Alternative Saxon Infantry Uniform

Here is an alternative interpretation of the "standard" SYW Saxon infantry uniform, without collar, with a different cuff style and with hat lace as shown in e.g. Mollo "Uniforms of the Seven Years War".

Second Saxon Infantryman - Grenadier 1756-7

This Saxon grenadier of 1756-7 is wearing the later Prussian-style mitre cap; earlier grenadiers wore a low cap very like that of the Prussian fusiliers. Apparently the Prussian fusilier design was taken from the earlier Saxon grenadier style so both were filching from each other! After 1757 Saxon grenadiers abandoned the grenadier mitre and reportedly wore white lace on the tricorne to distinguish them from the musketeers.

First Saxon Infantryman - Regiment Prince Friedrich 1760

The Saxons won the Poll and so here is the first of the Saxon Infantry. There seems some dispute about many of the details of Saxon uniform; here (specifically for a musketeer of the Regiment Prince Friedrich 1760 serving with the French army) I have followed Wolfgang Friedrich's 1998 work, Die Uniformen der Kurfürstlich Sächsischen Armee 1683-1763. I can also fairly easily do variants that cover the other interpretations of the Saxon uniform. Major differences in my sources are in the buttons on the cuffs, the collar and the lace on the hat. If anyone has definitive information, please let me know and refer me to your source.

War approaches...

As war looms large over Tippelbruder, offers of help have flooded in from others opposed to the tyranny of Stagonia. Both the Soweiter League and Hesse-Engelburg have pledged troops to defend the town and we await details of the troops which Saxe-Bearstein will be able to commit to the impending conflict. At a tense meeting of the Town Council of Tippelbruder last night all present vowed to resist the tyranny of Stagonia, should the present animosity escalate into war, as most fear it will. The general council were addressed by the great orator and patriot (and pie shop proprietor) Herr Adolf Flegelruck whose stirring speech concluded: "We shall fight them in the forests, we shall fight them on the lakesides, we shall fight them in the streets. We shall never surrender!" The meeting concluded at 9.35 and refreshments were served in the Council Chamber.

Trunkenbold Freikorps

The staff artist with the Tippelbruder Allgemeine Zeitung has produced this drawing of the uniforms of the Trunkenbold Freikorps, so that all citizens meeting them in the woods or the local alehouses can recognise them and make them welcome with friendly words and offers of food and drink.

P.S. Lock up your daughters...

Heightened tension in Tippelbruder

From the Tippelbruder Allgemeine Zeitung, 1st August 1757: "Sabre rattling and threats from the court of Stagonia over alleged insults to their king Maurice by that upright and noble citizen David Linienblatt have led to a state of high alert in Tippelbruder. The Town Watch are now manning barricades at all entrances to the town, the drawbridges are routinely kept raised (despite protests from many merchants who are feeling most inconvenienced), and muskets and cannon have been issued from the town armoury to the town militia for the first time in over 30 years. It is believed that the Freikorps of Count Hans Trunkenbold von Misthaufen is spending the summer in the woods around Tippelbruder, allegedly for the sake of their health; this may be only a coincidence but it is public knowledge that the Count is cousin to David Linienblatt and their presence, as well as a promise of aid from Saxe-Bearstein in the event of hostilities, is helping to maintain good morale and public order in the town."

And the winner of the Poll is...

Saxon Infantry! It's a surprising winner but as it's only a matter of time before the others are done too everyone who cast a vote will ultimately be happy, I hope. Next will be the Highlander followed by the Russians and trailing in at the very end of the field, the hussar. So, the plan is to do 1 or 2 Saxons this week and the Highlander next; we can then see how long things take to develop in the real world of making templates and not having much time to do it! The Highlander will be an entirely new template so will of course take longer to do. Thank you to everyone who voted; it was a near run thing (apart from the poor hussar, who will now crawl off to some lowly dive in Gin Alley to get monumentally blitzo...).