Tuesday 10 August 2010

Bavarian "Knecht" or Driver, on foot with gaiters

Here's one of the essential, if unsung, characters of any army, a driver of the train. Mounted drivers wore long cavalry boots and the pack horses had red saddle cloths with the Bavarian arms in the corner. Each driver carried a short curved sword (rather like the grenadier sabre) attached to a white leather waistbelt, probably with a brown leather scabbard and brass sword furniture. Breeches were buff leather. The red stock was probably more typical of the early period - by the later SYW red stocks were kept for parades and were being phased out in favour of black.