this brigade on a French battery, which was supported by three battalions in column. (Although all the reports use the word *Quarre’ (then the German word for square), this probably just refers to the shape of the formation.) The battery was taken, but with heavy losses. Majorvon Krosigh, the battalion's beloved and lionshearted commande, was killed when he ictacked one of the sipporting French batalions on his oven, without ‘valtng for his men, Hechel reports: ‘We saw this and rushed! after him. When we reached the cohumn, ic had closed its ranks again, but the enemy troops were trembling all over. Thad pressed forward and stood justin front of their bayonets, but had to rest for a moment first. Then Unterofier Bottcher and I tamed our muskets, first to beat aside their levelled bayonets with our butts and then to swipe at their faces. Our comrades followed our example, and even today I cannot lunderstand why the enemy’stood so densely packed and did not efend themselves. They let themselves be slain without resistance, or cravled away. But chen we would beat them more, and even though they begged “Panlon, Kamerad? [-Quarte, Jour eruel answer was “Nass Pardon? (literally ‘Nothing quartet!” ~ imitating the rudimentary German of the French] Until the whole column had been wiped out. 1, Hechel contim Even non-combatants were not spa es Now we went on tothe second column. When we were in the thick of it, a French doctor jumped up to run away, bat my comrade Busch, son of a school teacher, who stood at my side, chased after him and stabbed his bayonet into his side so that he fell. When Busch drew back his musket, the bayonet was stuck. He shouted Alas, now I don't have a musket!” because the doctor, who dled immediately, was lying on the side where the bayonet was embedded.” Isai "There are enough muskets lying around here just take another one!” He did, and we bravely continued to fight, Heechel shows no sign of reproach or remorse (except for having nade the musket unusable). It was considered ‘normal’ unde 1s ofthis hatte. The fighting continued: Sill there was one French column in the distance, A French officer towards us from it, waving a white handkerchief. Ie was an angry day. We did not give and did not seek quarter, So we took no notice of this sign of peace and answered with bullets. The officer fll, his column Ned, Many found refuge in the nearby forest, but we did not spare inyone that eame within our reach. Finally, night Fel. Fortunately these ‘angry days" were not common, andl were probably only caused by heayy loses, Hechel, who incidentally was quite religious person, usually treated the prisoners he took relatively kindlyHowever, in his memoirs he never expressed any remorse for what happened near Méckern on that day. In addition there do not appear to be any relerences ta Prussian soldier of that period being reprimanded for having killed a would-be prisoner: Such rules of conduct seem deeply at odds wth our moder standards of humanity, tthe 1 of transferring orders on the battlefield was could whe Communteation in ‘The most important me: the voice of the commanding officer. Ilyas important that h speak louuly and cleasly enough to be understood with ease, and t ‘was calm, to breed confidence in his men. ‘Usually the men could recognise and distinguish the voice of their commanding officer. If they did not, the results could be fatal, as demonstrated by the following incident during the Bate of Dennevitz fon 6 September 1813. Majorvon Witch had taken over command of the 2nd battalion of the 3. Revrvelnfanterie Regimenton 29 August. He had ‘an excellent voice for command’, but had not yet had the chance to exercise the whole batalion together before this batle, so that not all the men knew hi voice. His battalion was advancing towards the enemy in attack column, ‘muskets ready in their right bands and in good spirits, when Major von Wittich give the command “Hal links? (move towards the left front) Part of the men performed “Links un’ (left about), a part continued 10 move on correctly towards the left front and others stopped, having heard ‘Pha? (stop), The ranks collided and several men began shouting at each ether and asking “what was the command?’ Others responded, repeating the different commands they believed they had heard. The following Zige collided with the wo front Ziigy, the ranks intermingled, and atthe same time the battalion received blasts of cannister from the frontand cannon shot from the flank. This increased the confusion and a few men turned about, expecting the order to retreat. So the battalion had to be led back’, together with the other two battalions of the regiment who had joined the attack, and reformed while screened by some of the skirmishers from the 2nd battalion, The regimental history's conclusion from this incident was a follows The best advice seems to be not to tes the tactical abilities of the men With unfamiliar movements when they ate close to the enemy ‘During skirmishing, when the men were too widely spread out to be commanded by voiee, the bugle was used for giving commands. The 1812 regulation prescribed short signals for each different part of the Daualion (deployed skirmishers, supporting troops, each of the four companies and the whole battalion) which were to be combined with signals forall the basic movements, e.g ‘skirmishers ~ cease ire’ ot “3rd ‘Company ~ deploy as skirmishers’ Wilhelm Hating, a Frill fgorin the Colleges Infantre Ragiment, provides details of his