Season's Greetings!

I hope everyone has been having a decent Xmas holiday. No prizes for guessing what the seasonal header image shows - yes, it's Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on the night of 25th/26th December 1776 on his way to trounce the Hessians at Trenton. Jolly unsporting spending the season of goodwill to stage an attack like that, what! ;-)

I have sadly been neglecting the blog of late for a variety of reasons - real life does get in the way, doesn't it? I hope to post a new flag and/or template very shortly. In the meantime, a Happy New Year to all.

Cheers,

David.

Flags of Prussian Garrison Regiment IX

Garrison Regiment IX was raised in Geldern 1743 as a single battalion and included a grenadier company. It served as the garrison of Geldern until 1756. After the war it returned to Geldern to act as garrison again.

When the French invaded in 1757 Wesel was evacuated, leaving Geldern isolated. Although surrounded, the fortress was well protected by flooding and was defended successfully until August 23rd. An attempt by what have been described as "unreliable foreigners" in the regiment to mutiny and surrender the place was foiled (Dorn and Engelmann) but food eventually ran out and Colonel von Salmuth commanding was able to agree terms of surrender with the French which included free departure for the regiment. When they left, most of the men deserted, leaving only fifteen officers, eighteen NCOs, twenty four privates, one drummer and five flags to reach Magdeburg. On October 13th they marched to Berlin, arriving just in time to withdraw to Potsdam in the face of the Austrian general Hadik's attack on Berlin. In spring 1758 the battalion was sent back to Magdeburg to act as garrison. In 1763 at the end of the war it returned to Geldern and combined with Salenmon's Freikorps to make a total of two battalions.

The grenadiers of the regiment were combined with the grenadiers of Garrison Regiment XIII and IR45 to form Standing Grenadier Battalion No.II. They had a rough war. Having been part of Frederick's invasion force of Saxony in 1756 which surrounded the Saxons at Pirna, they then took part in the invasion of Bohemia in 1757. They were at Prague in May that year, then the defeat at Moys in September. Having been badly chopped up there they were temporarily amalgamated with Grenadier Battalion 41/44 until the spring of 1758. In November 1757 they were at Breslau as right flank guard. At Leuthen in December they were again part of the refused right flank guard. At Hochkirch in October 1758 the battalion was on the extreme left of the Prussian position and was overwhelmed by the Austrian corps of Arenberg, losing two of its companies as prisoners. After the battle the battalion was once again amalgamated with Grenadier Battalion 41/44. (Duffy shows total losses of over 70% for the battalion at Hochkirch (Duffy, Army of Frederick the Great, 1st Edition).) As the final indignity, the entire battalion was captured at Glatz in July 1760. By then there was no longer any prisoner exchange with the Austrians so the battalion was not re-established before the end of the war.

The regimental flag design is shown at the top (Kompaniefahnen), the Colonel's flag (or Leibfahne) at the bottom.

Flags of Prussian Garrison Regiment I

Garrison Regiment I was raised in 1718 as a single battalion. In 1744 it was increased to 2 battalions. In 1756 it was again increased, to 4 battalions. The regiment's recruits came from East Prussia, namely the cities of Memel, Wehlau, Tapiau, Hohenstein, Nordenburg, Schirwindt and Stallupönen. In 1756 it was the garrison of Königsberg, Gumbinnen, Memel and Pillau, plus Stettin in 1760.

In the winter of 1757-8 the 2 battalions of the regiment in garrison in Königsberg and Pillau withdrew into Pomerania on hearing the news that the Russian general Fermor intended to retake East Prussia. "They took with them the money, the greater part of the stores and the artillery" (Kronoskaf). At the end of June 1758 the regiment stayed in Pomerania to face the Swedes, Dohna's small Prussian army having left Pomerania to confront the Russians in Brandenburg. In 1759 the regiment was defending the mouth of the river Oder against the Swedes but withdrew in September. In mid-September 1 battalion of the regiment and Land Militia Battalion No.4 Wasmer were defending the town of Wollin; on the 16th the Swedes stormed the town, capturing the garrison. (Details from Kronoskaf.)

The grenadiers of the regiment were combined with the grenadiers of Garrison Regiment XI during the war up to 1760, forming Standing Grenadier Battalion Nr. IV (G-I/G-XI Lossau). From 1760 they were combined with the grenadiers of Garrison Regiment No.II to form the same standing grenadier battalion. They fought at Gross-Jägersdorf in 1757, Zorndorf in 1758 (around 40% casualties - Duffy, Army of Frederick the Great, 1st edition), Kay and Kunersdorf in 1759 and Torgau in 1760.

