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Musketeer, 7th (2nd West Prussian) Regt.        Prussian Infantry

   All regiments wore the shako enclosed by the black water-proof cover. The coat, or ‘Kollet‘ was dark blue, bearing the regimental distinctive colours on collar, cuffs & shoulder-straps; cuff flaps dark blue. On campaign, grey breeches & black gaiters were worn by the rank and file (though white breeches were worn in summer) & over-alls by the officers. Greatcoats were grey & like the Kollet, had brass buttons. The Great coat was rolled and worn over the shoulder. Leather equipment was white for musketeers & black for fusiliers. Short sabres were carried by musketeers & straight bladed swords by fusiliers.

PRUSSIAN INFANTRY IN THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN

By Robert Mantle (Sabre Society)

Regiments raised in 1813


Until June 1813, the Footguard Regiment had been included in the Prussian line as Regiment No. 8, but in that month, it was removed and the Lieb-Colberg and First and Second Silesian regiments were all renumbered one place higher. A new line regiment was formed as Second Brandenburg Regiment (No. 12). Although it was largely formed from reservists, it was part of the ‘active’ (on regular) army and therefore took precedence over the twelve reserve Regiments which had been raised in the spring of 1813, and had taken part in the first campaign against the French.

    The Prussian conscription system, while maintaining a fixed number of men as had been set down by the Treaty of Paris, had produced a pool of trained reservists, who were formed into reserve battalions. The number for each regular regiment varied from two to four, but the reserve regiments standardised on three, on the regular model. When formed they were led by a cadre of officers, N.C.Os. and musicians, seconded from the parent regiment, who wore the regiments uniform, but the men themselves were issued with a uniform based on the. regulars’ fatigue dress. (Again, we should remember Prussia’s limited resources). It consisted of a mid grey peaked cap (or Schirmmutz), with a band of province colour. a matching grey single-breasted jacket (jacke), usually with collar patches in provincial colour (no cuffs) and sometimes with coloured shoulder straps, and mid grey trousers worn over gaiters. The equipment was limited to a cartridge box on a black belt and a pack of linen or calfskin. Clearly this uniform was no more than a stopgap; an attempt was made to issue the regulation shako, but the real improvement came during the armistice of June-July 1813, with the British subsidies, in the form of money, arms and uniforms. The uniforms were based on those supplied to the Spanish and the Portuguese armies and effected a radical change in the reservists appearance. In 1815, these uniforms were still in use, together with the original reservists uniforms and the regulation uniform, supplies of which had begun to percolate through from mid-1814 onwards.
    On March 25th, 1815, the twelve reserve regiments became part of the regular army and were assigned territorial titles :
No. 13 — The Third Silesian Regiment.
No. 14 — The Third Pomeranian Regiment.
No. 15 — The Fourth Silesian Regiment.
No. 16 — The Third West Prussian Regiment.
No. 17 — The Fourth West Prussian Regiment.
No. 18 — The First Westphalian Regiment.
No. 19 — The Second Westphalian Regiment.
No. 20 — The Third Brandenburg Regiment.
No. 21 — The Fourth Pomeranian Regiment.
No. 22 — The First Rhineland Regiment.
No. 23 — The Second Rhineland Regiment.

Regiment No. 12 and the following ex-Reserve units took part in the 1815 campaign.
Regiment No. 12 — I Corps 1 Brigade.
Regiment No. 14 — II Corps 7 Brigade.
Regiment No. 15 — IV Corps 16 Brigade.
Regiment No. 18 — IV Corps 15 Brigade.
Regiment No. 19 — I Corps 4 Brigade.
Regiment No. 21 — II Corps 8 Brigade.
Regiment No. 22 — II Corps 7 Brigade.
Regiment No. 23 — II Corps 8 Brigade.
Regiment No. 24 — I Corps 1 Brigade.

The order of battle reproduced in Muffling’s History of the Campaign of 1815, assigns Regiment No. 20 to III Corps, 10 Brigade, but this Regiment took no part in the campaign.

Fusilier Officer, 2nd (1st Pommeranian) Regiment.

Officer's kollets had longer tails, & had epaulettes with metal crescents. A silver & black sash was worn around the waist. Officers, like other ranks, often carried small packs.

UNIFORMS

Regiment No. 12

    Officers, N.C.O.s and Musicians of all three battalions wore the regulation uniform and equipment for the Second Brandenburg Regiment (Poppy red collars and cuffs; red shoulder straps)
The other ranks uniforms were as follows:

    I Battalion: Regulation shako in cover. Black single-breasted jacket, without tails, cuffs or shoulder straps. Poppy red collar patches and white metal buttons. White trousers over black gaiters. Cartridge box on white belt (no short sword). Cloth haversack and pack with white straps. Grey greatcoat, worn over left shoulder.

    II Battalion: All ranks in regulation uniform.

    Fusilier Battalion: Regulation shako in cover. Jacket as for Battalion but of grey cloth with grey cloth covered buttons. Grey breeches and black gaiters. Black belt for cartridge box (no short sword). Cloth pack (white straps), and haversack. Grey greatcoat over left shoulder — no leather “sleeve.”

Regiment No. 14

All three battalions wore the regulation uniform for the third Pomeranian Regiment. White collar and cuffs, yellow shoulder straps.

Regiment No. 15

All three battalions wore the regulation uniform for the Fourth Silesian Regiment. Yellow collar and cuffs, light blue shoulder straps.

(To be continued)

Bibliography


BOURDIER, F R
    L‘Armee Prussienne de Waterloo     Paris 1969
KNOTEL, RICHARD
    Uniformenkunde (Plates)     Berlin 1896 onwards
NASH, DAVID
    The Prussian Army, 1808-1815     London 1972
ULLRICH, HANS J
    Die Preussiche Armee, 1808-1839     Stuttgart 1973


Source: Sword and Lance Magazine


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