skimisher traning in May and June 1815: T realised that for me, being unmusical, the signals of the bugles were difficult to remember. But I was not the only one, and T vas consoled by the assurance veterans gave to me, that in combat this \would not matter much, that in the thundering of the eannons and the hheat of skirmishing, the call of the bugle would not be listened to. Everybody would jump, shoot, ran and turn as he would think best for him and where he would expect to hit the enemy One should add that most soldiers would follow what the majority of their comrades di, i'they realised that they had not heard the command. I would be interesting to know what Hring’s commanding officer would have thought of ths veteran’s advice. But even though Haring has a tendency 10 ridicule military matters in this way, the above would certainly have applied for many of the Prussian skirmishers who were Departure of he sls for war, na poputr pinto he peri ‘te Prssan king edormod the alls of paroti howehols- a432 still green. Naturally, the more experienced or better trained skirmishers would have been mach Detter at responding tothe commands of ther officer. After all, this was the purpose of taining, Standing in ress Inaction, whether the men had to stand w atentio the time when they were in reserve, or whether they were allowed to rest and sit down, seems to have depended on the will of the battalion or regimental commander, On 16 October 1813, the 11. Raerve InfontoioRegment was formed up under arms for two hours, awaiting an order to atack the village of Markkleeberg, and the men became very red. Aapam son Busse of this regiment, which was renamed 23. UInfantrie Regiment spring 1815, comments: The careful treatment of ones troops, provided that itis not to the disadvantage of miliary service, is fone of the most important duties of the ‘commander, Therefore its unjust and vindictive to Ihave infantry stand underarms for heurs, when itis formed up in attack column and gathered for battle, in reserve or as protection for a battery. In such cases the infantry may be alloxed, provided there are no “objections nor danger of the enemy surprising them, to open the ge ane ranks of the columns and let the officers and men sit down, The latte should keep their muskets upright in their hands, ‘withthe butts of the muskets on the zround. Ina siting position, the infantry is ako much less exposed losses from enemy cannon, fire. This was experienced by the two Musletie batalions of the 23, Infanti Rgiment (who had been allowed to sit down, inthe Battle of Ligny [16 June 1815], on the heights of Busy) “The regimental commander of the 11, Reseroelnfantre Regiment in 1813 was. Obest von Schivichow When he became commander of the fortress of Minden in April 1815, his successor was Oberstvon Wienskowski Both had started their careers in the ‘ole Prussian’ army prior to 1806. Cowardice and taking cover Major Count Reichenbach of the 2, Selsiches Infanterie-Regiment called ‘out to his men in the Battle of Grofigérschen on 2 May 1813: Men! The ‘pullets you hear whistling will not hit you, Therefore, itis useless to fear them, Let nobody dare to duck! ‘Most soldiers held ducking and similar acts of seeking cover in disdi In the Ist Compan ofthe J, Pommersches Infante Regiment the tallest man, ‘who stood on the right of the ist ran, was Muster Ot. His younger brother hael joined his company asa recruit shortly before al stood in the second rank behind him, In the ation at Hoyerswerda on 28May 1813, the Company had to hold out under enemy fre for some time, and several of the soldiers, inchading the younger brother, tried to duck down when the "musket balls passed close by. His brother ordered him not to, explaining Kaptan Lacpo August Eeurd ere i the nfrey ane ws promoted to Kaptain in the ‘atterpeche ntartore= ‘Renment on 20 huguat 1900.8 Fen of Mor, commanding ho ‘Regiment on 18 august 1813: He ‘inthe ofcors of he 8 Rese nfntre-eginent ‘are et him age ht fonot desir the men picked reaiment was known y other Ua no Zae leh (the ie of he etches Bataio ofthe Cobergsches nontrs Regimant, December 1808‘The Fister Stain of be. Reserve ftv Repent ses up came ose {0 Sehadeaie new oer weer 9 epambe 812 co‘Feral of he Fer Balin of 21 nner Regiment, Otebar 1015 ‘EEE PEGE tha it would be improper, unsoldierly and pointless. For some time the younger Ort ‘obeyed, but when the enenay fire becan intense, he forgot his brothers admon Seeing this, the man behind him in the rank called out to the alder brother: “Ort! Your brother keeps on ducking!" Ox turned, took his brother by the collar and gave hima harsh clip sround the eat with the word: ‘Look! The balls ‘won't do half this damage!” Apparently this had an effect, and the younger Ott never ducked again in enemy fre or skirmishers, the rules were not as striet. Fisiiere Heche of the 2. Drandenburgintes InfanteieRegiment reports of the action at Macketn on 16 October 1813: At our se, our Major{von Krosigk] stopped and studied the enemy. Suddenly, he ordeted Fisiliee, throw yourself down, these dogs will fie atany momen” But they didn't fire. Preventi In the act Reservenfantere Regiment had being pressed from behind by rank and started rum +1813, the Ist battalion of the 3 o retreat in line for a short distance, yemy skirmishers, Several soldiers broke The battalion's commander, Major von Welling, realised such an example could spell danger for the inexperienced men of his battalion. He ordered the battalion to make ont towards