This is the most elaborate style of garrison regiment flag, carried only by regiments 1 and 2. It is very similar to the flags carried by many of the regular line infantry regiments, except for the wreaths which are in the style carried by the other garrison regiments and which are very similar to the design of wreath used on the flags of the regiments of Frederick William I, Frederick's father. The regimental flag design is shown at the top (Kompaniefahnen), the Colonel's flag (or Leibfahne) at the bottom.

Uniform plates added to all three Prussian garrison regiment posts...

I have now added uniform plates to all three of the Prussian garrison regiment posts. The uniforms of the garrison regiments were generally much simpler and plainer than those of the line regiments, largely for reasons of economy. The Prussian state always struggled to support what was, compared to its population, a very large standing army. In wartime, looting occupied countries, as the Prussians ransacked Saxony in the Seven Years War, often brought in much needed revenue to keep the Prussian war machine functioning.

Flags of Prussian Garrison Regiment II

Garrison Regiment II was raised in 1717 as a single battalion and had the reputation of being the best garrison regiment in the army. In 1744 it was increased to 2 battalions. In July 1756 it was again increased to 4 battalions, partly through transfers from Infantry Regiments 11 and 16, and partly through transfers from Dragoon Regiments 6, 7 and 8. (How those dragoons must have hated the drop in status!) The regiment's recruits came from East Prussia, namely the cities of Pillau, Mohrungen, Saalfeld, Lyck, Marienwerder, Rosenberg and Johannisburg. In 1756 it was the garrison of Pillau, Fischhausen and Friedrichsburg.

In 1757 the regiment was in the second line at the battle of Gross-Jägersdorf on 30th August and suffered heavy casualties; according to Engelmann, "in the thick Norkitt Forest, amid powder smoke and battle noise, it began to shoot at its own first line by mistake, taking them for the Russians. This confusion made the Russian counterattack possible". It was at Schweidnitz in 1758 and the grenadiers saw action at Zorndorf (over 30% casualties - Duffy), Kay and Kunersdorf (around 30% casualties - Duffy). From 1760 the 1st battalion was with Prince Henry in Silesia and Saxony. The other battalions were firstly at Breslau and Neisse, then Neisse, Trachenburg and Militsch in 1762. The 1st battalion and grenadiers fought in the battle of Torgau in 1760, as well as at Freiberg in 1762. The regiment retained 3 battalions at the peace in 1763 unlike the other garrison regiments that returned to their pre-1756 establishment.

This is the most elaborate style of garrison regiment flag, carried only by regiments 1 and 2. It is very similar to the flags carried by many of the regular line infantry regiments, except for the wreaths which are in the style carried by the other garrison regiments and which are very similar to the design of wreath used on the flags of the regiments of Frederick William I, Frederick's father. The regimental flag design is shown at the top (Kompaniefahnen), the Colonel's flag (or Leibfahne) at the bottom.

And this plate shows the relatively plain uniform of the regiment, typical of those of the garrison regiments:

(I shall shortly add uniform plates for the other two garrison regiments whose flags I have depicted.)

Flags of Prussian Garrison Regiment V

Garrison Regiment V was raised as a garrison for the newly captured fortress of Glogau in 1741. At first of 2 battalions, it was increased to 4 in 1754. (It is reported that the increase included many men drafted from other Silesian regiments, of normal height "but who are vagabonds and of whom the regiment is not really sure" - Engelmann, Infantry of Frederick the Great.) It was recruited in Glogau until 1747 when its recruiting area was increased to include Breslau and Frankenstein (yes, there really is (or was) a place called Frankenstein!*). The regiment garrisoned not only Glogau but by 1755 Crossen, Reppen, Züllichau, Beeskow and Sommerfeld.

It had a very eventful Seven Years War, especially for a unit designated for garrison duties. The 1st and 2nd battalions were part of a small Prussian force which was designed to push the Austrians out of Landeshut and were at the first battle of Landeshut in August that year. In November 3 battalions were captured when Schweidnitz fell to the Austrians. In April 1758 the 1st and 2nd battalions were part of the King's army which recaptured Schweidnitz and were subsequently in June part of the guard of the supply train that was destroyed at Domstadl during the invasion of Moravia and unsuccessful siege of Olmütz. The 1st and 2nd battalions were then at the battle of Paltzig (or Kay) in July 1759, where the Prussians were defeated by the Russians, and then had the pleasure of facing the Russians again at Kunersdorf in August, another bloody defeat for the Prussians in the face of a combined Austro-Russian army. (The 1st edition of Christopher Duffy's Army of Frederick the Great shows that Garrison Regiment V's 2 battalions suffered 20-25% casualties at Kunersdorf, serious losses but probably a good deal fewer than many of the other Prussian regiments involved.) In 1760 they joined Prince Henry's army and stayed on in Saxony. The 3rd and 4th battalions spent most of the war in garrison duties in Silesia, no doubt much to the relief of the troops, especially when they heard of the experiences of the 1st and 2nd battalions!

