GmJIi MILrrARY
MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES
223
AUSTRIAN SPECIALIST TROOPS OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS
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PHILIP J...
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GmJIi MILrrARY
MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES
223
AUSTRIAN SPECIALIST TROOPS OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS
---.-------0: ,--
PHILIP J. HAYTHORNTHWAITE BRYAN FaSTEN
EDITOR: LEE JOHNSON MIUTARY
MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES
223
AUSTRIAN SPECIALIST TROOPS OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS Text by PHILIP HAYTHORNTHWAITE Colour plates by BRYAN FOSTEN
First published in Great Britain in 1990 by Osprey, an imprint of Reed COllsumer Books Ltd. i\1iehclin House, 81 Fulham Road, London SW3 6RB and Auckland, Melbourne, Singapore and Toronto
iO Copyright t990 Rced Imernational.Books Ltd. Reprinted [995, [996
All rights resen·cd. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as pennittcd under tlle Copyl'ight Designs and PatcnLS Act, [988, no part of this publication may be reproduccd, stored in a retrieval system, or tl1ln.smittcd in any fonn or by any means, electronic, elcctrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior pClmission of the copYliglu owner. Enquiries should bc addressed to the Publishers.
British Library Cataloguing ill Publlia/ion Dala Hayd101'Ilthwaite, PhilipJ. (Philip John) 1951Austrian specialist troops oflhe Napoleonic wars. [. Europe. ~d ilitary C
FilmSCl ill Creat Britain Primed through World Print Ltd, Hong Kong
If you would like to receive more infonnation about Osprey l\Hitary books, The Osprey Messenger is a regular newslel!cr which eomains anicles, new title infOnTIation and special orrcl"!l. To join free of charge please write 10: Osprey Military Mes!>enger, PO B01l< 5, Ru.sbden, Nortbants NNIO 6YX
Author's Dote Many of the most basic aspects of the Au.strian army were covered in the previous l\'!en-at-Arms series titles
(176: The Austrian Army if the Napoleonic Wars: lllfantry; and lSI: Callalry) , and such universal matters as rankmarkings, etc., Inc not covered again here. Many of the aspects or the uniform of the Austrian artillery and engineer services followed elosely (except in colouring) lhc ~tyle lind rhanges ofint:111II'Y unifonn, full details or which will be found in the appropriate title above. Austrian-style spellings have been used where appropriate, e.g. Ober/ieutellQllt instcad of Oberleulllanl, ctc.
Artist's Dote Reader:; may care to notc that the original paintings from which the colour plates in this book were prepared are available for p"ivate sale. All reproduction copyright whatsoever is retained by the publisher. All enquiries should be addressed to: Bryan Fosten 5 Ross Close Nyetimber Nr. Hognor Regis Sussex P02 I 3JW The publishcrs regrel that they can enter into no correspondence upon this matter.
AZlstria11 Specialist Troops oftheNapoleonic /Mrs Tlte Artillery I n the later r 8th century the Austrian artillery had been the finest in Europe, and was held up as an example to the world. The inferiority of the arm in
the War of Ihe Austrian Succession had been the cause of a complete overhaul, daung from the appoillllUcnt of Prince Liechtenstein in 1744 as Director-General of Artillery. He established the
artillery school at Budweis and redesigned the ordnance to produce lighter and more manoeuvrable guns, so that when thus equipped in the Seven Years' ',Var the ann became predominam in Europe, and was imitated by other nations. Prussia adopted Ihe Austrian 12-pdr., and as hlu,: as
1803 France copied LiecillCllStcin's howitzer. Gribcauval himselfSCl'vcd in the Austrian artillery from 1756 10 I j62 and probably based his overhaul of lhe French artillery on what he had \earned in Austrian service. However, no reforms had been institUlcd in the later 18th cenlury, so thaI the anillery was overtaken in quality by thaI of other nations; and whilst the personnel re. mained excellently trained they were always too few in numbers, and desperately hampered by the outdated system of tactics which Austria employed in a t least the first halfof the French Revolu tionary and Napoleonic conflict.
resultil'g in a sequence of changes in organisation and disposition throughout the period. In peacetime the artillery had no Ulctical formation, being simply an administrative body which in wartime was sent in small detachments to serve the principal field artillery, the light fieldpieces attached to each infantry and Grm~ (border infantry) unit. The syslem, generally known as 'battalion guns', had been prevalent in many European armies; bUl was recognised by most even as early as lhe start of !.he Revolutionary \Vars as being of limited u~ on !.he battlefield. tending 10 hinder manoeuvre, which disadvantage outweighed the lire suppOrt which such gUllS could provide to an infanlry attack. Brilain and France were the first to recognise thal 'battalion guns' merely dissipated the firepower of the artillery in opposition to the generally accepted maxim that concentration of fire-often termed 'massed-battery fire'-was
Organisation The organisation of the Austrian artillery was tied closely to the theories of tactical employment, Artillery, '798. The comp y officer (ld'I:) wears the '798 helmet with hbd<-o.."'....,."'Uo ",relit; th", brown ""'.1 has red raciDlIs ILIId I.ia.iDg bUI is slyleel without turl:lhack.s al this dale. The (UDDer (n,;ht) ha.s the chllo.strap oCthe red-crested helmel Cutened around the rear or the headdres ... a popular style, ILIId carries a rolled greatcoat and (io the hand) th" bricoJc. The dJ'iver (centre) has the FuJu·...utn "nifonn in light lin)' (i.ncluding br-.:hes) witb )'",l1ow CaciDglli, blacl< and yellow bra","'ard on the left arm ILIId a plain 'round hat' ornamented with th", national pompon and y",Uow-over-black plume. (R. von Ouenreld)
3
Gunnu,ArtiJlery, '798- Tlois iU.sln,« the ."shd.m~ with its distino:ti~ plate bear"'s: a cannOIl barrel, .....d breech.". .....d s:.iters;" place oft.h...... ~u. Th., a ......o_u belt o"..r do" ri&ht sbouldu i. th.. hann,n for the bricol". (R. yoo Ott....r..ld)
moredrccLive than the sum of its pans. YCt Austria made Iittlc altempt to centralise their artillery drort until "'ell into the 19th century, as the 'support' or 'position' batteries-in cffcct the artillery reserve-initially formed only a minor part of the army's ordnance. In 1792 the artillery comprised a headquarters organisation Of270 ofall ranks, three field artillery regimenu of 9,282 men in total, 13 garrison artillery districts comprising 2,166 men, the Bomhardtur Corps of845 men, and the Artillery Fusilier Baualion of 959 men. The guns with which lhese corps were equipped were cannon of3·, 6-, 12-, 18and 24·pdr.'nature' I j- and IO-pdr. howitzers, and 30-,60- and loo·pdr. Coehoorn mortars. Some of the heavier pieces wCI'e iron, but the majority were 'brass'. Though once the equal of any in Europe they were now outmatchcd even weight-forweight by the equivalent French pieces, as Austrian guns were calculated in respect of a lighter 'pound'; the 'Vienna pound', for example, weighed 0.83 of an English pound, whereas the French 'pound' weighed 1.068 of an English pound. Thus, a 12-pdr. roundshot calculated in Vienna measure would weigh 9.96 English pounds, and the equivalent French shol t2.81 Ibs.-a French superiority of 22.25 per cent over the Austrian shot of the same nominal weight. The allocation of guns to infantry units varied; each battalion was supposed to receive twO 3-pdrs. in Italy and the Tyrol and twO 6-pdrs. in Gcrmany and the Netherlands, with a regimental n:St:rve of three guns, usually 12-pdrs. and howitzers. The Gren~ units normally received four 3-pdrs. per three battalions, and appear to have used their own pcrsonnel as gunners, 50 mcn pcr regiment. In the ordinary infantry eaeh gUll had a small crew ofspeciaJist gunners, with the 'muscle' for positioning of lhe guns being provided by men detached from the infantry battalions, quite outside the organisation of the artillery. In battle the artillery was distribuled with the infantry along the batLle-line; the artillery reserve was normally allocated a position before the action and usually was not moved during the battle. The 'line guns' were normally dragged about 15 yards ahead of the infantry line, firing after the infantry had deli"ered a volley; on occasion the 12-pdrs. and lo-pdr. howitzen might be added to the line
to add weight-a tactic tried with some succ~ in lhe War of the Bavarian Succession (1778-79 against Prussia) and repealed during lhe French war; yet lhe dilUlion of fire rendered lhe artillery greatly inferior. The 'posilion' batteries were generally of four guns and lWO howitzers, manned by personnel of lhe Bombardiers, Artillery Fusiliers and men de· tached from the Garrison artillery as well as from the field regiments. Part of the 'light reserve' were the mobile 'cavalry batleries' (Cavallerie Balltritn), which were armed with light 6-pdr. gUlls but were not horse artillery in the aeccpllx[ scnse. Intro· duced in 1778, these balleries were intended LO improve mobility but nOt specifically to accompany cavalry; the nomenclature was as much about the guns requiring cavalry support as vice· versa. Their personnel were taken from the ordinary field artillery, and did not form a separate branch of service. The guns with which they were equipped had lengthened lrails eq uipped with a padded seat upon which lhe gunners rode. Their ammunition caissons similarly had padded tops, where the remainder of the gun-crew sat, and were known from their shape as Wurst. WagtnS or 'sausage-wags-ons'. Only the officers and some NCOs were moumed in these batteries (origin::llly it was thought that if each gunner had a horse there was more chance of him running away!); and a.~ lhe vehicles had to carry lhe weighl of the entire gun-crew their rate or mobility was inrerior to lhat ofproper horse anillery. (The use oflhcse Cat'olltn-t BalJtTi~n rcAects lhe dedi ne of the cavalry from tht:: shock arm it had been in the mid-18th century to basically a supporl arm: lhe batteries were not trained lO suppOrt cavalry charges, being restricted lO the speed atlainahle by the caissons, and were used basically as field artillery.) For both cavalry and ordinary ('foot') batteries the drivers were provided by the army transport service (Fuhrwes~nco,ps) which was also responsible
for commissariat \'enicles, an expedient adopted in many European armies but which, in separating the drivers from the artillery organisation, was most unsalisractory. Prior lO 1805 artillery batleries lacked horses and had to requisition draughHcams before a campaign. The standard of recruit t'equired by the artillery was higher lhan lhal of lht:: infantry, given lhe specialised skills required_ Though lhe standard was relaxed dUI'ing the wars (the height-limil was lowered, forcxample), personnel were only admitted ir they were fil, literate in German and were Austrian subjecls. Gunners were trained at the Artillery School, near Budweis in Bohemia, and in lhe BombardtUT Corps formed by Prince Kinsk)', Director of Artillery, in 1786. This unit provided both theoretical and practical instruction for officers and other ranks. The seyen·year course included not only the techniques of anillery· handling and tactics bu l also maLllcmalics, surveying, fortification, administration and science. Those completing the full course were commis· sioned; lhose who complered five years' Sludy became NCO gun.captains, and were eligible for promotion. This education resulted in the Aus· trian artillery personnel being regarded as the best in Europe. The original liretime enlistment was
•
.f
A.rtillery, C.I80g. (Len) NCO in a broWD coat., double-bruited and jjhO...·/iikirted like an officer'. Obt:rmek; this version ha" the re~.. tion red collar and brown cuffs, unlike the variety with rftl cuff". The yellnw hat·lace, cane a .. d black and yellow ...... rd knOI .. re the usoal NCO distiDctio.... (CeDt....) Gunner equipped with .. leather satchel in place of the 'holner'; the h..;':oJe ...till carried. Both wear the knc~boot.with ~.ar~ <;lit lOps.. (RiSht) onver orthe Fubrwes.,. in .. whiu will'onn with yeUo.... raci.asfi.i he wear. the W ...try-s.yle sIoako ..nth )...Uowa..nd black pompo.....d bru. in.iptia; thouSh pri.... tes ""ere aOt u5uaU)- anned, those crewins artillery vehicles are _metime. depieted with .abres. (R. vo .. Oue..reld)
~-'
5
modified by the Archduke Charles in [802, though the artillery and technical troops still had a longer term of enlistment because of their additional training: against the [0 years' infantry service and 12 years' cavalry, artillery and technical troops sen'ed [4. The artillery headquarters organisation was the Feld-Zeugamt or arsenals administration, founded
in [772, originally composed of a staff and two companies, reorganised in 1791 with 270 men, increasing to 465 in 1802. Personnel were recruited from craftsmen (blacksmiths, carpenters, etc.), commanded from 1800 to 1818 by Major-Oberst Adolph Geiger. The reld-Zeugamt was responsible for the service and repair ofordnance and vehicles; its personnel were attached to the artillery reserve and depots, for repair and distribution ofordnance and ammunition. The Feld-Zeugamt had its headquaners in Vienna but its depots were spread throughout the empire; the original main stations were Vienna (central park for siege-train and depol for the sOUlhern provinces), Budweis (main testing-centre for ordnance, and for service of the arLillery reserve and allendant waggolls), Prag'ue (for service of the artillery in Bohemia) and Brunn (fol· Moravia). The Garrison Artillery organisation was based upon 'districts' (GnrnisolLf-Artiflerie-DiJlrikte), of which the number varied slightly-with losses or acquisition of territory, such as the loss of the Netherlands-which were first established 111 1772. These were basically Upper and Lower Austria (based at Vienna, where the Garrison Artillery Headquarters was situated); Inner Austria (Graz); Bohemia (Prague); Moravia (Olmutz); Hungary (Ofen); Banat (Temesvar); Slavonia (Peterwardein); Croatia (Carlstadt); Transylvania (Siebenbiirgell, the base initially at Hel'mannsladt, transferred to Carlsburg in [794); Tyrol (Innsbruck, IOSl after 1805); Netherlands CMecheln, lost after the Netherlands campaign); Italy (Mantua, lost' 1797, reformed [799 and lost in [800); Galicia (Lemberg); Venice (Venice, formed 1798); and Dalmatia (Zara). An addi tional district existed bJ-iefly in [793-94, based at Valenciennes after its capture from France. The personnel of the Garrison Artillery was formed partly of gunners, recruiled from the 2nd Artillery Regt. (based at Vienna), disabled memo bel'S of the field artillery and those no longer sufficiently strong to take the field, and from Zeug personnel, basically civilian craftsmen who Drummu, Al"lillery. MUlilio;:jllOIil Qfthe artillery and techn.ic:al services wore uniform. distinclions akin 10 Lbose of mfantry m.usicians: the ordmary uniforlD with the addition of scalIQpm lace Qn coUar and cuff,., and 'swaUows'-nesl' wings edged with the sa.n>e lace and wiLb a rosette in the centre. This depicts the CorsehutorpOS1.,8" style. (R. vOn Ouenfdd)
6
worked on the manufacture ofartillery, small arms and powder. In 1801 the strength of the Can"ison Artillery was 1,971 gunners and I, I 13 artisans. As noted above, the Bomhardwr-Corps was used partly as a training school and partly La provide the most skilled gunners to the field artillery; in the field they were altached especially to the siegetrain, artillery reserve and howitzers. The corps was formed on I November 1786 with a stalf and four companies (the personnel of which were employed piecemeal, as and when required;, cOllunandl,.-d by an Oherst-lieutmanl (lieutenantcolonel), or an Oberst (coloncl) t 808-1 2, in the person of Joseph Smola, under the general command of the field anillery; its headquarters was Vienna. I ts staff comprised the Oberst-Lieutenal/t, two lllajors, one instructor (of artillery theory: a Hauptmann), twO Oberfeuerwerkmeislers and three Feuerwerkmeisters (commissioned ranks equaling with subalterns; the unusual title was similar to the British 'fireworker' used at the same time fOl" the same type of artillery technician). The staff was enlarged in t801 when a fifth company was formed. Company strength comprised a Hauptmann (captain), an Oher-liwtenant, twO UnlerLieutenants, 24 Oherfeumverlurs, 36 Fwemnkers (NCOs), six cadets, one Fourier (quam:rmaster) and one assistant (Fouriers,hut~e,,). twO musicians and 13t bombardiers. The main instructional depot was at Simmering, commanded by an Oberfeuerwerkmeister. Whcn dcployed. in the ficld the ordinary bombardiers automatically took command of their gun teams as gun·captains; Feuerwerkers could command sections of howitzers or even ba lteries. The Artillery Fusilier Battalion, which had existed in the earlier l8Lh century but which was disbanded in t 772 (its personnel going to the 3rd Field Artillery), was originally intended to provide the untrained labour required for those guns which were not permanemly attached to infantry regiments (which provided (heir own labourers). Tn 1790 the unit was re-established with a staffand six companjcs, the staff comprising an Olurs/·