the enemy again (an orderly retreat was usually done by ordering a “turn about’) and had a battalion volley fired. The enemy stopped their pursuit, and Major von Welling explained to his men that they were retreating and not fleeing, i he would shoot the next ‘man to leave his rank through the palled out his pistol and ordered ‘turn about’ and ‘march’, The enemy pressed on, one Muster broke ranks and was shot by von Welling. This had the desired effec, and the battalion slowly continued on its retreat without any more lisorder arising. Major von Welling was entitled to do so by paragraph 16 of the Aaticles of War: “The soldier who first takes to flight in the face of the enemy, under any circumstances whatsoever, may be shot directs. The same punishment will befall him later, it cannot be done at once, Usually, officers who wanted to prevent or stop rout tried to prevent individuals from running away by beating them with their sabres, using the flat side and not the sharp edge. LEAVING MILITARY SERVICE There were several ways of leaving the field army; desertion, invalidity ind other ways of governmental maintenance, and dismissal. The last method became the most common after the period of military service had been reduced to three years in 1814 Psion ntanteymen resting on the mare, between 1010 and 1813, me contemporary pit by Luda Wot They have {the boekground ane man seems Sted tecapack fhe man (uptersicnabine Berta) aa Pramierutenon in het. Oxtprebiches Infanti Regiment rm 24 March 1808 20 February 101. Type! of Prosi iors in ‘his poo wr the high wai, he very nero Shoulders he ahouier ans were covered By the ‘ot ofthe slevesh, the very omal tance ‘ut hore 2 Zl, Sem The el foe are Bem Jong: Qfemaesenientches Museum Rata been etenby math. The packets the coat tle FIGHT ine vow: Tere ie a pocket inthe et rest ning of dark ue coh the ring 9 he srline with cheap red cloth the od turbos ot {he outside area beter ually Both sien of he rest riled wth posing wien ou to em Desertion Due to the better treatment of soldiers and the end of recniiting Ansinder, desertion was no longer a serious problem in the Prussian army after 1807, Most desertions were committed by soldiers who came olishspeaking parts of Silesia and West Prsia. In 1815, when, from the many conscripts from nevly acquired provinces were taken into the army, the desertion rate rose. Most of these conscripts had formerly been soldiers in the French and Confederation of the Rhine armies. To give an example, on 11 May 1815 the 24. fnfantrie Regiment received ‘men from the Lower Rhine, who were distributed to reinforcements of the companies, Several men were invalids and had to be sent back, about 80 oF 40 were transferred to the artillery oF as cadre to the Rhine Landolt, but ofthe rest 98 deserted in May and June. After the bates of Ligny and Belle Alliance (Waterloo), another 101 of them were missing, most of them were believed by the regiment to have deserted. The regimental ‘commander, Major von Laurens, was so upset by this fact that from that point om he sometimes added the following words to offical requests for decoration for those reinforcements who hal stayed with the regiment “Though he isa Rhinelander, he is worth the bravest ofthe regiment Invalidity An AKO of 18 November 1808 ordered that soldiers who had served ‘without blemish and who now lacked the strength necessary for Feld service but wanted to stay in the military at the end of their term, could enter the regimental garrison company until they qualified as invalids Certain preconditions regarding the privileges of inv down by the AKO of 14 March ISLI. Invalids were grouped into 0 categories semi-invalids who were unit for field service, but could still perform garrison duty, and full invalids who were neither ft for field service nor for garrison service. Unless they could claim to have served with a clean record or to have distinguished themselves, soldiers did not hold the right to be acknowledged as invalids The advantage of joining a garrison or invalids’ company was that the soldiers continued to be provided with the basics of life: food, accommodation and clothing. Men belonging to any ofthe following categories were acknowleged as semi- invalids and could be transfered to a garrison company: 1 those who had been wounded in combat and were thus unfit for field service 2 those who had been disabled whilst on duty 3 those awarded the MilitairEhrensechen decoration 4 NCOs who had become unfit for field service during their military service after six years, privates ater eight years of service 5. NCOs who had become unfit for field service due to reasons beyond their military service afer 12 years, privates after 26 yeas of service Full invalids, who had the right to enter a company of invalids, were: 1 those who had become unfit for military service due to wounds or isabilities suffered on dury 2 NCOs after 21 years, and privates afte ‘Those who did not qualify to be cared for by the government were dismissed and joined the other destitute poor of their native towns or of active military 28 yeUy mots made fom ros {to ently the tt regiment of ‘he province to which he ‘ite treed i sewn The stron ond shower ond connet bo ubuttoned.Arater pea! strap overiaps the clash, districts, For the Auslinder among them who had served without blemish, arangements woul be made ‘to somehow provide them with the most necessary means of living Semi or fll invalidity did not mean necessarily that the men were ‘unable to earn