This was the simplest design of garrison regiment flag, carried by the majority of the garrison regiments. The regimental flag design is shown at the top (Kompaniefahnen), the Colonel's flag (or Leibfahne) at the bottom.

* A quick check on the 'Net shows that Germany still has several, in fact...

Flags of Prussian Garrison Regiment III

Some years ago I posted simple outline templates of the flags of various Prussian regiments, including some of the Garrison Regiments. I thought I'd update some of them as colour versions and here are the first updated flags.

Garrison Regiment III was raised as a single battalion in 1718 for garrison duty. It was recruited in Pomerania - the towns of Colberg, Bublitz, Usedom and Bütow. An additional battalion was raised in 1757, making it a full regiment. At the start of the Seven Years War it was the garrison of Colberg. Its grenadiers (combined with those of Garrison Regiment IV and the New Garrison regiment) fought at Prague, Kolin, Schweidnitz, Leuthen, Hochkirch and Torgau. In 1758 and 1759 the musketeer battalions occupied Torgau and Dresden. In September 1760 the first battalion was taken prisoner in Torgau and the second battalion was taken prisoner in Wittenberg in October that year. The regiment was reformed at the end of the war in Colberg in 1763, incorporating men from Schony's Frei Korps as well as returning former prisoners.

The regimental flag design is shown at the top (these were the Kompaniefahnen), the Colonel's flag (or Leibfahne) at the bottom.

Slight update to the text of Gardes Françaises - plus can't miss Kolin Day! (See blog header.)

I've added some explanation from Pierre Charrié on the numbers of fleurs de lys in the Gardes Françaises' ordonnance flags to the original posting (see below).

I cannot miss commemorating Kolin Day - 18th June 1757, when Frederick suffered his first major defeat at the hands of the Austrians. Hoorah! The blog header image is from the fresco in the Ruhmeshalle of the Heeresgeschichtlichen Museum in Vienna and shows the victorious charge of the Ligne Dragoon Regiment late in the battle. The regiment had many young and inexperienced recruits in its ranks and according to legend had been ridiculed by the army commander Daun himself for its lack of moustaches - he called them blancs becs and so they were itching to prove themselves, as they did magnificently - but their casualties were very heavy.

After the battle the regiment was given the special distinction of not being required to wear moustaches unlike the other regiments and Maria Theresa also sent four special hand-embroidered standards.

The day of Kolin was chosen as the birthday of the new Military Order of Maria Theresa, an award that retained its lustre as an award of high status which was only sparingly bestowed right up to the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War One.

(The image is cropped and adapted from the one at Wikipedia and can be found here with its somewhat confusing copyright message: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:HGM_Poosch_Schlacht_bei_Kolin.jpg Hopefully giving this link will satisfy the requirement to acknowledge attribution.)

Flags of the Gardes Françaises

These are neither Rossbach nor Minden flags but just happen to be French 18th century flags that I like - so here they are!

First raised 1563, the Gardes had precedence over all line regiments and the Gardes Suisses. Recruits all had to be native Frenchmen. It consisted of 6 battalions each of around 790 officers and men. The regiment guarded the outside of any palace in which the king was living. Its most famous action was Fontenoy 1745, where reputedly the British were given first shot and 400 of the Garde were lost to the first British volley. Its most infamous action was to be one of the first units to go over to the Revolution in 1789, despite its privileges and status. The regiment was disbanded at the end of July 1789.

In the SYW the regiment mostly guarded the coasts of France for the first four years of the war. In 1760 four battalions reinforced the army of the Duc de Broglie in Germany. They were at Schaffhausen and Vellinghausen and the siege of Meppen in 1761 but returned to France in October. In 1762 they were back in Germany and were at Grumberg and Johannisberg.

Pierre Charrié (Drapeaux et Étendards du Roi) says that by the late 1760s there were 18 fleurs de lys in each quarter of the ordonnance flag and that at the beginning of the 18th century there were 41 fleurs de lys in each quarter. Interestingly, he shows an illustration of an event at the start of the reign of Louis XV in 1715 which seems to be contemporary and shows the ordonnance flag of the Gardes Françaises with what appear to be only 18 fleurs de lys in each quarter even at that early date.