lielltenant, a major, a chaplain, an Auditor (senior clerical officer), a Ruhllungifiihm (accountant), a surgeon-major, a battalion surgeon and four assistants. a provost and a drummer; each company comprised a Captain, an Ober-Lieutlllllnt, an Unln-lieuunanl, a Fe/d;.vebel (sergeant-major), a Fourier and an assistant, six corporals, two drummers, 100 pri"ates and four sen;ants; company strength was
•
Artillery comp....y officer, iro • uniform datirtS froID <:•• 8,:J, ..........., lhe c_t-6~. u.. the later .tyle -iLh tu ... b.~ ....d w~S lhe bat La the popular 'fo..-d... ft' fubion often ....- in pidur"'. ofLhiJi era. {R....On Ou"""f
7
expanded in wartime. The battalion was used to assist the artillery in Bohemia, MOl"ayia and in the Netherlands. It was disbanded again in 1802, its personnel being transfelTed as appropriate to the Feld-<.eugaml. the Garrison Artillery or to the ncw 4Lh Ficld Artillery. The main body of the artillery was the three, later four regiments ofField Artillery, which from 1807 were given 'territorial' designations. These originated with the reorganisation of the whole arlillery service on I 1\1ay 1772, Lhc personnel being taken [rom the previous field artillery corps, the Netherlands Field Artillery Regt. and the Artillery Fusilier Battalion, The three new rcgi· ments each comprised four battalions of four compallies each,with new companies being added to each regiment in 1790, 1796 and 1797. Gunn.,r of a 'Cavalry Balu:ry' w.,arms th., Ihigh_l.,nglh,
Oberrock·style greatcoat (with bricole over th., shoulder); with th~uniqu~6-pdr. C"v:dJeri"!1e$clliitz, "howing Ih~""len_ ded Irail with padded s_t upon which the gunners sat. The muzzle has a waterproof cover aod a sllnilar plug covers the touch_hole. (R. von Ottenfeld)
8
The 1st Field Artillery Regt. (from 1807 thc Bohemian Regt., BiJ1Imisdus Feldarlillerie-Regimenl) was increased to 22 companies in 180 I; in 1802 six com panies were detached to help form the new 4th Regt., and twO additional companies were formed in 1815. The 2nd Ficld Artillery Rcgl. (from 1807 the Lower Austrian Regt., Niederoslerreichisclus Feldartillerie-Regimenl) stood at 20 companies in 1797, and detached four companies in 1802 LO the new 4th Regt.; one additional company was formed in 1815. The 3rd Field Artillery Regt. (from [807 the Moravian Rcgt., Miilzriscll8S Ftldartillerie-Regimelll) similarly detached four ofi ts 20 companies in 1802 to [arm the 4th Regl.; and two extra companies were formed in 1815. The 4th Field Artillery Regt. (Ii'om 1807 the Inner Austrian Regt., ImUf-Oslerreichisc!zes Ar/illerie-Regiment) was raised on I February 1802 from the aforemenLioned companies detached from the first three regiments and the disbanded Artillery Fusilicr Bn., bringing its strength to 16 companies; it was augmented by two extra companies in 1815. (In
1815 the 17th and 18th companies of the 4th Regl. form<::d the basis of a new 5th Field Artillery Regiment.) These units did not serve as regiments in the field, companies being semi-independent entities distributed individually. A typical disposition is that of the 2nd Regl. in 18°9: six companies with the army of the ArchdukeJohn in Italy, lhree at Vienna, two wilh lhe army of Archduke Charles in Germany, two at the regimental depot at Pest, one company in Hungary, olle in Graz and one in the Tyrol. Regimental staff comprised the Inhaber or coloncl-proprietor, a ceremonial appointmenl; the Oberst (colonel) in command, an Oberst-lieutenant, three majors: a chaplain, an adjutant, an Auditor, a Rechnungifiihrtr, a regimental surgeon, four battalion surgeons, nine assistant-surgeons, a drummajor, eight musicians and a provost. A company was composed of a captain or captain-lieutenant in command (12 captains and six caplain-lieUlenams to an 1B-company regiment), an Ober-lieulmam, twO Unttr-lieulenallu, a Feldwebel, a Fourier and an assistant, I I corporals, 100 Cannonius (lSI class gunners), 50 Ulltercannoniers (2nd class gunners) and two musicians. These figures varied: for example, companystrength was 174in 1802, 170in ISII,and l77in 1813-15; staff increased from 31 (1802) to 43 (1811-15). Regimental establishment was 2,81 5 in 1802,2,763 in 1811,2,875 in 1813 and 3,229 in 1815, the laner higher figure resulting from the increase to t8 companies. Gun-crews varied in strength according lO the
A 'Cavalry Battery', or 6-pdn_ wiLh don:aled lnib and padded saot to ac:co_odate (our paaus; the dri_... wear me 'new'
F~'~
...ufo...... o( polJt-e:..S090 ....c:IudiDJ thr
:shako. (R. yon Oue»Cdd)
'nature' of the gun: a 3-pdr. required four gunners and four labourers (Handlanger); a 6-pdr., four gunners and six labourers; a 6-pdr. Cavalleri~ g~schut~, six gunners; a 12- or 18-pdr. four gunnel's and eighllabourers; and a howitzer, twO bombardiers, two gunners and seven labourers. Until 1808 the labourers were drawn from the infantry battalion to which lhe gun was attached, or from the Artillery F usiliers for the reserve artillery. Reorganisation and tactical e.ID.ployment The progressive reorganisation of the artillery was occasioned by the changing theories of the preferred tactical employment, which were against the dissipation of effect by the attachment of guns to infantry battalions, and towards the more effective concentration of fire. Concentration was advocated by.Archduke Charles as early as 1795, bUI desphe its obvious advantages it was a considerable lime before anything akin to 'massed haltery' fire v.as practicable, even with the reserve anillery which should ha\'e been ideal for this purpose. At Austerlitz, for example, it was only by accident that Major Frierenberg's train Ofl2 guns reached lhe fidd al a critical lime and was able to act as a 'massed battery'. Though the number of guns possessed by AUSlria was considerable, lhe lack of effectiveness occasioned by injudicious employment was made worse by inferiority in numbers when compared with lhose of the French: ,H
9
1110~.
1 ~O~.·1606.
Artillery headdren, showing lhe chadgidg style ofbicorn and Cors6Jut. It should be noted that despiu: the datu which accompaay lhe ilJustratioas, lh" US" of theSE hatl wal not 50 dearly defined.; the bicorn, for e:umple, CODtinOed in use 10 the very nod ortbe Napoleonie Wars. (R. von Oneafeld)
\Vagram, for example, using the COlltcmporary statistical guide of 'guns pCI' thousand men', the French ratio \vas 3.6 guns per thousand (554 guns to 154,000) whilst the Austrian was but 2.g (414 to 142 ,000). For the 180S campaign Ihe establishment was still inadequate. totalling 11,260 artillery personnel with manual effort still provided by untrained infantrymen, and dependent upon teams requisitioned as and when required. As a resull the artillery embarked on thc 1805 campaign with only jusl over half its field establishment. Ordnance was still divided into 'linc guns' to furnish close support and 'reserve guns' under central direction; although most infant!'y brigades received a 3-pdr. bauery, lhe cavalry brigades lost their guns. The defeal of 1805 caused a more radical review, but although Archduke Charles pushed through some reforms in 1808 shonages of personnel, absence of transport and permanent tactical formations still left the Austrian artillery unequal in efficiency to the French. Charles gradually withdrew lhe battalion guns as the first step towards achieving concentration of fi~j the 3pdrs. were combined into eight·gun 'brigade' batteries, and the 6-pdrs. consigned to the artillery reserve. The withdrawal from the infantry nccessi\0
1~o6.-1::l11.
1811.-1836.
tated the rcplacemelll of the infantry labourers with a new artillery unit, the Arlillerie-HalldlallgerCorps, eighl companies strong (increased to eight battalions upon mobilisalion), to serve with both thc brigade baueries and with the arlillery reservc. The Handlanger-Corps was formed on 16 June 1808 from officers and f\COs of the artillcry and privates from the "German' infantry regiments; there were foul' 'divisions' of twO companies each, the Station ofthese 'divisions' in 1813 being Vienna (with the corps headquarters), Graz, Olmutz and Prague. One 'division' was attached to each of the existing artillery regiments, one company being sufficient to crew three baltcrics. Company slrcngth was a lieutenant, a FelJwebel, eight corporals, 170 privates and a servalll; headquarters comprised 16 officers, J\"COs and servants, with Obersl-lituIenanl C. F. rVlaresch von Marsfeld as commandant. The l'lolldhmger service expanded as nccessary, though in 1812 the original eight companies were sufficiclll (five with Schwarl.cnberg's Auxiliary Corps of the Grande Armee, tWO at Viellna and one at ThcresieilStadt); by 1813 there were 30 field companies, and in 181433 field companies with an establishment of 7,157 but an actual strength of under 6,000. Thecorps was disbanded Oil 1 August 1816. Archduke Charles also reorganised the artillery reserve into 'support' and 'position' batleries, generally with six guns each unlike thc eight-guil brigade batteries. The support batleries (Unlersliif-
.(;,wgs Ba/(tritn) were the 6-pdrs. (each baltcry usually including two i-pdr. howitzcrs) and the cavalry batteries (four light6-pdrs. and two short 7-pdr. howitzers); the position batteries were Ihe heavier pieces, usually four 12-pdrs. (with some 6pdrs. and occasionally IS-peIrs.) and two ,-pdr. howitzers per battery. Only officers and N"COs were moullted. Transport was still provided by the FuhrwtSt1l-Corps, but it was militarised for the first time and its officers received parity with other commissioned ranks; and from late 1808 lhe transport cadres were kept permanently auached 10 lheir balteries. Charles introduced new artillery instructions in 18og, bUl these made little difference to the system already in use; it was remarked lhal artillery was most effective whcn several ball cries were asscmbled logether, but there was no directive that this had to be ultcmpted. Although from 180g each Corps commander had a senior artillery officer auached to his staff, too few were sufficiently innovative (caused in pan by the slowness of promotion within the artillery service, resulting in elderly senior ranks) to appreciate in full the importance of integrating artillery into combined operations ofall arms. In lSog a Corps system was operated, the artillery divided into brigade, cavalry, and support or position batteries. Each brigade had a 3- or6-pdr.battery and mOSt cavalry brigades a 6-pdr. cavalry battery; each division normally had a 6-pdr. suppOrt banery held at Corps level, which wilh lhe lWO or three 12-pdr. position batteries of the Corps reserve were under direct control of the Corps artillery commandant. Battery organisation in 1809 was generally as rollows: Rrigode b(lllet]': 8 gUllS, R two-wheel ammunition-carts, 2/3 baggage-waggons, 32 gunners, 32 l'lalldlmlger (for 3-pdr. baltery: 48 for 6pdrs.) 6-pdr. Support bat/ery: 4 guns, '2 howitzers, 2 lwo-\\'hcel ammunition-cans, 6 four-wheel ammunition waggons, 3 baggage-waggons, 20 gunners, 4-61Ialldlallgtr. Caualry balt~ry: 4- x 6-pdrs., 2 howitzers, 213 twowheel 3mmunition-carts, 24 pack-horses, 6 forage-
waggons, '2 baggage-waggons (optional) and t FeuerwerkskaSlett ('fireworker's waggon'; optional), 32 gunners. 12-jJdr. Posi/ion ba/lery: 4 guns, 2 howitzers, 3 or 6 four-wheel ammunitionwaggons, 3 baggage-waggons, 20 gunners, 46 HalUJlangtr . The ,-pdr. howitzers, ammunition-carts and baggage-waggans generally had teams of two horses each; 6-peIrs. and ammunition-waggons foUl' horses; and 12-pdrs. six horses. Fuhrwtstn personnel were in addition to the above. After the dCreal or 1809 the four artillery regiments werc kept in existcnce, but the Halldlallger-CorlJs was reduced to a cadre. The
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Artilluy offiacra, c .•8,s, S..0......3 the 'ordiDary' uniform (lef')ll.IId Lhe popw-r 'c::a.m.pa.ip' uniform of Oberroch (wiLh (aeU.!:_loured coUar)ll.IId overall". ne officer at left ...·ears (be Military Decoration of.8'4; . .d LhOllSb both "'ear the bal 'al.h.wart', coacelDporary pictures ..bow the fore-a.nd_af't style <0 be equally popular by t.II.i .. date. (R. "0" Otteafeld)
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Corps system was abandoned, so thal for 1813 lhe Army of Bohemia was organised into a 'left wing' and 'main body', but by that September it was found necessary to reintroduce something akin to a Corps system, though not officially so called-the fOl'mation! officially styled Armle Ahtheilungen were referred 10 for convenience as 'Corps'. The army's artillery comprised initially 52 ballcries, three of3pdrs., 36 of 6·pdrs., 11 of 12·pdrs. and twO of 18pdrs., thus exemplifying the intention to iucrease the weight of shot by progressively discarding the 3-pdrs., as already accomplished by many other armies. Brigade batteries cominued to have eight guns, and position batteries four guns and two howitzers, usually ]-pounders. By Seplember 18t3 the Army of Bohemia's
artillery organisation had enlarged as follows (with the term 'Corps' used for convenience): Advance Guard: 2 x 6-pdr. horse, 2 x 3-pdr. brigade batteries. I, III and IV Corps: 4- x 6-pdr. brigade, I x 6-pdr. horse. I x 6-pdr. position and 2 x 12pdr. position batteries. II CtJrps: 1 x 3-pdr. and 3 x 6·pdr. brigade, I x 6-pdr. horse, I x 6-pdr. and :2 x 12-pdr. position baueries. Arm] R~me; 4- x 6pdr. brigade, 4- x 6-pdr. horse batteries. Artillery Res~: I x 3·pdr. brigade, 5 x 6.pdr. horse, 2 x 6pdr., 4-X 12-pdr. and :2X 18-pdr. position batteries. The attempt to concentrale fire by 'massed batteries' was supponed by instructions issued by Schwarzenberg in August 18t3, slaling that guns should be advanced as far as possible though never lefl uncovered, and that ideally several batteries should be combined under lhe direction of the senior artillery officer available. Nevertheless, the British observer Sir Robert Wilson believed that at this time the general standard of the Austrian artillery had declined. Typical battery-organisation In 1813 was as follows: Brigade battery: 6 guns, 2 x i-pdT. howitzers, 8 ammunition-waggons, 3 baggage-waggons. commander (officer or Ftuuwerker), 4 NCOs, 34 gunners, 54 Handlanger. Position battery: 4- guns, 2 x ]-pdr. howitzers, 6 ammunition-waggons, 3 baggage·waggons, 1 commander (officer or OhtrftutrWtrktr), 4- corporals, 6 VonneisttT! (Ftu"wtrkers or Bombardiers), 4- Bombardiers, 46 gunners, 44 Handlangtr (54 ofeach for 12-pdrs.) In addition to the more conventional anillery, Austria was one ofonly two nations (the olher was Britain) 10 employ the Congreve rocket, from 1808: 6- or 12-pdrs. for field service and heavier ones for siege or bombardment work. Artillery Uniforms The Austrian artillery uniform basically followed the slyle and alterations of lhat of the infantry: shon single-breasted jackets for the rank and file and long-tailed coats for officers. The main distinction of the artillery was in the uniform colour,
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A 'crsflsman' oC I:h.. artill..ry, carryinlJ carpea.IUS <'quipm .... 1 in Ihc: I.. alb....r apron wilb. pock......, ~heu.lo"'" saw and C.. llinlJ....."..; lb.", v .. atc:o:tal is carried roll..... and sh•.o1J dialJon. ally ""rot's Lb.. bac.... (R. "0. Ouenr..ld)
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The brown ...tillery Coal •• wOrn by l>fwn'0008"$, c: •• 8o:J with red I;OlIa.., cuffs and .urnbaclu, and bra",,, bunon •.