their living. Hechel, who the battle at Belle Alliance on 18 June 1815 and had been in hospital for neatly a year, was declated a fll invalid in 1816, and was allowed to join the J. Provisialuvaliden-Kompaniein the town of Brandenburg: ‘besides my invalid’ salary, which did not go very far, Learned what [needed through the work of my hands and made a good living. My additional income was so good, that sometimes I made one Rricstaler per day. [carted brieks from the kiln day and night, or carried grass from the islands in the River Havel, often having to wade wp to my trunk in the water Lavoided no work, mainly because I wanted to test iy body tosce whether it was capable of hard work. Thanks to God, it stood every test. ad been sev ‘Some men were granted allowances, which were not sufficient to pay ‘a man's livig, but at least served as a contsibution to the costs, Monthly allowances were 3 Reichsalerfor a Felduebl2for an Unterfierand 1 for 4 private. Iva soldier preferred to receive the allowance instead of bie holding a position in a company of invalids, his allowance could be higher. Those eligible for allowances were 1 soldiers who had heen sounded in the field or disabled on duty bout hid not become fully unable to work 2 those fully unable to work and who had served for atleast 8 years (it they were NCOs) or 12 years (privates) those who hhad served without blemish for 18 years (NCOs) or ‘24 yecrs (privates) Members of the two last categories could claim no. right to receive allowances, unless they had been awarded the MilitaiEhrensicken (che military badge of honour, given to privates and NCOs for bravery before 1808 and replaced by the Iron Gross in 1813). MiltairBlrenzeichen avardees enjoyed other advantages too Invalid who ha well’ could receive a Vnsonengsclvin (guarantee of civil employment), which entitled them to be employed by the govern- ment ~ if they met the qualifications necesary for the position, Full invalids who ‘renounced their pos: ition ina company. of invalids, or those who renounced ther allowances, could receive such a guarantee as well. Hechel commented: ‘Such a guarantee of civil employment is like the key which opens the ate to fature happiness. You hold it in your hand, but you don’t yet know where to pt it He received such a guarantee, obtained leave to stdy ata teachers! seminary for one year, and used his guarantee to becom a school teacher in the town of Brandenburg in 1819, Discharge Soldiers oF Kantonisen who wished to be discharged before completing their time of service, hal to get th consent of the brigade commander Their request would be considered and decided on once a year, at the ime when the new reeruits were elected. In special circumstances, men were allowed to request their discharge during other times of the year ‘00, for example, when getting mated or ales seni an inbieriuace hich inereased the wealth of the applicant to an amount which made hima member ofthe clas of men exempted from military duty In times ‘of war, discharge was not granted, Usually discharge was granted following the completion of the set period of service. Wilhelm von Rakden, Lieutenant in the 2.Schlessches Infanterie-Regiment, gives us a touching description of the discharge of ecerans from his regiment in 1816, who after three years in the military now returned to eivilian lie [sill remember even though neatly a lifetime has gone by since then ~ the formation of the company. After the official part our Kapitan von Korth had us wheel in to form a circle rotsing words he th i with a few ced and bade farewell tothe brave ones who. Teft us forever: Yes, some of them he even approached and shook their offered hands. We younger officers, om the other hand, et our feelings show. As soon asthe Kaptain had departed, we hugged our sincere, brave and loyal comrades in battle, and accompanied th for half an hour, until far beyond the glacs of the fortress, Thierig played @ last ime on his violin, and the men sang along with his melancholy tune. Probst spoke the valediction. And now the lst farewell. Then we gazed after our old comrades fora long time, with deep sadness, GLOSSARY AKO Alerhdchste Katine Order ~ Orde by the “gest [Roy Cabinet’, a aw Issued by he King. ‘Austindor A forage who was nota subject of he Prussian state. Tis incase peopl rom ther Garmsn states, 9, Saxons Bavaria, ete Fotdwebe! Sergeant moe ‘rewatigor Jig Volustecriteman, equipping hee at his cum cost and sevng Ina speci company af Fremilige per attached oa bataon, ‘Usller Inne Prussian amy, a coker of he regmentl bat bata, ull asc: Phenlinclechr Fu $1 ST4em. Base ui of ngth measurement nthe ‘ain russian provinoes om 28 October 1773.1 Ful onsiatd of 122, each Zel canst ot 12 Linen, mating 144 Linon pr Fu Croschen See icstlor Hauptmann ‘See Kepian. Houtbast ican of th regent ban Homist Buse,‘Regimen ile ie the storming ff Lipig on 18 Ooaber 1013 a war bom in Api 1704 and Inteteri Repent vn ts (in 1008. The shout Inaoates a ety date for tia porrat (CalectionVeterting [Kantonit & man in the Kron not slete for mitary sence, bi ilaba fra pencil, ‘Kaptain Capn. This ankwins often ao cad Hauotmsnn, [Krimper iran belonging (ote regirantareseve i the Kantor, who cov be alec ip by hi regent at ay te. Kaptain ermes The Unertizer witn the company who isin chege of eaupant and sation Lanorat Ostet mags {Lander (orally courry dotece| Unis created from man age 25 to 40, 00 okt Yo borate for he fl army. The respons forte formation sod ‘euipant of the Lancia was given