27th Reichsarmee Template - Musketeer of the Infantry Regiment Effern (Electoral Rhenish Circle)

Effern was part of the contribution of the elector (Kurfürst) of the Pfalz to the Reichsarmee. First raised 1690, Effern consisted of 1 contingent, with 2 battalions (a total of 8 companies of musketeers, each company c.137 men) with 2 grenadier companies (each c.100 men). The total was therefore around 1296 men. The regiment had 2 4 pounder cannon in May 1758. From 23.5.1755-17.8.1769 the colonel was Josef, Graf von Effern. The regiment missed Rossbach as it was on detached service. It was with the Reichsarmee at the taking of Torgau in August 1759 and Maxen in November 1759, and stayed with the Reichsarmee until at least June 1760. It was certainly not at Freiberg 1762 where the Reichsarmee distinguished itself.

In his discussion of Palatinate uniforms in Pengel and Hurt's Bavaria, Saxony and Palatinate Supplement (1981) Martin Lange argues convincingly that Palatinate infantry were clothed in dark blue during the Seven Years War, apart from Effern, IR No.3, which was in a much lighter blue. When in 1777 the Palatinate troops were absorbed by Bavaria, the Palatinate infantry all switched to light blue coats like those of Effern, and in 1783 the Bavarian infantry followed suit.

The red facings come from earlier (and even some recent) published material but it seems highly likely that white facings (on the right) are more accurate. I prefer the look of the red myself but... Yellow buttons were introduced sometime between 1759-1777 but it is not known if the change took place during the SYW so I have shown them as white metal as they would have been until at least 1759.

26th Reichsarmee Template - Musketeer of the Infantry Regiment Nassau-Weilburg (Upper Rhenish Circle)

Nassau-Weilburg consisted of 2 battalions, each of 5 companies of musketeers and a company of grenadiers. The unit had 2 3 pounder cannon. The men came from 26 different contingents and Soubise rated the regiment in 1757 as "adequate". Figures in Pengel and Hurt Reichsarmee suggest that the total number of men in the regiment in 1757 was fewer than 900 but this may be a typo.. No doubt much to the regiment's pleasure it missed Rossbach, being on detached service at the time. One battalion was captured on 15.9.1759.

2 possible variants of the uniform are shown, one with yellow buttons and red/white pompoms, one with white metal buttons and blue/white pompoms. It is not at all clear which is the more likely to be correct; perhaps, indeed, they represent differences between the 2 battalions and are therefore both correct.

25th Reichsarmee Template - Musketeer of the Paderborn Infantry Regiment Mengersen (Westphalian Circle)

A regiment of a single battalion and composed of a single contingent, this Paderborn unit was rated as "adequate" by Soubise.

The lace above the cuffs seems odd without buttons but the pictorial material I could find suggests that this was the arrangement (unless someone has other material to the contrary, which I would be grateful to know about!).

Minor updates to units of the Reichsarmee

I've now added coloured versions of the Hessen-Darmstadt Kreis Infantry Regiment (Upper Rhenish Circle) and the Münster Regiments Nagel and Elberfeld (Elverfeldt) (Westphalian Circle).