The brown artillery great_III, c .• 803 with red collar, broW1l cuff. and ~houlder strap. piped red, aDd bras. bUItOD ••
which throughout the period was browll with red jacket was reduced from ten to six, but contemporfacings. The exact shade of brown, however, as ary pictures show that this change was not univerwith many Austrian uniform colours, is difficult to saL ten-button jackets are shown in use as late as determine precisely for a panicular year. [t is usual r-814. On the pocket was borne one button, later to descri~ the colour as 'roe-deer brown', a wann, three; two at the rear of me waist above the "enlS, medium-light brown shade; but earlier descrip- and one on each shoulder-strap. Two buttons were tions refer to ·wolf-grey'. a greyish-brown colour borne at the rear seam of the currfor all except the encountered as lale as the uniforms of ,803. In Garrison Artillery and
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rn on the yellow cuers of 'he grey coat. The black centre of d.e hat· on their hats and no sword-knots. These thl-ee pompon bear.. the gold 'F.Il' cypher used by officers. (R. von Ouenfeld) ranks carried sabres, but unlike (he rank and file usually suspended them from a waistbelt. Feldwith slightly cut-away rear tOps. Waistcoats were webels worc uniform like that of lhe gunners, but brown. wilh the usual Prima Planll distincLions. III 1802 iL The headdress of the artillery was initially lhe was ordered thal NCOs, FQuricrs and surgeons Corse/wi or 'Corsican hat', basically of the style should wear larger bicorns of better-quality felt, worn by]agers, but its appearance changed quite with gold loop, la-in. feather plume and two considerably over the period (lnd alternated with comer-pompons. Among accounts detailing (lnilother forms of headdress. In its earliest pattern it lery uniforms are noted hats with gold loops for resembled the 'round hat' worn by a number of NCOs and woollen loops for the remainder, brown European armies in the 1790s: a black felt con- waistcoats, and grenade-badges for wear upon the struction with a low crown, sometimes slightly shoulder belts of the Bombardiers. Officers' uniforms followed the style of the rounded, with a wide brim turned up at one side or at the back, tbe upturned brim usually ornamen- infantry, long-skirted coats being worn in place of led with the black and yellow national cockade, the shan-tailed jacket or the olher ranks, ill the secured by a yellow lace loop and brass bUllon, the artillery colouring and with the same distinctions edges of the hat sometimes bound with black tape as used by the infanuy: no epaulenes or any or leather, and on occasion bearing the black-over- differentiation between the various grades of comyellow national plume. Throughout the period, it missioned rank, save for gold lace edging upon the was usual for the Feldzeichen to be carried in the cuffs offield officers. U. A. Klein, however, shows a headdress, a sprig of green foliage imitating the most unusual uniform which includes a short-
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tailed jacket with heavy epaulet tes and an officer's ordinary brown artillcry jacket with red facings plumed bicorn.) Other distinctions of rank wcrc and shoulder-strap piping, with grey overalls like those used by lhe rcmainder of lhe army: the butloned on the outer seam in cavalry style (a gold and black waist-sash (Feldbinde), black waist- logical item of uniform under the circumstances), belt with gold lace stripes and gilded eagle·plales but with a black leather cavalry helmet with lhe for field ranks, in white leathcr for company usual brass plate and fittings and black·overofficers; and gold and black sword knot. Although yellow crest, and a black waistbelt and slings and a the Austrian officer's coal was made officially straight-bladed cavalry sabre wilh iron scabbard. wi thoutturnbacks, lattcdy atlcast turn backs wcrc This pcrhaps rcprcscnts an individual or battery worn, coloured red like the collar, cuffs and lining. whidl had adopted cavalry helmets for want of Officers worc while breeches and knee-boots, and regula lion headdress (or conceivably a cavalrywere armed with an epee like that can'ied by fusilier man wearing an artillery jacket?). Anillery equipment waS based upon Ihal of the officers of 'German' infalllry, but other patterns are also in evidenccj Klein, for example, shows a infantry, though muskets were generally restricted heavy-bladed weapon resembling a dragoon to the Artillery Fusilier Bn. and the Halldlallgersabre. Corps, and were of the ordjnary infantry panern. The Hal/dlal/ger-CoTps wore a uniform like lhal of All gunners carried sabres ljke those of the infantry the ordinary artillery, but with liglH blue collar, grenadiers, wilh a slightly cUlvcd, wide blade in a cufls and tUnlbacks; they wore the bicorn, and Offi<:er (l~fI) and NCO of th~ Fuhr>4'esen at th~ ~nd of th~ were equipped with infantry weapons and per- Napoleonic War~. Tbe officer wears a gr~y coal wilb ydlow and bas a red shabraql1"; tb~ NCO has th~ Whil~ sonal equipment. Personnel of the cavalry bat- facings unifonn with y"lIo_ fa<:ings of th~ other ranks, and a shako teries wore the ordinary artillery uniform, though bear'<>g a plale inscribed with the numb"r oflhe d,,,ision and tb" npp"r band ofrank.lac~ as worn by PrinJa Plana ranks in an interesting figure is shown in the Elberfeld th~ infantry. Th~ cane suspended from II jack"l.buttoD was also a symbol of rank, and Ib~ h"avy cavalry sa.br~ was Manuscript, dated II l'.'larch 1814. It appears to equally r~s1ricted to NCO" during this po:r,od. (R. vOn depict a member ofa cavalry battery wearing the Ottenf~ld)
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brown leatJler scabbard with brass throat and chape (the latter usually mostly covered by the leather), and a brass stirrup hilt with black ribbed grip with a white leather knol. The sabre was Organisation carried in a frog from a white leather belt over the The military transport service had to provide right shoulder, and on a similar belt over the left waggons, teams and drivers not only for the shoulder was carried a pack of artillery tools commissariat but also for the artillery and en(pricker, fuses, ctc.) in a black leather 'holner' or gineer services and field-bakeries. I t was created in portfire·case with a flapped tOp. Certain members In'J. as the Mi/i/iir-FuJITWesencorps (which under of a gun-team might also carry a brown leather Joseph I I had numbered t, 743 men and I ,goB gunners' satchel over the right shoulder, and all horses, intended to expand to 17,180 men and were equipped, rather singularly, with a 'bricole', 34,000 horses in wartime), of which perhaps the a length of rope suspended next to the 'holsler' at most important were those meml)('r$ atlached to the rear of the right hip by a white leather strap artillery. An Arlilltrit-BtspannulIgs-Diuision proover the left shoulder; the 'bricole' was uscd when a vided the FUItTWtst1l personnel for three foot or two gun had to be dragged forw~'l1'd by hnnd. No other horse batteries, and comprised an officer, five equipment was normally carried, with the excep- NCOs, three craftsmen (farrier, blacksmith, sadtion of the standard pattern of canteen as used by dler) and 6gdriverswith 180 horses (122 drivers and the remainder of the army, upon a strap over the 203 horses for the cavalry batteries). The actual right shoulder, either the earlier oval wooden number of personnel atlached to each battery boule or the alternative metal canteen. Those men depended upon the nature orthe guns, the heavier armed with muskets carried the usual infantry pieces requiring morc drivers, varying between 28 cartridge box on a white Icalilcr helt, and had the and 66. sabre in a combined frog including the bayonet Shortages of transport were always endemic, but despite the shortage of official transport, scabbard. Austrian annies were pennallently encumbered by vast trains of officers' baggage, which slowed the movement of the army and were much criticised. Despite this, the average speed of march was probably aboul ten miles per day, not much differelll from thal usually ave.raged by the French; but the dirrt:rcnce came in the capacity for temporarily quickening the speed. Whereas the Fl-cnch could force-march with great rapidity, the Austrians were totally unable to emulate them,' and thus the French enjoyed a huge strat.egic advantage. Mack appreciated the encumbrance of baggage and in 1805 ordered that the anny mareh with only enough Rour and fodder for three or four days, and only tents for half the army (the remainder to bivouac); but the Austrian attempt at 'living off the land' in French fashion was a total failure, the French having had years of experience but the Austrians none at all.
Timzsport
bp...eer services, G.18oo:; tIIey aU _ear the ~~ee.r colou.... ....! of blue-vey faced dark red. (Lefl to "Sht) lidd officer, Sa.pper,.. Sapper; CODlp>lfty ofli«r, blKnUlNn-CorpS; Mi..er. The Sappeu ......d l'tliner _ear th~ 'ro_d MOl' ..-ith upnarned rnr brim., the of6c~r 'With th~ bee band of 6dd ranks; th~ E..oJiaee.r'. plUD>.. i. blac:k.. (R. "on Olleneeld)
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In addition to the military transport service, the main magazines (Hauplmaga<.ine) were filled by civilian contractors, whose vehicles and teams moved supplies to the forward depots (Fassungsmaga.tine), from where they were collected by the military trains. The allocation of baggage varied with the size of unit involved, but the official amount permilted in 180g (exclusive of the dro\'cs of private vehjclcs) was, e,g., for an infan try regiment one 'field chest' (caisson) with four hQl'ses; ten four-horse ration-waggolls (six for Grell<.tr regiments); a field forge and a headquarters cart (twO horses each) and 26 pack horses, A cavalry regimenl had the same, but with only three ration-waggons and no pack-horses; a Jager battalion had a field chcst, six ration-waggons and 12 pack horses; and a pioneer battalion one field chest, four ration-waggollS, a forge and four pack horses. Uniforms Though nOt fully 'mililarised' (the rank and file thus remaining unarmed until 18[9), the personnel of the FultrwestIl service wore uniform of military style. The ordinary members adopted a distinction used by other European arJnie.~ whose transport was organised similarly (Hanover, for example), a brassard all the left upper arm, generally in the national colours of yellow with black edges. At the beginning of the period both officers and other ranks wore white open-fromed coats with yellow collar and cuffs, the officers with skirted coats and the rank and file short-tailed jackets, with white waistcoat (straw-yellow for officers) and brC<."Chcs. Thc officers wore bicorns and the other ranks the peaklcss infantry Gasquet, and infantry-style waiSlbelts with rectangular brass fastening, worn over the waistcoat but under the coat. From 1772 F'lllmvesm personnel scrvi.ng the artillery had been permitted to wear lhe brown artillery jacket, but for reasons of economy most seem to have retained the white uniform. A new unironn was regulated in 17gB for all Fuhru:esm personnel, including the introduction of a new headdress: a black felt 'round hat' with crown 6 ins. high, similar to that worn by the Polltooncers, with the pompon in the usual colours of black and yellow, and a black-aver-yellow • plume, The jacket was henceforth of infall1 ry cut,
Sapp.,r, c:.,800.1AiJi man carri.,. th., Sapp.,r 5word (with nO ..... ucld.,bow) and a two-handed .a... in a l"'alJ..~_r .,a"",; Ih", cant"''''", is the metal pau.,rn of'na'k' shape which is depicted
most freq l&eatJy in contcmporary pictures towards the eIId of Lb", period, but which is also 5hoWD al 1....,,.1 a,. ",arly a5 '798. (R. von On.,..r.,ld)
but now in 'mouse grey' or 'mi.xed grey' (the shade apparently varied), with yellow collar and cuffs, waistcoat ljke that ohhe infantry bUI with sleeves, long trousers. knee-boolS, mittens, forage-cap and roquelor (cloak/overcoat) of the style worn by the rest of the army. Although regulated in 1798 this uniform appears to have taken some time to be illlroduced, for c.1800 Sccle shows an artillery ,7
driver still wearing lhe Casqutl, a while or very drummers (no brassard), NCOs and drivers, and light grey jacket and breeches, black leather grey for craftsmen, still with yellow facillgs. Ofshoulder-belt, and boots which appear lO have ficers' uniforms changed less, as demonstrated by turn~over tOps. Officers from 1798 wore a 'round lheir I BI I dress regulations, though they now wore hal' and grey uniform faced yellow, as described in lhe bicorn: dark grey coal with lining orthe same, the texl to Plate B. NCOs are recorded in 1799 emperor-yellow (kaisergtlb) collar and cufTs, silver having inch-wide hal-lace (tin. for corporals); buttons and other details as for infalllry save that they were armed willl 'German' cavalry sabres, field officers officially had no rank~lace; dark grey whereas the rank and file remained unarmed. Oberrock as for infantry, white breeches and kneeCraftsmen of the Fuhrwesen are noted in 1799 with boots with steel spurs as for 'Gel'man' cavalry; green coat and red brassard, with grey breeches waislcoal, gloves, epte and sword knot as for and sleeved waistcoat, and leather gloves and infantry, but no sash. (Adjutants were permiucd apron. This style of uniform is shown by Kobell 10 use gold sword knots from 1810.) The shabra
and white loose overall trousers. Klein shows an officer with a plain bieonl (with tapes tied up over the top) and a caped cloak with yellow collar patch bearing a white bunon.