othe pon shores stead of the rina ot war. Leichte Bsailon Ugh Bxalon, Domination of Filer batons bore "December 1608, Prennig Se Reicha, Prund Poort #85269. (hart Equal to 1-144 es. Regiments Chef epimers conrandet. Inthe period dal with n this book, an bores tn 7 "2 Grsshan, each Groschen conse of 2 Pte, making 288 Peri per Sohatt Accrsing to reguaons 1 Schrtt measured 2 Fu 4 Zot, the oqualont of ‘Selon Saston of Zug consisting ofS or 6 rows ‘Soliman [p,Spstate erly, a man who plas [an instument’ ie, a drummer ‘orbs Taler See Rechte. Untorftizier Sergeant. ns broader sense also means NCO esr er saree ma ug Patoon, hal «company COLLECTIONS, MUSEUMS AND RE-ENACTMENT The images in this book credited Kupftichhabinat Bern are from the Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen 2u Berlin ~ Preubischer Kulturbesit Copyright: Bildarchiv Preufischer Kulturbesiv, Berlin, 2001. Photographer: Jing P Anders, Berlin, 2001 Many of the photographs of surviving original itemsare from the collections ofthe following two BI icher Museum in Kaub rw.rhein-lahn-info.de/kaub/museum/ bluecermaseum htm ‘and: te epiungsrig de/blecher_ muse ht ‘Wehrgeschichtliches Muscum in Rastatt snrastatt. de The remnants ofthe former collection of the Zeughaus in Berlin are now part of Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin dime Other museums which exhibit Prussian items of the Napoleonic period are Milirhistorisches Museum, Dresclen wa mihisnasenr de Bayrisches Armeemuseum, Ingolstadt ut ayerischearmermuseum.de the Prussian line infantry, the ded If you are interested in re-enact following organisations are recormes 1. Pommersches Infanterie Regiment Dfiinneshriegede/preusen 815 him Leib-nfanterie Regiment sexe migliod. tip de/ThilS/Brancdenburg/Leibinfenterie. him BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING Additional notes and corrections regarding the subject matter of this book ean be found at the author's personal website: wa theprusianagle de The following English books on the organisation of the Prasian armies of the Napoleonic Wars are recommended: Shanahan, W., Prussian Miliary Reforms 1786-1813, New York, 1945 Paret, P, Yrck and the Era of Prussian Reform, Princeton, NJ, 1966 Nafviger, George F, The Prussian Army during the Napoleonic. Wars (1782-1813), 3 vols, West Chester, Ohio, 1996 he most important works, quoting original sources, on the Prussian sy from 1808 10 T815 are: Vaupel, Rudolf, Das Presssche Heer vom Tibsiter Frieden bs sur Befiiung 1807-1814, Leiprig, 1938. (Unfortunately only vl. 1, covering 1807 and 1808, has been published.) Scherbening und von Willsen, Die Reorganisation der Prepischen Armee nach dem Tilsiter Frieden, 2 vos, Bertin, 1862-1865 German General Staf, Das Prustische Her der Befviungshroge, $ vols, Berlin, 1912, 1914, 1920 Jany, Curt, Geschichte der Konglich Preuischen Armor, ~ Vol 4: Die Kiniglch Prefische Armee und das Deutsche Reichsheer 1807 bis 1914, Bestin, 1983 Beeger, Friedrich Wilhelm, Selisome Schicksal, eines allen Soldaten, Uekermiinde, 1850 Bock, [W.], Einnerungen an eine grofe Zeit, Berlin, 1913, Jahn, Gustav [editor], Kamerad Herhel, 3d edition, Fisleben 1865 Kretschmer, J. C., Soldaten, Krigs- und Lagevisben, 2 vol, Danzig 1838, a7von Rahden, Wilhelm, Wanderungen eines alten Soldaten, Ist part, Berlin 1846, Rehtwisch [editor], Aus dem Tagebuch eines Frewiligen. Leipzig 1910 Renner, Karl, Beitige sur Rucherinnerung an dl enkriigen Feldstige der Prewfen in den Jahren 1812 bis 1815, Glogau 1829, Riemann, Heinsich Arminius, Der Unterfiier im Regimente Colbg Sophia Dorothea Frivderike Krier Berlin 1865 For uniform regulations, the standard sources are: Ribbentrop, Somdng som Vorhrfen, Anovisungrn sel sumsigen Auf ibe die Dbdidung bier KiniglichPrufischen -Armer, 2nd (fevised) dition, Berin, 1815 Mila, A, Geschichte der Beheidung und Ansristung ddr Kiniglich Preufischen Armee in dev Jahren 1808 bis 1878, Berlin, 1878 Pietsch, Paul, Die Formations: und Uniformierungs: Geschichte des proupizchen Hoes ISOSI914, 2 vols, el edition, Hamburg, 1963-66 Many regimental histories contain useful infor ‘mation on various aspects of soldiers’ lives. All of them are listed in the following, comprehensive bibliography: Mohr, Eike, Heres und Truppengrschelte des ‘Deutschen Reiches und sever Liinder 1806 bis 1918 ine Biblographie, Osnabrick, 1989 SELOW A dtl the car and shoulders. The wey Nah ‘cola piel or he yore around 1840. The shuld ntreuinees fartene: Regiment The shouder sap (atm wie, Somm ong te lace and 62 nthe me) ae sine #012 or ese of 2 Kapa Strum igh cu ps ae 1mm tong an mw oe ‘rpie, the openings ofthe coat {at prot below the pocket Map. Bchermaseum Kou) COLOUR PLATE COMMENTARY A: FOSILIER OF THE LEICHTES BATAILLON OF THE COLBERGSCHES INFANTERIE- REGIMENT, DECEMBER 1908 On 26 August 1808 tno Colbegsches Intantrieegirant coat rom uns which had aken part inher the fortes of Colberg The ight Elton! th regiment wes fomed om the Fiera on Mle. inal, [Pha been rare in November 1006 by Rapa vo tate under the name of Pormersches Proveorehes Fuser Easton Porararan provisional Fuster baat: Comps a ow NCOs and soars ofthe depot of he VWestanatsche and the Mapdeburpiche, Poster Bigade, sscaped Prussian prisoners of war who Mad acne’ the ‘enya 100 ne ecru tom Pumaren, Fs Bgsoe ha ben the denorinabon vain Paste ogret foster beer 1608. i ‘AKO of 23 Octobe 1908 nvedced new unos fr ‘ho whole army, ut due fo tha fran exhaaton ofthe State the change could not be ineditiy mparerted ae many old unfoms and