And here is the 1757 MS depiction of both flags and uniforms:

Rossbach French Flags Project - Corps Royal de l'Artillerie

The history of the Corps Royal de l'Artillerie is a complicated one, beginning with the creation of the  Fusiliers de Roi regiment in 1671, which was renamed  Régiment royal d'artillerie in 1693. In 1720 the bombardiers, pioneers and miners were combined with the Royal Artillerie into a single regiment of 5 battalions. The full history and complexity can be found at Kronoskaf here: http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=Corps_Royal_de_l%27Artillerie
A sixth battalion was added in January 1757 and throughout the Seven Years War "the arm was repeatedly reorganised" (Kronoskaf - see previous link). Naturally every army the French deployed throughout the war used guns and gunners, and often pioneers and miners too.

During the SYW each battalion had one colonel's colour and one Ordonnance colour. The Ordonnance colours were unusual, as the material of which the coloured quarters were made was made of "tafettas changeant", a weaving technique in which warp and weft threads are of different coloured silks - as Pierre Charrié, the expert on French flags, says, these colours are difficult to represent as an illustration. The 1753 entry in État Général des Troupes Françoises is very unclear: "cinq Drapeaux d'ordonnance aurores & verts taffetas, changeant & aurores & rouges de même par opposition dans les quarrés". This seems almost to be the standard definition of the flags for the period - but I found in a 1721 volume on Google a very clear description which as far as I can tell is also accurate for the SYW. The book is Histoire de la Milice Françoise Volume 2, 1721, by R.P.G. Daniel and the flag description is on page 540. It says: "Le drapeau au premier & quatriéme canton est aurore & vert changeant, au second & troisiéme aurore & rouge changeant, la croix blanche au milieu semée de fleurs de lys d'or". Mouillard renders them as a rather stripey mix for the aurore-rouge cantons and the aurore-vert cantons somewhat blotchy, with the green emphasised. The 1757 MS shows much more strongly defined blotches of the 2 colours in each canton. Here below is my first attempt to render this flag (I'm still trying alternative methods):

And here is the 1757 MS depiction of both flags and uniforms:

I'd like to thank Jean-Louis Vial, Christian Rogge and Stefan Schulz for helpful discussion on and useful suggestions about how to depict the Ordonnance flag of this regiment.

Rossbach French Flags Project - Regiment La Marine

First raised as a regular French unit in 1635, La Marine had 4 battalions. Cardinal Mazarin raised the original unit and was able to have it made one of the Vieux Corps, so from ranking 16th the regiment became the 6th. It was at Hastenbeck in July 1757 and then Rossbach in November, where it covered the retreat of the Allied army, having not been engaged in the battle itself. It had a busy time in minor and not so minor operations until the battle of Krefeld, June 23rd 1758, where it was distinguished defending the woods along the Niers River before retiring in the face of much superior forces. At Lutterberg in October 1758 the regiment was barely engaged in the fighting. In April 1759 it returned to France to help protect Le Havre against a threatened British attack. For most of the rest of the war it was stationed in various French garrisons, apart from a detachment that embarked on an expedition to capture St John's in Newfoundland in May 1762. Although the French force captured the place it was forced to surrender to a British relief force in September and all the French troops became POWs.

The flags as depicted were carried by this regiment from 1636 to 1791.

And this plate shows the uniform and flags in 1757:

Rossbach French Flags Project - Regiment Poitou

First raised as a regular French unit in 1616, Poitou had 2 battalions until 1762. It was at Hastenbeck and then Rossbach, brigaded with Provence Infantry, where it suffered heavy casualties including its colonel. Before Rossbach the citizens of Gotha recorded French troops moving through the town and said the troops of Poitou were "finer and better equipped than all other French regiments" [that they'd seen from Soubise's army] (Wiltsche, 1858, Die schlacht von nicht bei Rossbach etc., pp.281-2). At Rossbach it led the centre column (the reserve) so received a hefty dose of Prussian musketry and cannon fire. In 1758 the regiment was sent back to France to garrison the coasts and then in 1761 returned to Germany where it was at the battle of Vellinghausen. In 1752 it was at Grebenstein and then the capture of the Castle of Amöneberg. At the end of the war it was stationed in Nîmes. [Details from Kronoskaf, Wiltsche from Google books and C. Duffy's Prussia's Glory.]

The flags as depicted were carried by this regiment from 1682 to 1791.

And this plate shows the uniform and flags in 1757: