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Sunday, 2 May 2010

Hesse Kassel Artilleryman

Hesse-Kassel contributed a substantial force to the Allied army, including a fairly powerful artillery arm. The artillery were dressed in a sober uniform of blue and crimson/red. More to follow on the Hessians...

There seems to be considerable disagreement on the details of the Hessian uniforms of the SYW, at least in part because the uniforms do seem to have changed and evolved throughout the war. This is the version of Schirmer via Pengel and Hurt. I shall next post the version of Rudolf Witzel in  his recent book (2007) on the Hessian army of 1762. Kronoskaf's version, based on many sources, is different again.

Update 12.05.2010 - I'm currently working on various Hessen-Kassel uniforms but finding it difficult to find definitive information on the uniforms, as every secondary source seems to disagree on the details. I should shortly receive a copy of Rudolf Witzel's book on the HK army of 1762 (only parts of the book are viewable on Google Books) and I know that that book, useful though it will be in many ways, will only add to the confusion about uniform details. This is getting as bad as French SYW uniforms...
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12 comments:

  1. WSTKS-FM Worldwide2 May 2010 at 14:00

    Hello There David,

    Have really enjoyed the various Saxon uniforms of late. Quite colorful and new, at least to me. The Hesse-Kassel uniform, though more somber, is no less elegant in its simplicity. Looking forward to the next installment.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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  2. Capt Bill2 May 2010 at 17:25

    The Reich Duke really likes your new banner...

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  3. David Morfitt2 May 2010 at 18:56

    Hi Stokes,

    Thanks for posting. Glad you like the Saxons - some of my favourites, as I know I've frequently said! :-)

    I thought it was time to do a few of the "Bad Boys" (i.e. the British and Allies ;-)) so more Hesse-Kassel uniforms to follow...

    I've been enjoying your "Memory Lane" postings on your blog, showing us some of your earliest painted units - a very fine collection they make. :-)

    All the best,

    David.

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  4. David Morfitt2 May 2010 at 18:58

    Thanks, Bill. It seems to be the trend and one I liked, so I thought I'd give it a go. Don't tell anyone but it's a picture of the Battle of Kolin 18th June 1757 where the Austrians trounced the Prussians. :-)

    Hope all's going well.

    All the best,

    David.

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  5. Adam from Lancashire8 May 2010 at 17:42

    Thanks very much for this, David. Hessian artillery are on my 'to do list' for the next few months so this helps me out a lot.

    I agree with Capt Bill about the banner. The older paintings of the SYW seem to be a lot more 'gritty' than the more romanticised later 19th century ones, with the two unhorsed cavalrymen trying to cut eachother to pieces in the mud, and the very chaotic nature of the melee behind them. Very interesting find.

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  6. David Morfitt8 May 2010 at 18:08

    Thanks, Adam. Glad the Hessian artilleryman helps; more Hessian troops to follow ASAP. :-) Are you planning Hessian infantry and cavalry too?

    Glad you like the banner too - as you say, the early paintings seem generally much more authentic than often over-romanticised Victorian pictures. But they are nowhere near as bad as the WW1 propagandist "recreations", which I confess to liking as a boy, though... ;-) Have you seen the contemporary 18th century battle paintings in Christopher Duffy's "By Force of Arms"? I'd love to get good reproductions of them.

    Cheers,

    David.

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  7. Adam from Lancashire8 May 2010 at 21:03

    I'm not planning any regular infantry or cavalry just yet. I'm just starting SYW as a period (although I've been very interested in it a lot longer) and I'm starting off with klein krieg forces, which will make it cheaper to start and also means I'll have forces I can play a game with sooner. I'm hoping there will be plastic SYW 28mm miniatures by the time I start expanding to the bigger engagements.

    At the moment I'm painting a couple of companies from Frei-regiment von Gerlach (thanks again for looking for info for me, by the way) which will be followed by Hessian Jaegers, a Hessian light cannon and crew, Hanoverian Jaegers (using Perry Hessian musketeers from their AWI range with etched brass oak leaves in their tricorns) and then will move on to some French to fight them (I bought some of Eureka's Arquebusiers de Grassin at Salute and a box of the Perry's plastic hussars which should work quite well/cheap for one or two regiments of SYW hussars).

    I look forward to seeing the rest of your Hessian uniforms, David. :)

    Adam

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  8. David Morfitt8 May 2010 at 22:06

    Hi Adam,

    Sounds a very sensible strategy! In the past when collecting armies I've tended to buy vast numbers which means being stared at for a long time by hundreds of figures begging to be painted - very offputting (and expensive!).

    I don't believe I've done a Hessian jaeger so I'll have to do one soon. Although I did do a Hanoverian jaeger I didn't do a coloured version so will have to rectify that too.

    Look forward to seeing your armies develop. Good luck!

    Cheers,

    David.

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  9. Robert Sulentic13 May 2010 at 02:48

    In 1775, the Artillery had buff small clothes. I suspect that they had them earlier, too.

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  10. David Morfitt13 May 2010 at 03:06

    Hi Robert,

    Yes, Witzel gives them buff or straw small clothes in the late SYW. I shall do a variant showing the artillery uniform as Witzel depicts it. Thanks for commenting and the information.

    Cheers,

    David.

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  11. kendo13 November 2010 at 09:42

    it only gets more confusing the deeper you dig...the first rule of SYW uniform research

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  12. David Morfitt13 November 2010 at 14:06

    Absolutely! :-) (Very frustrating, though, isn't it?)

    Cheers,

    David.

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