equipment or part oft Sauget 188th ing rered that lt ht atone ot the fart regents should aca the regu ue ‘toms by ture 120 “Thole we se re ti wer the base nto ofthe Foster Sutton von Mr “The fok shoo at bass the eagle, the emblem of the sir ofthe oi army. of ion they were parcary proud. twas replaced by the abovemendoned AKO of Infantry in $780. On 17 Sepember 1806, he wes appointed ‘omander of the infontere Regiment von Schtning (ho. 18 which became tha 2 Ostoreutlaces Infante esiment Prins eich 198. n T8t1 he was tered of the command o hs roiont i ord to concentra fal, ‘on his tank a lade fakin to an napectoy respon {er the miltary traning of th unt of the ast Pace Intanty repent.50 250ctober 1808 wth the cocked with whit woolen sp This was not popular wit many Fiero, but the Kings wa hed o be abaye, Tha far clawed pompon hax aad ‘oon replace by the black and white rational pomson. "The coal which in the “ol” amy had eon Hooked together atthe Font has been made wider ands butones ‘oss th breasts ha the crimeonlpas can no onge be Seen, Crimgon was the datnctve colour of the Westphatsche FusiterBrgade and was chosen for the FisieeBatailon von Mer 32 wel, together with the formers white meal buttons and ease “he batts for Fuse were a5 bate, namely leather coated with layer of blak wax. The nde belt lang ove the Tans left shoulder fo which the huge cartidge pouch Is sitaced is pia forthe inary ofthe Prsslan ery bore casein pack, anon Breedbag ad ho tn war cten, The. batton carted Brith muskets, probaby of the ‘india Patter, whichis shown neo. Tis man, a fr many of his conrades thoughout the inlay, does na cary & weapon at is sce Te eae wou have boon stiches to Regulation muskets Betwoon 1008 and 1815, Prusan muskets of the models listed Below ("stands for Model) wero sin ise the Praia army. nado, many ferlgn muskets wee in use, namely Bish, Austin, French, Swedish and Fussan ones 1 etary musket M 178087 Cabra: 186mm. Bare length: 105m. Ovral enth: 16cm. The lock fem the hat-cock poston. the pan ‘losed nts salty poston the musket cannot be ed — Provided thatthe leck ls et damaged. The first Is ‘wrapped in pape tobe screwed between the von avs the {00% Instead of paper Got or leather could alo be used for this purpose. Howe, these malls could start smouldering. ater fing, with the (abet smal risk of promatue ignition of he next charge. Tortora te tnstone tras sometimes enclosed between paces of lad instead! Toad, however, was mow expensive, whores paper and 2. Fisiler musket M 1787 Core: 126mm. Baral tngin: ssn. Overal length: 1832. The lock fly cockee: pressing the tgge wil cause the cock sping forwar, the fit hts the hare causing sparks to fy. The spake ignite the poweer inthe pan, and va the fuchhol, he powder tha burl The ‘expoding poorer charge propels he bet orwart. ‘8 Files sharpenootr muck M 1787 Calore: 18:3mm, EgHt grooves. Gare lent: 82 32m. vera feng 12tom. Tis ite has switchable sgt for 180 paces (ce. 112m) and. 300 paces (ca. 125m). “Theoretical, ate 1808 a the NCOs ofthe ne infty wore tobe ecuped wiht sherpanooer met 4 New Pasian musk M1808 Cale: 178mm. Bare length: 104.om. Ovrel enth 143.50m. The lock has boon triggered. A musket would be store in dept wah the ek ine postion, to prevent the Sptngs woatng cut nthe coursa of tino Major tops Cheon Ker von Kurmatowsl between 1806 and 1813. Me wos orn on 3 Ap 176 Meving ood Foster Baan No. 1-1 1808, his regimental commander Ostoresichosifntrie-Resnen. On 1 Februst 1810, ‘he wan appsnted commande of tia regimants tet, [atton, nd in 1814 he became the regimental, Commander He did I 1626. To vry dak col whlch ‘Shout be bok ro) eMart opin. The ative ‘Unortsnatay, te erin! rom wich he photograph ek Regulation sabres Pritia saros were of tee types curing this pio, Aer ‘he war of 100807, the rusian army was short f hese twospors: twas decided that NOD, ranmars, bugis and Trusts should receve them fest, then grenadars and {ose men who had ecsved Nonerary sabe tassels. WN the huge exparion of he amy 1815, sabes wore again insnor supp Te ligt of he ble of hs model had bean reduce to bout @tomin 1744 Often twas aan a, thes eres wore in ue or many yeas and were echarpned rm ne 6 silo abeo 1767 Length ofthe blade: 48cm. Ths type of sabre was the regulation abe forthe Fister bataons tughout the Napoleonic Wars. An AKO of 23 January 1819 alowed the Fler batatons to ehooae Deveen this sabre and the andar inary eee "7" New Prosean sabre M 1816 Length of the Blade 60cm. Tht model was reduced ster the Napoteonie Ware, making use of tons of fous Sf eaptred sabres eowalyresomies the French T601- Regulation sabre belts ‘There. ware two new patterns of sabre bet post 1608 1 Sabre bat or Grenada and Musketors “nis was introduces on 10 Dacombr 1810. Normal is bet wes wom over the showder, ut on parade eau be ‘wom around tho hips, a5 had boon the nom in the ‘ld Passi’ amy of pre-1808. The bets for Grenacere and Musketore wer of esther wntenee win oh ‘9 Sabre bel or Fiore “Tee 2nd battalion ofthe Libnfnterie-Resiment essing {oer von York the day after storm the vile ertenburg (9 Ortaber 1813, ina le OUcenury denwing by We Comphausen, The gonerl, hcknomed by his slors er tener (he oe grb) wns wl brow or sng slow to praise, but on hs ercosion Ne tok ois hat ‘nd spoke th word: Tie the brave botany, or which ‘he hot word must have respect Tis sabe belt could ony be wom ver he shou. This ‘pow manner of wearing the sabro was Inveduced by the ‘AKO ot 23 October 108. In ths, the King ordered that ‘bayonets enous