The Engineer Services Organisation The engineer services of the Austrian army were divided into a number of separate corps, which were not even all controlled by the DirectorGeneral of Engineers. Excluding the Pioneers and the tWO PonLoonccr COI'PS there were three main engineer formations, which were kept in permanent existcncc even in peacetimc due LO the imp0rlance placcd upon the maintenance offorlresses and their defence. The senior corps, in the style common to several European al'lnies, consisted cxclusivcly of officers. The 11Igenieurs Corps (commanded at the start of the French wars by Count Pellegrini) comprised ten major-generals, six Obtrsls, II ObtrSl-lituttnanLJ, ten majors, 26 captains and 106 lieutenanLS. Officers were trained at the Engineer Academy in Vienna, which like the military academy (ThtrtSianist:he .\oIililiirak.adtmit) was open to commoners as well as to the minor nobility who comprised the bulk of the army's commissioned ranks-though 'technical' services like the engineers were not popular with the aristocracy. The Engineer Academy ran a comprehcnsive eight-year course, but as the engineer services numbered only three units the graduatcs werc often posted to line rcgimcnts, By 1801 the strength or lhe blgenieurs Corps was: a (General-Genie-Director) , SIX Director-General OhersLJ, eight Oberst-lieutenants, 12 majors, 30 Haupt/eutts (captains), 30 Captain-lieutenants (Capitiinlieutentmts) and 60 Ober-lieuttnants; with a 'Garrison Engineer Corps' (Gamisollsablheilullg) or one Obers/-linllenanl, six majors and 12 Haupthutes. The Ingeniturs Corps controlled twO battalions or
rank and file: the Sappcrs (Sapptur Corps) based at Theresiellstadt in Bohemia, responsible for the construction of fortifications, and the Miners (Milleur Corps), based at josephstadt, responsible for the defence ofand attack on fonresses. In IBo. the Sappers comprised four companies and a depot (which sen.·cd the Engineer Academy), increasing to six companies by 1806. At this date the baltalion staff (Gamisonsabthtilung) comprised an Obtrst, a major, a surgeon, a paymaster, an adjutant, threc medical staff, three Fountrs and twO assislanLS, a drum major, a provost and three sen./anLS. Each company comprised a Hauplm01l11 (captain), a Captain-lieutenant, an Obtr-litutenanl, an Unler-litultnalll, three senior Sappers or NCOs (Sappeurmtisler and Sapperfuhrer), ten junior NCOs (Ober-SafJfJeurs), 25 veleran 01' experienced sappers (All-SapjJeurs) and an undetermined number of semi-trained sappers (JulIg-SapjJeurs). The depol comprised four officers, 14- NCOs, t2 Alt-Sappeurs and an undetermined number ofJUllg-Sappeurs. The !\'Jincrs were organised similarly; in l80t i\'liner companies comprised four officers, twO
Enp~u UrviCH C.180g. (wCt to riCh.) Sapper, Po.Uooaeer; th~ blue-sr~Yjack~t with dark nd facia!:s, thoas:b the Pontoo.. eers are ofteo d~picted in cO,ltvnporary
toliau. All
w-.-
illu§tnlioos :as haVU1!: ulliforms of a li"tron&lI'r blull'. All now wn.r the true Corsilou( with ylI'llow . .d black pompo" and f".1hII'r, the uptu ....ed brim o(th" Po..too.. _ ....s bal bearinC a bran ....chor. Note th" siD~... eoqwpm~nt of th~ M.iD1I'r, pistol_boliter aDd II'Dtrll'..ching-tooL (R. ~'OD Ottenfll'ld)
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Aust..ian cavalry had wOrn ancient iron helmets as late as the
eamplligns Ilg:llinSl the Turks in 1,83-8g, but equally unusual was 'siege annour' worn by engineers. The French army also utilised hehnets and cuirasses to prot"ct sappt'rs within the rang" of enemy muskury. This Ottenfeld illustration shows the palt"", used by Austrian sappers, a croSS between a 11th. ce'Hur)' pike........ n'" 'pot' and:l. tuorion.
Feldwebels, two J\;f iI/ell/misters, l wo lIt[ illtlyfilzrers, and an appropriate number of other ranks which like the Sappcrs were divided into Oba-, All- and Jung!vlil/lurs. In 180.') they comprised five field companies (637 men) and a depot (85 men). Although the officers orthe IlIgClliellfS CQrps and the Sappcrs and rvliners were members of different corps, they LOok command over each other according to rank and seniority, but Sapper officers could Ilot be transrcrrcd permanently to the Engineers without taking an examination or serving as an instructor at the Engi neer Academy; though Sapper and Miner officers could be atlached to the Engineers in a lemporary capacity. Before 1800 it was customary to recruit the rank and file of the Sappers rrom the inrantry, which orten resulted in only the most ineffectual inrantrymcn being given 20
.
up by their regiments; from 180 I regulations specified that civilian recruits should be young, unmarried, strong, at least 5 feet 4 inches tall and able to read and write German. Unifor:rns The three corps which came under the aegis dthe engineer service wore the same colouring, of medium grey-blue or cornflower blue with dark red racings, generally or in ran try style. At the beginning or the period officers or the Engineer Corps wore gold-laced bicorns, blue coaLS with red facings and gold-embroidered buttonholes on the bl'east, senior ranks with red waistcoal and bl'eeches and junior straw-yellow, the waislcoat similarly with gold-embroidered bUtlonholes. r-,'liners and Sappers wore medium blue-grey jackets or inrantry style, with dark red facings and white breeches, 'round hats' wilh upturned rear bdm and a yellow plume with black tip at the left side. From 1798 the same colouring applied, the coatcolour described variously as cornflower blue or
pike-grey, with crimson facings. The headdress became a more formalised Corslhul with upturned side-brim, black and yellow woollen pompon, and black and yellow feather at the side. Sapper officers had long-tailed coats of infantry officers' pattern and gold-laced hat, and ~'liner officers the same but with sil\'er lace. Officers of the IngmiLllrs Corps wore the same uniform, except that they wore bicoms with a black fealher plume instead of the COTslhul. White breeches and kne<:-boots were like those of ,German' cavalry, though canvas overalls were worn over the boots for work in the field; inventories also describe pike-grey jackets, waistcoats and breeches. 1n 1811 offiCt:rs' unjform regulations describe the headdress as the hat worn by infantry (i.e. a bicorn) \vith an upright, 10 in. black feather plullle for Engineers and black and yellow for Sappers and !\'Iiners; the coat of infantry style in cornflower blue or dark pike-grey with cherry-red velvet collar and cufTs, lining in the coat-colour and plain gilt buttons; all other items (Ipit, sash, gloves, etc.) as for the infantry, but the ObtffO€k-though in infantry style-was coloured as for the coat, with collar, cuffs and buttons the same. The rank and file continued to wear the Corslnul and white buuons. The ranks of OMrminLur and Ohersappeur wore gloves, carried the usual NCO cane, and had woollen tape borders to the hal. Equipmem is described in the text to Plate E. Forsiege-work iron helmets and cuirasses of 'ith·celltury style could be used.
necessary skills, such as woodsmen, foresters, miners and boatllltn; duties included road· construction and ll10sc engineer duties previously the responsibility of the artillery. About 1801 the unit comprised a staff and five companies, and by an order of '7 August 1805, following a proposal by Archduke Charles, the corps was enlarged to three battalions, two four-company battalions for the army in Italy and a six-company battalion for Germany. The German battalion was raised at Linz, the Italian oncs at Carl.; recruits were taken from the infantry (each regiment pruvidtd ten privates and tWO corporals), plus the re-enlistment of those who bad served as pioncers in previous campaigns, \vith quartermasters and scrvanLS taken from the Stabs-lt!faTllerit. The two 'Italian' battalions werc cquipped with 1,010 axes of val'iPioD~r (I~£l) and Pontoon~~r, c ••800. Tb~ l'inn~~r wean a light grey jadlel wilh ITeell facings Uld white buttolls, 'CCrnt....' mr••lry 1~1W~.r(white bret:chu .nd blad, r;ait~r.) ....d a plaia 'roou>d hat'; th~ PODloonet:r has a b1u~jack~t and br-mu witb ru racinSs anda leathu-.bound hat,.,;th blackO"~r_ydlow plum~. Both carry whit~ I_th~r eqwpm~nt basiao..Uy in ;nr.... try styl~. (R. von Ouenretd)
Piotteers Organisation A supporting engineer corps was the Pioneers, which was mobilised only in wartime to assist the Sappers and ~'liners in the more unskilled tasks; the first Pioneer (Pionier) battalion was raised in Xovemher 1i92. ntil 180g they were under the direction of the stall: not the Director-General of Engineers; composition was largely non.German, 50 per cent being Bohemian and 35 per cent ~foraviaJl.
The corps originated in 1758 as a four-company battalion, recruited from those possessing the
•
.
ous types, 840 picks, 840 shovels, 120 leather January 1808 and two further in September, aprons (ror the carpenters), 64 saws and 200 ronning a batlalion. SixLy men or each company bill books; each company had a two· horse \vaggon were armed with muskets, the remaining 100 with and each 'division' (two-company unit) an ad- axes, spades and picks. Three additional comditional rO~I'-horse waggon; each company also panies were ronned in December 1808, lhe lWOhad a pontoon bridge. The 'German' baltaliOIl company 'd.ivision' in Komorn becoming indehad 720 axes, 630 picks, 630 shovels, 48 saws and pendent and the remaining seven companies 150 bill hooks. becoming the basis rOl' seven proposed 'divisions'. The corps was disbanded at the conclusion or Each orthcse comprised a Hauptmann, a Captainthe 1805 campaign, bUl reformed virtually as a lieutenanL, two ObeT-lieulenanls, twO Unlercadre in February 1806 and by thal autumn lieutenanls, rOUl" Feldwebeis, a surgeon and an assistconsisted or two companies each or three officers, anL, a Fow'ieT and twO assistanLs, 20 corporals, 30 12 NCOs, 15 carpenters, 160 pioneers and twO carpenters, 320 privates, raUl' drummers and fall I' drummers. Two more companies were raised in servants. The 1st-4th divisions were based at Prague, 5th-ith at Olmulz and 8lh and 9th at Pioneer, .Sog. The uniforlD colouring of the previous uniform Graz. In August 180g a loth division was is rtU.ined (light grey fll.t;ed green, white huttons, 'Cerlftan' infll.ntry breechn and gaiters), bul Ihe hell.ddress is now a authorised. true Corsehutwith black-(Jver-yeUow plulfte, yellow polftpon Arter the I 80g campaign the peace negotiations with black c""lre, and black leather ba..nd. (R. VOn Otlenfeld) reduced the pioneers to a battalion of six com· panics, formed in Graz from the divisions stationed in Hungary and sent to Vienna in January 1810. In July 1810 the strength was slightly reduced so that the corps now comprised five Hauptleules. one captain-licutenant, six ObeT-lieutenants, six Unlerlieutellunts, 12 Feldwebefs, 30 cadets, 7'2 corporals, six quartermaster personnel, 120 carpenters, 810 privates, 12 drummers and 1'2 servants; and a more comprehensive training programme was instituted covering the majority or engineer duties. In AugusL 1812 two fUl'lber companies were raised, and Lhe whole reorganised into two four-company battalions, each comprising 12 officers, 56 NCOs, rour quartermaslers, 80 carpenter'S, 620 privates, eight drummers and eight servants. In May 1813 the 1St Bn. was increased to six companies, and the 2nd LO six in June; in August a 3rd Bn. or four companies was authorised, and in June 1815 a depot company was formed. In [8.6 the corps was reorganised and returned to its smaller peacetime establishment. Uniforms As lhe Pioneers camc under the direction of the Generalquartier-Illeister and not the engineering services (until .80g) they did not wear the blue-grey with red facings or Lhe engineers, but Lheir ow.n colour scheme of grey with light green facings. Ini tiall y they wore lhe inranLry Casquel wi Lh a brass frontal plate and the usual yellow and black
"
woollen pompon, but in 17gB a revised uniform was authorised, though as berore it was basically in inrantry slyle. The new headdress was a plain 'round hal' with upturned rear brim with the woollen pompon as berore. The short inrantry jackel remained pike-grey with green racings; rurther details are given in lhe text to Plate B. The 1805 unirorm had a more rormaliscd Corslhul as worn by the engineer services, and liglll grey .unironn raced green; details arc given in the text to l>fatc E. The 1811 officers' unirorm regulations describe the hat and jackct as like those of the ]iigtrs, but minus the horn badges; with plain whitc bUltOnS, waistcoat, breeches and other items as for inrantry. The Obtrrock is described as "ery dark grey (schwar{grQu: 'black/grey') with green racings and white buttons.