be wor inthis ba, ut became noms {or Prussian soldiers to ary them ed to thir muskets 1B: A GROUP OF SOLDIERS OF THE FUSILIER-BATAILLON OF THE COLBERGSCHES INFANTERIE-REGIMENT ON SHOOTING EXERCISE, SUMMER 1011 (On 1 December 1608, the ight Bataions of the intarty regiments were renamed Pasir bataions tn tis stration, the. Untermier aa put ried sharpshooter musket M1787 onthe ground nha taken {he mutat ofone of he man, explanng wy has med. “Alto sles wear the reguaton union induced 1208. Wht collr and cus (entiying the pownce of mana) n combination wih ved shouts strap ae the ‘stints ofthe Cobergsches nena Regiment ‘Teak ete, an cave pouches went Inet that they ae Fister, We can te that ey belong {othe 2nd company ofthe Fisiler bata by the coours th sword tases. plate H, No 42) “The Uneofizer canbe denied bythe golden lace on tha rant end bottom of ia collar and ecund the es. ‘don, ne has gold lace around the top of is hako inated of he white wealen one ofthe men. The easp on the eockace le of brass, woaress the man's of wheCContamporary pinto eld savice attended by te ‘Pranion King to ef his sm, ator roarih en tnd is quords on 1 Septomber 1013, Tis service ws Rel ‘order to ave pace forte ctor at Kulm At hoon ot woolen lace, Ancter dition of his rank fa Bak anc White ewordtassl on a wht bard wih @ Black stipe on 20h set plat H, No 47). NGOs card th carpe pouch on a bet above the lowest foo batons of thee unorm coat, Gecauze thr ‘anole n bate was sperision the cartidge pouch Was ‘to smal compared othe of ina men. Foloweg the AKO of 23 October 1808, the caskin oapsacka wth an Inner cloth tning replaced the pace ‘wor en the iat ip. They wre lrg enough to cary eight pounds of lating and equpmert in them, 38 sa a8 8 ‘an bread! ration. Th franeaetvation ofthe sate co not alow fra theo sidepacks tobe replaced at nce, so rary of these wore modes by ataching two sings, Slowing then to be wor ever both shoulers. As they were ‘mach sma than the new pte, reas had to be cared Inan era beac bag made rom ingn which was teved Im 1810 the Iwo shoe saps of the keapaaek were 52 | comected bya leather sap seross the chest seen that thi wasnt put immediately into practic al batons. AS Ine as 31 Desoroer 1813, the men of the Fir bataon ofthe 2. Garde Regents) Ful whi had been he Falior buttalon of the Lat-ntantre-Regimert before 19 June 1813, were orderec to puchate a smal ron bucks atthe ‘own expenao for the chet saps “which the rgiment wi rocoto short ‘On 21 November 1815 the krapeacks recaied new straps, 18. Zo! (Gem) wide, replacing those of 1 Zall (een) with caries previous ¢: WAKING THE SOLDIERS OF THE FUSILIER-BATAILLON OF THE (COLBERGSCHES INFANTERIE-REGIMENT, ‘SPRING 1012 In tvs scene, an Unterofer fs rousing his men in the ‘motring, best he can “The undertear of commen ‘men and sors of the Népoleone Paro conctd of a sng er which went ‘oun tothe ioe, Tis srt ig sed as nightie No ndorparis, shorts othe tke wre orn The eh had & Duton a the neck anc levee made For wood or bone. ‘Due tothe prevaiing fashion inthe years mound B10, luni demanded a high waist te Wouters had tobe wom With suspenders, The buttons of the font Rap were ot Walle wnen the waistcoat or he form was worm though Sends around the top and bottom, eather peok ane ‘olen plume (Wehrgesciemiches Museum Resta) In some inepecton repos ofthe Nepoleone period wo are ‘old tat savers’ men had come fo parade wth ter Font "acs of ther toveere unbutoned: was the duty ofthe UUnierfer to ars that hs en were clean and propcy crosses Fer tetening the ght (an therefore cen nats) gars, ne men usualy mace uve ofa short cord which was fd ough the butlontee and fastened sound the base of he baton Neckatocks were regarded as an esata part of proper ‘wlan a mitary sre throughout the Napoleonic Wes wala before ae ster The equation recstock was ofbiack ath ae cepted here. Sometimes Beck neckctha woe worn iataad. We Know of several complaints by the Commander ofthe Fuster talon of tne 2. Garde Regan 5 Fi, Major Freer von Gvad! nd Herter, he fiat hat of 18%4, regarding man who wore coloured teckel cr none atl whl aren, Final in an order {othe Daalon on 15 June 1814, be succeeded nating an ‘ed fo this pracce by making the company commanders ‘espera: the getamen compary commanders il be 3 tind to nit tn al ecnes ha ak NCOs, Sout ans ‘lata wl oer nackstocks or recklo ‘Aer 1808, NCO in the Inert contruod to cary private purchased canes wood as an uno symbol ot ‘eirrankOn 12 February 1813, the earying of canes was foriddon for nay sopomtes NCOs ony aren departure Into th ald etabeaned NCOs wore la netted to leave ‘ar canes in garison. Some no doubt would have eaksod that thay might nt rtm to coset ther D: THE 2. POMMERSCHES RESERV! BATAILLON FORMS AN ATTACK COLUMN FROM THE LINE NEAR THE VILLAGE OF GRABOW, 12 MAY 1813 On th da the blockading care in ont ofthe foress of Statin pushed back a sly by the French garcon. The 2. Pommarsches ‘Reservetatailon, being. part of the ‘chasing corse forming an attack olurm: the Tst and 1 2ig, who orginal load at the nt and it wing of re batalon, nave Amoet completed ther move ito postion ‘he batalonscasuates forth engagement wil be one rman deed, sovera ighty weunced, and ne man saversy “fa baalon fed been formed in January 1813 near be Pomaranian town of Corin tom Kramer arc Kantoniston Under the nant 2. Mlz-Bafalion rd Miia Baan Flowing an order of 2 February 1812, @ Unterofisiere, 40 Fale and 1 Spieinann were tobe Warfare om ape ‘bataton to each ofthe @ Pomeranian Nal-satitone. The 2 Iz tain received care rom the Fusie-Satiton of the. Colberechesinfanter- Regiment. The. attalon change ts name in February 1813, when all the MID Bataione vers reac Reserv. Batilone ‘Dus othe cficutsin equping so many new battalions stones, am AKO of 20 December 1812 decrod that tha men tthe new raised betialone shoud rosie a simplified “orm, much cheaper than be eguston unform THs Was the soled YrcmpesUnferm’ ard comprised Jackets and {htan vouser hare was lek ofthe ofl! ones. Head ‘ress consisted many of caps of grey eth wih a stipe the provinoal colour = whe for Pomerania. (Genoa on Borstal hd order on 0 January 1613 that In tha Pomeranian Mil-Batailone the numer of the Datalion shoul be attached in gry cloth to these stripes. ‘Shoulder svaps ware of ge ccth,NCOs shoud have thom ‘made of bus th wth ba number of he atten on. The {acres who had bean transfered fom the tne batalone ‘Continued tower the ragultion uniforms they had Brough “The Pomeranian batalons were armed wth ct Pasian and Swecan muskats Each man card an ‘ld Pras ‘areege pouch but on few weelucky enough to possess‘once Condens were wnuay much worse Fserve- Bata, but a fw days late this was changed to 4 Rorore-Balalon Cobergchen Regiment.THE FOSILIER-BATAILLON OF THE RESERVE-INFANTERIE-REGIMENT SETS UP CAMP CLOSE To SCHADEWALDE NEAR ‘THE FORTRESS OF WITTENBERG, 13 SEPTEMBER 1013 Being assigned as a rsare to the besieging corps of Witeroor, te 9. Resarve-riantre Regent expected stay hte assignes aoa fer afew day, ands herent hus for sheer. The rot of he hut shown here ha aeady been fies aniston te ka walerucures, The roxt step wl be fo concruct the was fom lterwoven wil "wigs, bushes ane sam With the AKO of 1 ly 1813, the 4 Resewe-tataiton Ccabargschen Regiment hes become the 2 Bata ot the 8, Resernifantene-Rogiment. whine mentha had changes names fetes hay hifi aad oe ‘change in mgr ad he new regiment was tec for te fst tno on 7 August 1813 in Bevin. By rac Angst 1813, the 3rd battaion was aroady named Fsier Bxaion, ‘tough offal it recaved ths nomination o flowing mn AKO of 8 September 1818, Im mid=ty the bataon Rad exchanged ke wars or ‘rater good’ Bish uniforms, which canbe seen Pee, thay received Bish geatcoats of grey cath, back bats shit, ‘hoes and clthes beahes es wel, By t June 1818 ha Deen equppod wih Bish muskets, ging os Pusan" fang Sweden moskat tote Lana Tt wa the fem Deiat of mast cf the salues wre had recaied Beish unos that the cago of two ships with Ufor supple or Span and Pris baen suspen tr, and that Someone in Spain was marching rue “tei? Prussian uniform. The tran waa thatthe ih government hana bothered to provide ther Pros ales ‘ith unfloms that fosoned the Prssanreptons “There are to descriptions these green Bish untorms. (one gen by von Mla nfs work on Prusean ore tnd is ten tro a dawg by ifthe, who saw the 8 FReservedntentare:Fegiment. in 1813, In. Bain and ‘coring to is so, hac a sharp aye for euch deta Dark geen unter coat, of he are ota nthe at ‘wo Battalions [who wore “ong. Unforme th wide ta] black colar, ack Swecah cute, notrnbacks, ‘ick shoulder taps with wings ofthe some clo the fot tao rows of white buttons, extencing thee stance towarcs the shoulders, Grean trousers wh ‘ok gates, Chaos avin tho tat batnon Tach, Conca shatos winout a peak at the Back, font peck witout an, lack chinsrape}), but in ont nate of theveund pale a wnte bug, above it the cockade on the topacark green ova pompon, The other parts an the 1S! bation Pearnidge pouch wih back bet Contamporary print of Prussian camp. The hts ae party tmade rom weaden planks The men of ty weet te ae {ld cape witha stp inthe provincial colour around the without a hat wes general cnsiered improper dress in ‘the Napoleon prog, hough, obvouy tore ware ‘ceptions rapsack of ight brown leather muskets th Dayana, ‘no sabres] ~Ofces ar blue ulorms as nthe at Santa he egution uniform). bisk cols sna cute widow piping, red shouder taps wth a yelow 2 he ‘tate tha ofr ofthe other baltslons [Prussian ‘Sakos wth yolow lace around the top, cockade and ‘asp. Black tourers wth red ice snam and yl ators. Sabres as por ho Fustore offre) ‘The desertion nthe regimental histori sgh ferent ‘Groen rare, colar cua, woe, urrbecks lac bois af the same colour NOs recoved woolen sashes. “ho offers wove the untorm ofthe rusian ine egies wth Pomeranian eisthctiona, La. wht collars and ext, On the shoud saps they hed arumbe madam ols twead ry orca, yeaonts ad ois othe sec Yolo batons going down fo the fet In ation, ofcare ac covers od caps, sashes, a sabre or sword ‘cording tos oder of 12 August 1813 the NGOS wore owed Yo put on tar woolen asahes ony f especially ‘rere to do 80 bythe egal commande, for example ‘Recording to an order by Genera-Letarant von Bulow ot 10 August 1813, the white care of the ofices of B Feast Ragin te Yo be cov wh 4 be removed on paraaes. “ine. Resarve-natee-Regirent belonged to Ye 6th Prison Belgsde commanded by Obert fate: 21 August 1315, Gena ven Kraft. According to accounts by cicors ater te Napoleon Wars # constant experancod ‘vee su and poorer quarter and camp pacer han the ine rgenent Bs brigade, the Calbegshes inatere- Prussin solr crossing river a fall moon in 1843; 9 ‘contemporary art by Lig Wal Nete the atin ‘utne of Provan ine infant: thee role greteoots {he shake with small tevation st te fon caused bythe ‘lack and white pempon- Ruplertehkainet Borin) In 1814 a popular contemporary fin the backoround he tice wears the epolette Kepitane would Rove to rows tsar Winges. 87