,
::~
~,
....
POlltoolleers The pontoon service traditionally had more significance in the Austrian army than in those or other European states, as during the wan; against the Turks in Hungary river-navigation was equally or more important than road-transport, given thai the roads were orten wretched and that the main rortresses were situated on rivers. From the mid.6th century Lhe shjpment or troops and supplies by river was the responsibility of a special department, the Schiffmeisttraml, which under Maria Theresa was separated into administrative and pontoon corps under the heading or Kritgsbriicktllwtst/l, reorganised in June 1767 imo a pOllloon battalion with staff and a garrison company, the whole commanded by an ObtTstwacktmeister. The garrison was at Klosterneuburgj the battalion compri~ed rour companies each ofthree officers, an OberJtldbriicktnmtisttr (sergeant-major bridgemasler), twO Unltrfildbriidunmtisltrs, five corporals, 15 \'eleran pontooneers, 40 privates and a drum· mer. The unit was equipped with prerabricaled bridges conveyed on six-horse vehicles: crewed by Fuhrwestn personnel. In peaceLime the corps was responsible LO the civilian Obtrstschiffamt in Vienna. On 3 ~'Iay 1805 the corps was augmellled lO six companies, each 121 strong: three officers, lWO Ober·BriickenmtislerJ, two Unler-Briickenll1tislers,
Pioneer, c..81]. This OuweJd illustration shows doe later pattern ofJackel wit.h do" .lim..mer h1rDb.c.... OfP05t-e.1808, hut sLill wub do" 'old'_patt"rD ."gl... button pock"t Hap. The entrenching-tool is carried with the blade .. a case,on a white J"ath"r bell 0""1' the sboulder. The firearm is a "hort carbine as issued to som.e pioneers atthi. dateto remedy .hortagel of I.h" inf.. ntry mu.""I.
eight corporals, one Fourier, ten carpenters, 22 vCteran pomQOIlCCrs, 72 privates and a drummer; for the 1805 campaign 100 pontoons were with the army in Germany and 100 in Italy, and for the 1809 campaign each company was augmented by 25 privates. (A train of I 20 ponloons required 120 6·horse pomoon carriages, si.... equipment waggons, five forges, five coal-waggons for the forges, five carts and 804 draught horses). Ultimately, three companies wilh 170 (later 195) pontoons served with the main army in the 180g campaign, one company. in Poland, onc company in Italy and onc company in rese.'ve. After the 1809 campaign lhe corps was augmcmcd by officers from the disbanded Austrian Ilavy; in 1812 one pontoon company accompanied Schwarzenberg's Auxiliary Corps. the majority of lheir equipment being lost in the campaign. In the 1813-14
campaigns the Pontonitr-Corps was supported by a drafl of 150 men selected from the LAndwehr, and by twO companies ofCzaikisttn. The Czaikisttn were a pontoon corps associated with the Gr~tr organisation, originally farmers and frontit:rsmt:n colon ising the land betw«:n the Rivers Danube and Theiss, performing guardduty, supply, police and customs functions on the Danube. They used long, lightly armed, shallowdraught rowing boats with sails, lheir title (also Tschaikisten) coming from the term for such craft, Tsdwiktll (from Turkish kaikt = rowing boal). As Wjlll the ordinary polltooneers, the C~aikislttl were employed in detached companies, often auached to the pontoon companies.
The Eap..eer sabre carried from the IID.id-.8th coeatury, u~ at lea~l uatil .8
The l769-paue.... Sapper aabr", hras. hilt with wood or bon" upper ~on, slightly C\l,.... eet \l2-m. blade with serrated back. The Sapper ubreor ,807' hra~!i' Itilt with ribbed leather grip, lighl.ly curved bl..d" with ~erraled back.
Uniforms The pontooneers wore a uniform in basically the
2"_"".•
•
1: NCO, Artillery, c.1799-I800 2: Officer, Artillery, c.1800 3: Gunner, Artillery, c.1799·ISOO 4: Gunner, Artillery, c_1800
A
I: Field Officer, f\thrwesen, 1798 2: Dri"er, F\lhrwesen, 1798 3: Pioneer, IBOO
B
1: Pontooneer, 1798 2: Field Officer, Engineers, 1800 3: Field Officer, Sappers, 1800 4: Sapper. 1800
c
I: Gunner. Arliller,; c.l809 2: Private. HandJange~Corps. 1809 3: Dri~-er. FUhrwesen. c.1813 of: Gunner. Artille.,. 1809
1
4
3
\
,
/-
,
•
---
D
I: Sapper. 1809 2: Miner, 1809
3: Pioneer, 1809
I
2
It
•
E
I: General Officer 2: Orricer, Quartermaster general Staff, campaign dress 3: Surgeon
F
I: Officer, Artillery, c,1813 2: NCO, Artiller); 1814 3: Gunner, Artillery; service dress. 1814 4: Gunner. Artillery; 1814
J
I
G
1: 2: 3: 4:
H
NCO, Pioneers, 1813-14 Pioneer, 1813-14 Pontooneer, 1813·14 Infantry 'craftsman', 1814
engineer colouring, but with their own distinctive features. The principal uniform colour was described as 'cornnower blue', and appears in early pictures of this period as a lightish shade; for officers it was lhe usual long-tailed coal with red facings and waistcoat and white breeches, with a bicorn hat. The other ranks wore the same colouring, but though an infantry-style coat is depicted by some conlemporary sources, lhe diSlinClive
pontooneer uniform consisted of a tailless jacket and 'round hat', as described in the text for Plate
c. Th~
diniarti"e ...ucorm or tlu:- POAtooaeers "'-17g8-1800 it
depicted e:..:eUeal.ly in tbis l'ot....srdd prine, the llDu,ual taille., jacket ""ith. red "'....doW>:l conar, turoed-back upper lapel.....d pointed cuff" boots sUniiar to the hussar slyle aod the 'round hat' which al lhill date appears nol to bear the ..nchor device. A coloured version orlhi, print shows the hat_ band ... yeUow, which may be tbe NCO raJlk-distmction, thouS-h the hand-colourinS of engra vins:s sometim.", resulted in e ....ors by the colour;".
\
33
By 1803, iC not beCore, the hat had taken the
NCOs as decorated wilh silver lace, more ornalely appearance of a more orthodox Corsi/lUI and was for the higher ranks as the hats ofscnior NCOs cost ornamented with a brass anchor. Orders for 1805 almost twice those ofcorporals, who also had silver describe the other ranks' hat as plain, and those of lace trimmin~. For 1809 the anchor badge is described as 3 ins. long, Unlerbriickmmeislers (Feldwebels) having an inch-wide silver lace edging and A drivoer of Lboe PODIODD TraiD, I ~ a woiforDJ. DOl d.1ssi.milu fro .. thai of Lboe ordiaary Fubrwoeseo poersoDDd, corporals t in. edging. Officers' uniform regubut with the ioJ.Dtry->llyle Casoguet beaMS the .Achor-bad"oe ortl>oe POAIOOAoeoers. (R. ....... Ottoeafdd) lations from 1811 nOle the bicorn hal as worn
-
..
~
--
-- -;"-=--""':::- .
..
34
before; cornflower blue coat and Oberrock with bright red collar and cuffs, red lining for the coat and cornflower blue for the Oberrock, white buttons, silver rank-lace on the cuffs of field officers; red waistcoat, white bl'eeches, grenadier sabres, and other items as for the infantry. The colour of the uniform is rendered variously in a number of sources; 'light blue' is mentioned in 1805 (waistcoat and jacket, plus canvas overalls), but other sources show the shade as very much darker, from gt'eyish medium-blue to a brilliant darker shade. \-Vhilst contemporary illustrations cannot be expected to match the original colour exactly (especially when the hand-colouring of engravings is considered), the colour generally appears to have been more of a bright blue. Klein's illustrations of the [813-15 period show the Corsihut with a very tall, upturned left brim, a yellow woollen pompon with black centre on the front, with tall feather plumes at the front either black with yellow base, or half-black over halfyellow. The jacket is medium blue, apparently with six butlons on the breast, with red collar, cufIS (with two while buttons on the rear seam), turn backs and piping on the white (?) shoulderstr'l pat the rea I' oftile righ t shou IdeI'; tllcdi L1 tll blue breeches, black knee-boots either cut square.at the tOp or with cutaway rear as worn by some artillery; white leather infantry equipment and an ironhilted, slightly curved grenadier-style sabre in a brown leather scabbard with iron chape, with white leather knot. At the beginning of the period the Czaikistell are depicted in a uniform similar to that of the Pontooneers but with pointed red cuffs, and instead of the 'round hat' an infantry CosJ/uel, perhaps with an anchor badge on the fronl. By 1809 the uniform had taken on a morc overtly Hungarian aspect: a blue infantry jacket with red collar-patch, turn backs: and cuffs with the white fringed lace tool' known as BarmlaLi;en or 'bear's paw'; sky-blue Hungarian breeches with mixed bJack-and-yellow braid on the outer seam and as knots on the front of the thighs, and Hungarian ankle-bools; with an infantry-style shako devoid of decoration save for the usual yellow woollen pompon with blaek cenlreon the upper front, and a brass anchor badge below. Infantry equipment (including grenadier sabre) was in black leather.
Medical Services Organisation In an age of rudimentary medical treatment the Austrian army's medical service was especially inadequa te, despite the existence (rare a t the time) of a military medical academy, the Josephinium (named after the Emperor Joseph II who founded it in Vienna in 1785), the head of which, Anton Edler von Bienenburg, was also the chief medical officer of the army. There were no organised medical services whatever until after the end of the Seven Years' \Var, when Lacy devised mobile or 'flying' ambulances for the lightly wounded, and later created field hospitals. In peacetime military hospitals were maintained in large garrisons, and in wartime field hospitals accompanied the army, but their staffing was tenuous in the extreme: instead of trained orderlies, hospital attendants were either invalids themselves or soldiers' wives. Morc haphazard $lill were the local hospitals established in the town or village nearest to a battlefield, which were the responsibility of untrained local civilians, so that with such a dea nh ofski lied assistance the plight of the Austrian wounded was especially wretched Nevertheless, there was what appeared to be a comprehensive medical service distributed throughout the army: senior surgeons were attached to each regiment with assistant surgeons distributed at battalion level, and medical orderlies were attached to each company. Only the higher ranks of the army medical service were graduates oftheJosephinium or the school established at the military hospital at Gumpendorf. There were some 120 staff surgeons and about lhe same number of regimental surgeons, who were trained doctors; the battalion surgeons (OberChirugen) had some medical training, but the company medical assistants (Unter-Ckirugen) -also sometimes styled Feldschers, who doublcd as barbers!-mostly had to acquire their skills in the ranks. Even the senior surgeons were not classed as fully commissioned officers, but as military officials, and thus. were junior to all ranks holding a full commission, ranking only on lhe same level as the Fuhrwesen officers. Unpromising though this organisation was, it was rendered worse by a
35
ordered 10 receive treatmCIll immedialely before the rank and file were attended. \Vithoul the aid of civilians, even though untrained, and the assistance of the religious nursing organisations, the entire medical system might well have collapsed.
The Archduke Charles (177.-lan), son of the Emperor Leopold II and younger brother of Francis II (Francis I of Austria). Charles wall Anuria'. mOlit distinpithed general of the ~riod (dupile hi, K.lipse afte.. the defnt of "809) though perbp, e...... more influential as II ..",Co ..m",r and o..gam.e.-. (EngraviDJ by T. W. Harland af",r KeUerho..eu)
Uniforms Medical staffwho came under the aegis ofthe chief medical officer (i.e. not lhe regimental pt:l'solllld pressed into temporary service) wore a distinctive uniform of their branch, not (as in many armies) a variation of the uniform of the unit to which they were attached. Although the style ch:lllged progressively throughout the period (as with infantry uniforms), the colouring remained constant. At the beginning of the period medical officers wore a medium·blue infantry officer's $lyle coat with black collar and cuffs, red waistcoat and breeches and a bicorn hat; for senior ranks the hat and waistcoat were gold-laced, and the cum bore field officers' rank-lace in gold; the sash was not worn (indicating that, like the Fuhrweun officers, they were not fully commissioned ranks), but instead a while leather waistbclt, over the waistcoat but under the coat. The sword was an infalllry-slyle ipie, but only in 1799 were medical officers permitted to carry a sword knot. This basic colour scheme remained in force lhroughout the period (the breeches became the white infantry officers' version); see the text to Plate F.
conSlant shortage of personnel. There \'I'as also a ?",filitary Pharmacy Depanmem with some 20 apothecaries. which ran the field pharmacies (FeU·Apotheke), from 1794 supervised by civilian • apothecaries, from which the regimental surgeons distributed medicines. Archduke Charles endcavoun:d La make improvements: in [807 regiments received a medical cart Organisation (Balldagenwagen) which accompanied the unit into Thanks to lhe reforms and organisations of Fie1daction and served as a field dressing station; and in i\'iarshal Count Lacy (president of the council of 1808-09 four garrison hospitals were founded. war 1766-74), the Austrian army had a compre· Before battle casualty clearing stations were . hensive staff organisation. Though far from peropened behind the army, normally manned by fect, the $lalf system was such that when Austrian two staffsurgeons and their assistants; invalids and and Russian forces served together, the Austrian the lightly wounded were fonned into medical staff ran nOt only their own forces but virtually units to supervise casually evacuation in requisit- those of the Russians as well, whose organisation ioned carts, with the Stohs·Drogoner and Stahs· was particularly poor. In the Austerlitz campaign, In/anlerie units keeping order at the dressing for example, the Russians would scarcely have stations. Even the normal medical procedure of been able to move without Austrian staff officers, treating the most urgen t cases first was officially guides and commissarial assistance. This dominforbidden, officers (even ifonly sligh lly h11ft) being allce orlhe Austrian stan-led to some friction as the
General Staff
Russians tended to resent ha\·ing to rdy upon their allies in this way, and used them as scapegoats when lhings weill awry. Yet competent though the staffmight be, the Austrian army was plagued by a duplication of responsibility (some matters concerning not just military but civil scrvics departmenlS as well) and by lhe immense amount of papenvork which the Austrian system generated, a problem so vast that it was never fully mastered. The main military adminiSlrative body was the Hojkriegsral, a military-civilian body established in 1566. It directed lhe 'technical' dcpartmcntsengineers, supply and ordnance-and controlled directly the 'Military Border' between the Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires, bUl was not primarily concerned with lhe conduct of campaigns. The eSlablishment in 1792 of a military department within the civilian Slaalsral which controlled interlIal affairs served only to complicate and duplicate functions. Lacy subdivided the Hoj1cn'egsrat into twO military departments and one civilian (to control military justice), and similar divisions were introduced into the Empire's [2 military districts (Ceneraikommanden). Associaled with lhe Hr.ifkriegsrat but with their own administration and authority were the 'technical' departments, the Directors-Ceneral ofArtillel)' and Engineers, ordnance adminislration, medical and commissariat sen·ices, and the allied civilian supply-service (HauplverpjlegulIgsaml) and the river-transport .1I1d navigalion service (Schiffomt). Archduke Charles made an earnest attempt to reform the military adminiSlration in 1801-°5, abolishing lhe Sloalsrat and establishing a War Ministry superior to the Hojkriegsrot; but lhough the War Minister (Charles) directed policy, the extant organisation of the Hojkriegsral in three dcpartments was retained. Charles did manage to reduce the amount of dencal work involved, but the Hoftriegsrat remained the administrative power basc; and when Charles fell from grace after the defeat of 180g the Emperor rcturned to it almost all oflhe army's adminiSlration.
The army's more immediate staff work was lhe responsibility of thc General Staff (Genualquartiermeister or 'Quartcrmastcr·Ceneral·StafP), ceillral policy direction being given by thc Emperor and his advisors, all the gcnerals in a panicular army comprising the 'Great General Slaff. Each force's 'Small Ceneral StaW was composed ofprofcssional staff officers, the Adjutant-Central's Department and the personnel of the Generalquartiumeister, though the lalter generally existed only in wartime and a permanent head was appointed only in 1801. Logistics and commissarial planning were the responsibility of a mi.xcd civilian-military bOOy, the Gttltrai·Kritgs-Commissan·al. hen in peacetime a small staff was rctained, 21 'staff officers' (a term implying field ranks, above major in this instance), 16 captains and 12 subalterns. This system was found lO be incapable of running the 'Corps' organisation introduced before lhe 1809 campaign, so each Corps commander was allotted a small permanenl staff of officers to supervise the 'technical' services; bUl as lhere were no divisional staffofficers, lhe small Corps staffwas swamped with work and considerable delays resultcd, reaction to enemy manoeuvres frequently
Staff oBic........ c.z800. Th...
&............. 1 officor.r (c....tr..) .......... the WIUI.. staff UIlifortD wilh red r.ciDSIl aad brftCbes, wic.b c.be ....rli..... 1I~ .....d-raU collar; .t c.b... left i.a • Inftllbcr of c.b.. Gcacr3lqulIlrtiermcincr wcarins • v ........ coat ....ic.b hl.ck flllcinpl d sold la"... or6c1d rank 0 .. tbe curr. At the riSht;lI. se..eral dj"t.... t in (r........, f.c:ed, red, w .... riDS c.be ,..sh OV"'r th... shou.ld... r in the _alLDer orregime..tal adjutants. A11 ....e.r the gr........ plume of the ",tafT. (R. von On..Df.. ld)
37
being slow. Improvements were made by Count Joseph Radetzky (appointed <:hief of the 'Quanermaster-General-StaW after the 180g defeat) who in 1810 reorganised the staff into separate departments; but even he allowed the commissariat and transport to remain outside the general stafforganisation, when these aspeCts \'\;ere among those in most urgent need of reformation. ~.en.l
offieer, C.180g. This Oufllfeld illllStraao. mows the tat..r panern of coat with a white standi". coil....nd red cuffs bordel'fll with the zigz&!_pattern .rafT ta"> the breec:bu are red aDd the gold.laced hat bas the &rft:. plume of the itafT. At left is a gr~d.iu ora 'German' rqimCDt.
The staff maintained its own military units, activated in wartime, to provide guards for headquarters and escorts: the Stohs-Infoni~ri~ and SJabsDrogonu units. Being mounted and thus more mobile-and most distinctive in their light blue dragoon uniform with red facings-the latter were probably the most significant, originally established. in 1758 and usually newly raised before every campaign by taking reJiable men from the cavalry regiments. For example, one 'division' of dragoons was formed in 1812, served in Calicia in that year and in 1813-15 with the field army in Germany and France. A se<:ond 'division' was raised in June 181 3 for service in I tal Yi and a third 'division' in January 1814, serving in France in that year and in Alsace in 1815. All were disbandedin 1816. UniforJ11s
Until 1751 there was no uniform specifically designated for staff officers, generals and their aides normally wearing versions of their regimental uniform. From that date a white uniform with broad gold lace was introduced, the la<:e applied in a wavy pattern, and from the 1780s the lace was made with a broad zigzag weave; bunons were gilt, bearing an ornamented rim and a star device. This dress remained in vogue throughout the period, with the usual change in style as for infantry officers' uniform. The regulations of 17gB introduced for the first time a differen<:e between full and s8rvice dress: for general officers, lhe dress coal remained white Wilh red cuffs, gold lace and gilt bUllons, red breeches, the universal waisl-sash and a bicorn hal Wilh green feather plume, and black and gold belt. The service dress consisted of a pike-grey Oberrock or a shade offidally like that of the facings of infantry RegL No. 49 (3 light grey shadel, with red collar and cuffs. General officers' horse furniture was similar to that of'German' cavalry, the shabraque scarlel with gold lace bands and bearing the cro.....ned. imperial cypher in the rcar comers: Kobel! c.I80S shows a point-ended shabraquc in white (conceivably in error?) with wide gold lace border and the <:ypher in both front and rear corners. A different uniform was worn by generals of Hungarian cavalry, whose style was that of hus-
sars, the full dress being a fur busby with heron· feather plume, red dolman and breeches, while pelisse with five rows of buttons, gold braid, black and gold barrelled sash, gold-laced belts, red sahretache bearing the imperial cypher in gold; and a shabraque like that of infantry field officers, red with gold and black lace edging and a ligerskin saddle cover edged red. Their undress uniform consisted ofa peaked fell shako with three gold lace bands and la-in. high green feather plume, red dolman, pike-grey pelisse, and breeches either red, while clolh or yellow leather; and a 'Hungarian' (i.e. point-ended) shabraque with gold lace. General-Adjulants had worn a diSlinctive uniform from 1765, of infantry style bUl in dark green with red collar, cuffs and lining, and plain gill buttons. Their bicorns were like those of infanlry officers, but with lhe green feather plume of the general staff; waistcoat and breeches of strawyellow clolh, and boots as for 'German' field officers. Their Oberrock was dark green with red cuffs and lining and the same bultons; black and gold belt as worn by general officers, with epee; 'mixed grey' overalls for wear on campaign, and the horse furniture of infantry field officers. FliigelAtfjulanls wore the same uniform, but wilh silver buttons and a sabre instead of the lple; as for regimental adjulants of infalllry. Ihey wore lhe sash over the lefl shoulder. For lhe uniform oflhe General Staff, see the text lO Plate F. Associaled with the General StafT were Ihe chaplains or field-pastors, who wore (l black coal, waistcoat and breeches, with black stockings and shoes or knee-bOalS, with a black clerical collar and 'falling bands' edged while) and a plain black bicorn.
Members of anny departments assodated with !..he staff: at left a military cbaphu.n, and at right a medical officer. The forIller wears an aU.black costume, bere 'With .... ee-boot. (stockings and low sboes might also be worn), the clerical collar ha"ing black 'falling ba.nd.' edgm wbite. Tbe medical officer has a hlue infantry-style coat with hlack facings (and bere witb hlack turnbacks, though blue turnbacks are also depicted),wit.h gold lace loops on tbe cuff and bicornj while breeches, ....ee-boots and an infantry-style ipee suspended from a waistbeh. All neitber held a full commission, neitber branch wOre the sash. (R. "on Ottenfeld)
distinctions. Seele shows an ordinary sabre on one shoulder bell; the purpose of the other belt is nOl shown in the original, though probably it suppaned lhe 'holster' of artillery tools and equipment. The headdress is Ihe earlier 'round hal' wilh AI.' NCO, Artillery, C.1799-1800 This figure is taken from a print by J. B. Scele of NCO lace, not the later and more formalised c. [800, showing the 'old' uniform in use despi te lhe Corsi/WI. The black-aver-yellow nalional plume is authorisalion of the 1798 helmel. The rank of the shown in COli temporary pictures in a number of subject is nOl specified, though he appeal'S lO wear designs: tbe proportions ofcolouring eilher divided an officers' pauern coat, but gailers instead of equally, or as a black plume wilh yellow base, or knee-boots; presumably Seele intended to repres- yellow plume with blaek lip; or evell, as here, ent a Feuerwerkcr, who wore such uniform- yellow with black lip and base.
The Plates
39
A2: Officer, Artillery, c.1800 This figure wears the ordinary officers' coat of the infantry style, at this period without turnbacks, with the regulalion sash and legwear; the rank is that of company officer, lacking the cuff-lace and laced bell offield ranks. The 1798 helmet was like that adopted by the infalllry, made of black [ealher with larger front and smaller rear peaks, the former with gilt melal edging, metal or leather reinforcing bands vertically on the sides, a chain chinstrap, and a gilt comb supporting a crest of black-aver-yellow silk for company officers and black-aver-gold cord for field ranks. The large gilt front-plate was like that of the infantry, bearing the emperor's 'F. II' cypher, unlike the anillerypaltcrn plate worn by other ranks. A3: Gunner, Artillery, ,.179g-J800 After J. B. Seele like Plate AI, this gunner wears
the ordinary short-tailed, single-breasted jacket of infantry style but in artillery colouring; Seele shows no shoulder Slraps. The 'round hal' is worn with the upturned brim at the rear, ornamented with the national cockade and lace loop; an unusual feature arc the brown breeches in place of the regulation white. The single shoulder belt suPPOrtS a curved sabre with a hilt lacking a kn~ckle bow, perhaps an old fusilier sabre or a pior,eer's side-arm; lhe regulation sabre with stirrup hilt was far more common. A4: GUlmer, Arlillery, ,.r800 This gunner wears the regulation uniform of 1798, the brown shon-tailedjacket with red facings and brown shoulder straps piped red, and the 1798 helmet. For the rank and file this was similar to the infantry helmet (having a leather comb and chinslrap unlike the officer's helmet), but had twO significant differences: the crest \\'as of red wool, and the brass front plate bore a cannon barrel in place of the cypher of the infantry. Equipment consisted ofa grenadier-style sabre and the black leather 'holster' of tools, bOlh fitting into frogs on the shoulder belt; and a brown rolled greatcoat slung diagonally across the back by means of a white leather strap. Sr: Field Officer, Fuhrwuen, '7g8
Officers of the Fuhrwesen (as in this figure after a
print by Mansfeld) from 1798 wore a 'round hat' with It-in. wide gold or silver binding to the brim (in practice silver appears to have been worn), field ranks having a It-in. lace band around the base of tile crown. On the left of the bat was a gold and black pompon behind which was a leathel' lube into which was inserted a black and yellow leather plume. The unifonn was of infantry style (except that not being fully 'commissioned officers' they wore nosash), but in 'mixed grey' with yellow facings, white breeches, knee-boots and a fusilierstyle 'pie worn on a waistbell, white leather for company officers and the usual gold and black for field l·ank.s; officers wore no brassard. 82:
Driver, FuhrweseTl,
f7¢ This figure shows the Fuhrwesen uniform intlo-
duced officially from 1798 (though the earlier Sl ,Ie doubtless persisted for some time), with the 'round hat', 'mixed grey' or 'mouse-grey' jacket and breeches, yellow facings, and the brassard of Lhe transpon service on the left upper arm. The hal at this period was far removed from the ultimate Corseltul, being simply a functional brimmed headdress ofa style basically civilian, with the addition of a military cockade and plume, and without the exaggerated turned-lip brim oflater years. 83: Pioneer, ,800
The 1798 uniform of the Pioneers retained the earlier colouring of pike-grey with green facings, the shade usuall y described as grass.green, with white buttons; with white breeches, black gaiters and shoes as for 'German' infantry. Their equipment was as carried by 'German' fusiliers, buL with a shoulder bell and sabre like that of lhe grenadiers; all carried the grenadier sabre with stirrup hilt. Rank marking was as for infantry, officers' hats having silver lace edging [0 the brim and a lOin. black and yellow fealher plume, field ranks in addition having a It-in. silver lace band around the base oT the crown. All-black plumes are also noted for officers. C,: POllloonu:r, '7gB
From a Mansfeld print, this figure shows the distinctive Pontooneer uniform of a tailless jacket in cornflower blue with red pointed cuffs, turndown collar and turned-back 'triangle' lapels, a
single row of white metal buttons on the breast, and a similarly coloured waistcoat. Legwear consisted of long blue trousers with high boots of 'Hungarian' cut (i.e. with irregularly shaped tOps). The headdress was a 'round hat', shown with either an upturned left brim or rear, sometimes with a yellow band around the base of the crown (NCO distinction?), sometimes a black and yellow pompon, and at the left side a black and yellow plume, variously shown as equally black over ydlow, or yellow with a black tip. The equipment was of infantry style, in white leather with black cartridge box, with musket (bayonets are nOt shown in some illustrations) and a sabre on a shoulder belt at the left hip, olle \'ersion being shown Wilh a curved blade but a hih without a knuckle bow.
C2: FieldOJjicer, Engineers, /800 Taken from a contemporary portrait, this field officer wears a uniform with the colours appearing to be considerably lightcr than those normally depicted or described, the body ofa pale blue-grey shade and the facings somewhat brighter than the official dark red; the exact shade of such uniforms was probably considerably varied. The hat is the regulation bicorn of the Engineers, but the plume in the portrait has a definite greenish casl instead of the specified black. The waistbelt is the black and gold striped version restricted officially to field ranks, but instead of an tpte he carries a grenadier sabre. C3: Field OJjicer, Sappm, 1800 This figure is illustrated to conlrast with lbe Engineer in Plate C2, wearing a coal of the more usual shade of blue-grey wilh dark red facings, and like C2 has lhe gold rank-lace which distinguished field officers around lhe upper edge of the cuff. Similar rank·lace is wom around the base of the crown of the hat, which was used instead of the bicorn by officers orthe Sappers and Miners, the latter having silver lace; the national black and }'ellow plume replaces the black orthe Engineers.
C4' S'P,,", ,800 This Sapper wears the uniform used from 17gB, variously described as corn Rower blue or pikegrey, with the 'round hat' with upturned rear brim
j
"I'I Many cont.,mporary pictures depict Austria>:! troopl wearing d ...,orationl of va ..ioul t)'pCl. [lJultnted h ..re ..... th .. p .. in_ cipal awarda, th.. aenior being th.. Ord.... ofthe Gold..n Ft....c ... tbo: .,rindV,,-1 .. no'! ""o"t valued Austrian ord.,.. of chh'a!ry, found..d by Philip th .. Good, DILk.. of Burpndy, in l'I'Z9- Th., insignia was • sold b"dS" oC .. !!l0ld.... R.....,.. hanging Cram. blu~na.m... llcd. Icroll inicribed. PreulUIJ lrlboruzn nO.. vil., ('not a bad reward for labour'l, wilh red-tnameUtd ftllDlelil •...uiaS frOID a blu.. ItO"" abov.. the 8 .....c... Th.. b.dg.. waa suspendcd on a ..cd ..;bbo.. lI.l"Ollnd the neck or from .. bullon_ bol.,.
which was laler transformed into the true Corsthui with upwrned side brim. Miners carried no muskets, but Sapper'S were supposedly armed like Ihe infantry with musket and bayonct; yet some ilIusuations show their side-arms as bc.ingjusl the muskct and their diSlinctive sabre, without the bayonet. Grenadier-style sabres may have been 4'
carried by some, though the unique Sapper pat· tern had no knuckle bow which made easier its use as a saw, two·thirds of its blade baving a serrated edge.
Df: Gunner, Artillery, c./Bog This gunner wears the uniform typical of the middle 01" the Napoleonic era, with the bicorn which was specified in 1806 (though in use earlier); it was black felt with black tape binding, and with woollen 'roses' (bosses 01· pompons) in the corners, of yellow wi.th black centre. It had a yellow cockade with black edge on tbe side, secured by a yellow (or white) loop and brass bUllon, and latterly often a black leather chinstTap fastening wi til a brass bUltOll, which when nOt in use could be tied up over the top of the hat. The hat could be worn with a black waterproofcovcr, and the style in which it was worn varies greatly in contempor-
ary illustrations. Initially it appears 'athwart' but later in the so-called 'French' style, fore-and-aft, with the cockade often on the lefl but sometimes on The Order of Maria Theresa was a purely oUliury decoratioQ founded in 1757, e> a green..,nameUed laurel wreath and red and white Au.striau a .....1i in the ceolre. Od>ers wore a whit.,..,naDI",Ued cross wid> gill edge aud red and white centre, upon a red ribbon with white edges, CollUD.anders around the neck and Knighls from II button.hole.
the right; or angled acl'Oss the head so thal it was neither athwart nor fore·and-aft. All these styles are shown concurrently in contemporary pictures, so on campaign at least it would appear that personal preference was the main criterion for the manner of wearing the hat.
lJ2: Private, Handlanger·Corps, /809 The Handlanger-Corps wore the ordinary artillery uniform, the jackets in 'roe-deer' brown, but with distinctive light blue facings and piping; like the earlier Artillery Fusiliers, they wore infantry equipment and were armed with muskets, sabres and bayonets, and (as appropriate to their duties as artillery labourers) carried in addition the bricole-strap and skein of rope; the rope would be altached to the artillery carriage and the leather
-----
strap used as a 'harness' around the body. Legwear was like that of the artillery, though among recorded variations are overalls of the same colour as thejackct. D3: Driver, Fuhrwestn, c./8/3
From about 18°3-05 the Fuhrwestn worc whitc jackets, with lhe previous yellow facings; but though the shako appears to have been introduced about the same time as it was adopted by the infantry its use was nm universal, as demonstrated by tbis figure (taken in part from several Klein illustrations). Klein shows many variations on the standard uniform, most interestingly what appear to be artillery drivers C.1814 wearing brown artillery jackets with red collar, cuffs and turnbacks, six bullons on the breast, white breeches, black knee-boots or black infantry gaiters, brown greatcoats, and plain CQrs/hut With low crown and high, upturnt:d IefL brim. D4: Cunner, Arlillery, 180g This figure shows the rear of the artillery jacket, which followed the pattern used by the infantry at lhis time, the lurnbacks becoming slightly reduced from 1808, and the original diagonal pockets with a single button being altered to the three-button version. Although leather satchels as in Plate DI were carried by some gunners, lhe more common equipment was the black leather 'holster' of tools suspended from a frog upon the belt over the right shoulder; the bricole-strap and rope are also carried. E/: Sapper, /Bog
This figure wears the uniform of the engmeer services, with the original lround hat' having developed into lhe Corse/wi proper, with a large flap uptumed at the left side; thejackel was a light grey·blue shade described variously as cornflower blue or pike-grey, Wilh dark red facings. Sappers had white leather equipment (though black leather belts are noted in inventories), and wcre armed with the musket and bayonet and carried a black cartridge· box. Some probably carried the grenadier-style sabre with stirrup hilt, but more usual was the sapper sword without a knuckle bow.
As the Apostolic Order of St. Stephen (founded '7'4) was intended as a civil award for the nobility, Francis I founded in January .1l6lI the Order of Leopold, fol' both eivil and military meritorious service. Knigbtll Grand Crollil wOre a saver breast_lltar bearing a _hite and red~narnel1edcrollS ..ith gilt edges and oak leaves, gilt motto lntegritati et Aferito and a red eentraJ. dise bearu.g gilt 'FIA' ('Frandseu. bnperator Austriae'. ColDJ:Danders _ore a eron of similar design, topped by a gilt imperial crown, On an inch-wide red ribbon willi _hite liae -near the border around the neck. KDights wore a smaller version of the Same medal on a haIf.inch ribbon from a button_bol.,. Knights Grand Cross bad a similar medal upon Ii wide shoulde....ribbon ror 'dress' oCCllsions.
£2: Miner, /Bog Throughout (he period Miners wore the same basic uniform as the Sappcrs (though some illustrations suggest an all-black plume in the early period, as opposed to the Slandard black-overyellow), but their equipment was quite distinctive. Miners were armed with a sabre but carried neither musket nor bayonet; instead, they had a pistol in a brown leather holster at the rear of the right hip, suspended from a belt ovcr the left shoulder; and also carried a heavy entrenchingtool in a leather case at the left side.
E,:r Pioneer, /809 The re-created Pioneer corps from 1806 wore thc true Cors/hut as used by the Sappers and Miners, plain for the rank and file and with silver lace
<3
firearms immediately available. ~'[usicians had the usual 'swallows'-nest' wings common to all arms. Fl: Gmuaf oJ/ilU This figure is based in part upon a well-known portrait of the Archduke Charles, with the addition ofagold-laced hal (a plain hat is depicted in the portrait); the while coat was of the usual cut, with red cuffs and lining and the distinctive gold lace which had an interwoven zig-Lag pattern. The decorations worn by the Archduke were the breast-star of the Order of Maria Theresa, and the badge ofthe Order of the Gold~n Fleece suspended from a ribbon from a buttonhole on the breast. There remained personal diJrerences within the stalT uniform: for example, when the Emperor met Napoleon after Austerlitz it was remarked ho.w dilTerem he appeared from his companion, Prince Liechtenstein. Francis wore a voluminous great· coat, buttoned up, and a three-cornered hat on the back of his head, which with his stick gave him th~ appearance of an invalid (though he was but 36 years of age); conversely, Liechtenstein's manner was as bright as the Emperor's was morose, and he appeared in the white staff uniform with gold and black sash and wore his bicorn fOfe-and-aft.
F2: OjJiltr, Quartermaster General Sla./l, lampaig1/ dms The officers of the Ceneral Staff wore the same hat as General-Adjulants; a green coat wilh black velvet collar and culTs, red lining, and plain gilt bUllons; straw-yellow waistcoat, white bret=ches, ne Order of Eliz.abetla nerefi.ll. was fouaded in 1750 for ... and 'mixed grey' overalls for mounted duty on J..inUled .. unt~r of offic...... who load p ........ 30 y ........ ~rvice to campaign; white leather belts or black and gold for the Empire. Its lIiD!;:le cla•• (Kni!;:hu) wore a white-enamelled medal with red ...d while 'lIlr·poiDt.. ed5:ed I;old, with ,old field ranks; the ordinary sash and steel-mounted motto. a ..d device. iD th ... centre, with a !;:old crownsabre, and used a staff officer's shabraque. illusloU. pender ....d a blaclt ribbon wOrn from a button.hole. The centre bore the cyphers 'EC' (the founder, Empror.ss Elizabeth trated here is a common service dress, of the green Chri.tina) and 'MT' (her daughter, Maria Theresa). Obemuk with black facings and rcd lining, and in trimming for NCOs. The light grey jacket was of this case the rank-lace of a field officer, worn with infantry cut, with green facings and white buttons, the breeches and knee-boots instead ofthe overalls, worn with white breeches and gaiters as for the a common variation. Unlike the Generalinfantry and canvas overalls for work. The equip- Adjutants the sash was worn in the usual manner, ment was of infantry pattern, in white leather, around the waist. including a stirrup-hilted grenadier sabre on a shoulder belt with combined sabre- and bayonet- F3: Surgeul/ frog, and the infantry musket-though the in- Based on a painting by Klein of 1815, this medical crease of the pioneer service in 1813 resulted in officer wears a variation on the uniform prescribed shortages ofmatl:riel, so thai the 2nd Bn. received by the 181 t officers' dress regulations, of a cavalry carbines with short bayonets as the only medium·blue single.breasted coat of infantry style 44
with black collar and cuffs, gilt bUltons, horizontal pockets and blue turn backs secured by a button. Instead of the regulation grey or white breeches and infantry officers' knee-boots, Klein shows black or very dark grey cavalry overalls with gilt bUtlons on the seam, worn over the boots; the black waist bell is worn under the coat, its black slings supporting a gilt-mounted eple with black leather scabbard filled gilt, and a gold knot. The black bicorn appears quite plain.
GJ: Ojficer, ,Ir/jUery, UBI] Th.is depicts the uniform ofartillel'Y officers at the end of the Napoleonic Wars: basically the same coal, in 'roe-deer brown', but now with proper turn backs of the style worn by other armies, though it is possible thal the previous fashion, without turn backs, continued in use. The hat is worn 'athwart', though contemporary portraits show that the 'fore-and-aft' style was equally popular. The sabre illustrated here is shown by Klein: apparently a Pa{lasch of the type carried by heavy cavalry, with a pierced disc hilt. G2: NCO, Artillery, /8/4 This junior NCO wears the later palLern of artillery jacket, which had six bultons on the breast, re-styled pocket flaps with three buttons in place of the previous single bulton. and turn backs slightly reduced from those worn jn the pre- 1808 period. Il is clear that the change in style was not universal, as contemporary illustrations show both the six- and earlier len-bulton jackets being worn concurrently. The man illustrated has an oilskin waterproof cover over his bicorn, which thus conceals lhe decorations and rank-lace; though the c.ane suspended from a jacket-button was another symbol of rank. The decoration worn on the breast is the Medal of Valour, awarded to NCOs and men for outstanding service or heroism, in twO classes, gold and silver, with red and white striped ribbon.
The Medal of Valou~ (or Medal of Honour) wa~ founded hy Jos"'ph II to r",ward NCOli and m",n for h"'roism, in two c1 .. ss",s, sold aDd silv..r, po!ls"!I5ioD of which brotlsbt a,;o p"'r c"'nt incrus", in pay and lif",tim", balf_pay for gold medallisu. Th"'obv"'rs'" bor", th",portra.it ofJos"'ph the '""'v..rs'" a laur",1 wr",ath around De.. Tapferkeit ('for valour'), with a ribbon of
n.
nd ilDd whit'" stripes.
G3: Gunner, Artillery, service dress, /8/4 This figure is based in pan upon an illustration by J. A. Klein, showing the standard greatcoat coloured like the jacket, with a red collar (and sometimes shoulder straps), double-breasted with two rows of five brass bullons on lhe breast, three
45
on each vertical pocket flap on the rear skirts and two on each cuff; buttons bore the same insignia as those on the jacket. The red cuffs shown by Klein are a variation on lhe usual brown. The ordinary greatcoat was voluminous and long, though apparently a shorter version existed, in the same colouring but closer-fitting and resembling the officers' Oberrock.
C4: CUI/ner, Artillery, 1814 This gunner shows the rear of the later-pattern jackel, with three-button pocket flaps and two vertical lines of piping on the rear skirts. The boots are shown in contemporary illustrations of the later period with a slightly cut-away portion below the back of the knee instead of being completely The Cross ofHoaour for Military Chaplains was founded by Francis n in Novetnber .80•• for heroic c.onduci on active service: a gold cross with blue-enanuilled centre inscribed PUs Meritis, on a ribbon "fred and white s!:ripes.
\
,
square-cut at the top-though as with the jacket, this later style is shown concurrenlly with the earlier pattern. The 'holsler' of equipment continued to be WOin on a shoulder belt, and another practice shown in contemporary illusuations appears to be the carrying of a portfire alongside the sword scabbard, perhaps attached to a jacket bulton in lhe manner of an NCO's cane, though presumably this would nOnl13lly be carried only by selected mem bel'S of a gun-team.
HI: NCO, Pioneers, 1813-/4 This uniform based on a Klein illustration includes a number ofinteresting features, notably the NCO rank marking of wide lace edging lO the hat (and apparemly a white-edged pompon), and a WDoltCn sword knot; as sergeants in the Austrian army carried sword knots of mixed yellow and black, presumably the man depicted is a corporal. The jacket is of the later pattern, in the standard colours oflight grey-blue with light green facings and piping on the rear skins and shoulder straps, with re-styled turn backs (slightly slimmer than before), and three-button pocket flap" l)iped light green in place of the earlier single-butwn variety. The legwear are one-piece gaiter-trousers, and the sabre an iron-fitted grenadier-style weapon.
H2: Pioneer, 181:J14 The uniform shown here is in regulation style, though it is interesting to note that Klein depicts a hat with the right brim upturned in place of the:: more usual left; it has black ties over the top. The legwear is that of 'German' infantry, including black gaiters; and though the equipment is infantry-pattern, the sabre is a straighl.bladed weapon without a knuckle bow, brass backstrap and quillons and black leather grip. The plume of somewhat drooping feathers is a style shown in contemporary pictures of the later period, contrasting with the upright plumes represented earlier. H3: Ponlooneer, 181J-14 Although some illustrations (including Ouenfeld) show the Pol1tooneers wearing lhe same colour of jacket as the Sappers and Miners, most contemporary illustrations show a darker, stronger blue as depicted here. The Corsi/lUI is standard for thi.s
period, with a tall upturned brim bearing a brass anchor, and the equipmem is like thal of the infalllry. The boots shown in some depictions of the 1813-14 period have the same lower backs as Ihe contem porary artillery boots, though it is evident that this pattern was worn concurrently with the square-cut type. Klein shows a member of Ihe pontoon train with a saddle-horse which appears to have 'German' cavalry harness, a completely plain and undecorated red shabraque with square-cut front corners and pointed rear, and a black sheepskin saddle cover.
H4: Infantry 'craftsman', 18/4 Each regiment had a number of specialist persoIl11el-armourers, blacksmiths, saddlers, etc.-who formed part of the Slaff of each unie This figure is taken from a Klein illustration of lhe mobile forge of Infaillry Regl. No.2 (Hiller). the cl-aftsmen wearing a working dress consisting of ordinary legwear (light blue Hungarian breeches and ankle boots, though overalls are also shown), waistcoat, leather apron and the haggy cloth cap with integral peak which appears as undress headdress in numerous contemporary pictures.
Sources Many sources were listed in the previous Men-at- The Military Decoration of .h4 was awarded fO all those serving in the .8'3-14 ca.m.paigos: a. broo~e croSS upon an oak Arms litles (176, Austrian Am!)' oJ Ihe Napoleonic wreuh, with a blac:k ribbon with central yellow stripe. Wars( I): bifmltry; 18 I, Cavalry). Napoleon's Greal Adversaries: Archduke Charles and lhe Austrian Army (G. E. Rothenberg, London 1982) remains invaluable as the most oUlstanding work in English. l'aigie, by P. Courcelle. AUSlrian weapons are Especially useful for coverage of the 'specialist' featured in Cut GIld Thrust Weapons (E. Wagner, elements of the Austrian army is the artwork of Prague & London, 1967/69); and much interest1813-15 by Klein, published in Johann Adam Klein: ing material continues 10 appear in the periodical Osterreichische Soldalen!ypen (ed. and with a tex.t by Empires, Eagles & Lions (Cambridge, Ontario), for U.-J. Friese, Hamburg, 1985)' Die Oesterreichische example the series Development of Austrian Artillery Armee (R. von Ottenfcld & O. Teuber, Vienna 1772-1815 by Ray Johnson, 1981. The engravings 1895) is still the mOSI significant work on Austrian of Austrian decorations and medals are from The uniforms; an excellelll modern series of plates Book of Orders if Knighthood and Decorations ofHOl101lr including Austrian subjects is Ceux qui bravaienl (ed. Sir B. Burke, London, 1858).
47
Farb,afdn
A. D'.pres une guvure de 1800 en";",n. par
S~le;
l"uniformc des ""nta
an,erieu,.. ;\ l,gIl '" portai, enc~. Lt ",a",•• u de 11)"10:: o/!icier fX>rte .'-ec d.,. gui::,res pluto! que d.. bon.. pour,.i. iudiq"". Ie grade de r.u......·crkcr. I.e "«
a'-eo:: ga"", e, sa", ee;nluron, qui indiqu"rai""t un grade .u~rieur;i ""lui de OIpi,ai"c. No,,,,, 10 plaque de eaoquc d'offici., ""« Ie dllrrre im!",:rial. A3 D'ap.... $«10::; '"es,e de Ityle inranteri. dan.t.. oouleun de rartill.ri., pone. avec d.. oulones brunes p<:U coura",,,. au lieu de bltmch"" e\ sabre inhabilud garde. A.i Unir"rme reglemen'a;..., de 'i98; Ie c""'l"c pour leo ."illeun ."ail u"e erCt< ""uge e' un in.ign. de lube de C.nOn .ur I. plaque. IIa un sabre, une boll< d'ou,'I ••, sa capole ""
.''''$
III D'apcb une gravure de :'>l.n.feld. L", offieie.. ne por'aiml pa.de brassard,; Ie grad. de ce, offici".. .up.;rieur es' iudique pa, Ie large galon 'u' I. bandeAu du chapeau. E,.", dOIlIl': '1u'il> 1I'"".i.,,, 1"" en li"«m.nl u" "",ul d\,mci"r, 1es offici".. de ce corp. no portalell' la ceimu'" d·elolTe. B2 No,... I" b.....ard pour Ie ",,,'ice de
a
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C. D"pr,;" l-hll.fcld - l'uniformedi!linuifde ce corr," a,'cc ""'Ie ... n. queue "I col "'Iourn':, par. menu .. po;m.. tl ..vel"$< "lnang e". C. D'aprb un por'rail d'.poque: I.,. couleu" apparai..e", 1'1,.. clair.,. que I.,. d<:><:nplion. regk:men· taird, e' I", dillCrenceo':laien, ""rlai".",e" l con,id',ablol,armi 1.. oRickT1. Le plu,net ,·.rdjt,.." au li.u du ""ir risleme",.i«, "" ,..,i, bien our cc portr.it. C3 No,... 1.. rouleu .. r<'!l;1.",en,.il"C$, conlra,'<'<:s dc "'" unifom,e. Ct L\mifo,me do 'i98"ldecril comme 'tam "rouleurbltuct" On "gri. broche''''
a
o. T .nue carac,.ri"ique du milieu dc J'i:re n.pol6<mienne, a"cc Ie bicorne de 1806. llpou,·.i' .m, cou"en d'Ull manch"" de «>ile cirCe noire; el $e porler ,uivalll tlo> allgle, diffi:,.,"" CIl pn'sc,"a'" lei deua e,"61, ou rlirriOr~! I'a"anl, 00 ",,;me diago"akmC"I, ee qui I':mble a,",~ir Cl~ un clll>ix JKrwnnd, J)a La liscrb b1eu. crain du'inlluaie", co corps de rartill.rie qui portai, I'''quipemenl e' I.. ann", de I'infan lene ai".i que Ie bricole. 0] Ell partie d'apr", Io."1eio: ".. ,~ b1a,,~h. avcc lioem jaun.. PO"
a
bou,,,n,.
El 1..1: ~h3peau fOnd a main'enam ':-'OIl!\! pourdevenir Ie '"t:l.i eo""hul. Ea l.el ~1l".uN, qui portai,,,, Ie m'me unif"rme de baoe que 1.. Sapeu.. "'ai.,,, u" "quipemenl d""in~tir; paade m"uoquel, maio n" sabre, un pi"ol~, a,'OC hui, el un lourd OUlil d~ lraneh"". £] La I'i"n"ie", ,"""OllltiLUC. en 1806, portaienl .Ion Ie ,"raj eo""hu'. Equip.;. offieidl"me'" commel'i"fanlerie, I.. fournilur<:l ,'i"...", Jl ma',,!uer quand leur n<>mbre ru' augmen'. en ,8'3, Ie ,,,d lhlaillon 'Iai, "quip.; de carabi n.. de la ca'·al.rie el de rou".. ba;·o""e"",. F, I)'awe. UII port..-~il eel<'bre de l'Arcltiduc Charla, CII p• .,ic, avC'C ajou' du bloo"'e" galon dor'. II ponel'.,";le de poitri"e de rOrd ,e de ~lari" ThOtiK, el 1'«""""" de l'Ordre de la Toison d'Or sur un ruban .ttaeh. l. la boulonl\i..... F. J.·Ohcrrock ,,:rt a,'CC Ii.." .. l\Oi" CI doublun: muge .,ait lenue de "''''ice rouranle. iei a,·cc Ie galon de grade d·un ollicier .ul"rieur. F] D'a!'''''' Klein, ,9, !> _ une ".rian,. dela ''''ue 'eglemen,ai« d'offie,er, ma;' port"" ,ci ""« deo pan 'alOll' de f>ligue Sris fonc" d. la cal'aleri•. G. Lema",eau a mai",enam dc,·...i' r; Ie style arn,;neur COlllinuail" '" porter. Bien que 1.. dj"i""ti"n'lur lc hioom. ""ien, ~ach<'<:s par Ie ",ancll"" en ,,,ile cirCe, la Can~ ....t" une marque de g ...d•. N",cz I. m<'daill~ d" :'>I,;rite pour I.. liOu...,fficie" el I", solda". G] Capole riglcme",aifl', hormul.. parements rouge! inhahiluels. G.f Le dQldc ce mo(Wc do "~l. plus rCcellt. Queiqu<:o membrcl-IC"'an' I", pi""", decallon poMaien I un bou lereu a col. de leur ..bro, H. D'apr,;" KI.in: il .·agil prob.b!cm.II' d'un eaporal, '''"l donn. Ie larl' galo" lur Ie chapeau e' Ie pompon a liscrC blanc, e, qu'il ne port~ pas a ara~nne jaune e' n"ire d'un H. Uniforme ,~gl<:m"nlairc, bie" que Kle", monlrc I'aile droil. du chapeau el non pas I. gauche, role""", Clle ... bre droil CSl ill!.ahi'"e\. I.. plum~t re'omh.,,, ... ",i, e..... rt~rilliq". de la p.;ri<>d. f>'>!1~ri""n:. H] Ilien qu'Oltenfcld el d',ulr<5 pei",r~ monll"Cll' 1. ",.me ,·"'to pourl~ Sapeu",et Ics Mincu"', d'a",...,. sourca la p,""",.nl dan, ce bl.u plu. SO"tenu. ILi D'BI"i:> Ulle elud. 1'4' Kloill de I. rurg. ",...hile du R.:gilllelll 1"', d'l nfanlerie - Ull arti.an en 'e""e d. Iral·.il.
"'
A' Ein Druck VOll Secle ca. 'ul dcm Jahn: ,800. Die U"ifonn, die ,'or I 7g.!l bellUI.., wurd., ",ird inm,.. noch ~elragcn. Em Offizie",manlcl mi, Gama•• chen, a""elle der Slief<:l dt"lel ",c1I~ichl auf den Rang Feue","erker. Am ''''etten Schuh.rg:iir,.1 war ",ahoch";nlich die Werk!eugta",h. d", Kan"ni~", bef"'ligl. AulTa\\end ;'1 die Ra"glil"" an der rUrlden Mii'." d .. UnleroRi.ien. A2 ~Iall'cl eit.co l"f.nleri•.Offil'.ltn. Zu diC$Or Zeil [chlten Ilockaulkhlage, gncltnu"e Man",hetten >
~.
Ct Dies< bco<>llde" wlTall.rld. KOrpl·Uniform i!l "on Ma",reld' oh.,e Sch"·albel1schw.n.e mil umgOlchlagenell Kragen. 'I,il> zlll~u~:~,A Man... chell.n und "dreicckigctl" Re'·c". C. VOll cintm .eil$enOs.sio<:h~lIPOrlri!. Die Farben .ind scn"'~cher a10 ill den Vo""hrift.., beschneben und u",.""hiedcn .ich "'Il;,rochcilllich betraehllieh ""'erdcll OIll.ioren.Die grijlleanllcile der schwa,..,..n Feder ill deullich aofd.m Pottral zu ",hell. C] Zu beachlCtl .i"d die konlr.."erCttden, '·<>nchrif"m.JJigcn Forben di"",r UlllerianCllUnif"nn. Ct I)ie Uniform "m, 1798 ,,"urde w,n.hicdetl,lich al. '·K"rnblumellbl.u" odcr "Hcchlgrau" bosclt.iebe". o. TYlli"dle Ilcklcidun.g mi, Z"'cil~itz au. do", Jahr 1606 w!hrcnd der millle,e" Jahre der napol09niKhen Ara, Di.. wuroe mil cincm Kh"al7.cn Olumhang gelfagen, und .war Soi« 'u Soi«, >",n !tach himen ode, diagonal. .:. "'ar dem l>coonlichen G... hmack \iberla""n worden. Do 0"" hdlblaue Fut«r utt",""heidel di""'n Korpl von d., Artillerie. Sic I.UgCll Infalltericau"ni"utlg u"d W.lTetl.owieden Brieol~. 03 Zum Teil n.ch Klein: ",eille Jacken mil g.lbem FUlle" die ullgerihr .",ischen 1603-<>5 gClfagcn wurden. Der T""hak<> "'urde '"ch, \iherall bellU,"'. D. l/inle.. n.ich, ei"er Artilleri.jade au, di"",r 7",i(, ",il "crklcill'C"ell Rockauf>eh li~ll unu Tuchcll mil drei Knoprcn.
V""
Et Dcr runde HUI h.llc ,id, in den «h'cn Conthu' ",~ilcro",wickelt.Ell Die Mi"oure trugen di. gldclle Grunduniform wie die S"l'peur< mi, ihr~r ".",,,dercn Au,rij"ung; keine ,\lu.kele, .ber einell sabel u "d. ei"e Pi""l. im Hamer sowie -IChwere W"rkzeuge.um gral>en. E3 Die I'i"nicrc, die 1606 "'iedcr eingoruilrl "'u,de", lrug"n nun d~n «hIe" eor-..:hlll. Offi.iell wurden $ie wie die I nfu'erie a"lgeroSlel, ~beT bei der Ve,g,oBcrung imJahre ,f1, 3 verfiig'cn ,ie niehl uber .usreichende Au"ii."unS-. Oa, •. B>tailloll halle ka"allorie. Karabin.r ond. ku .... BlIjone",. F, Teil"·ei", ~'o':' b;:kann'en P"rLriit d .. E..-,hc... ogo Charlel. mit do< Hin.uruf:(" ung d.. Zw."pnz.,. ma goldellcn 1.11""". Er Irigl dell Bru"".", d", :'>lana Tne"",i. Omen. und da. Ab..ichen d .. Gold."en Vii ..". ~n .in"", Band """ scillcm Knopfloch. F~ F:ille hauftS gelragene [)i~nl\unif"rm "'ar di"",r Sriille Ohcrrock ma ",hwo",en Aufochlilllen und ro'em FUller; hiernlil d"r Ranglit.e ci".. ffi;'rcnd." Olf",i.",. F3 Naeh Klein, 1111, - beruhend auf d~r >'ol"$'aUeriehoocn gc''''gen ",ord., die all d.n Au!Jennihl"n cn,lang der Be"'e g.ktt"pft ",,,rdc.
,fI, "
G, Dcr Man,el hal nUn .d". Rod.ufschLigc. Klein ,.igo die Verwendung dieses St;hwafl'n r~II'5Ch5J.bel! der K3\."lI~rie. G~ D~r IIpale,e J ~Ckenltil mil sect" K.nOpfen ""'" und d",i a" dcr Tasche 5e' wei'erhin gClragen. Obgleich die Mcrk"'ale <1." Z"'ei,pilZ'" durch den 6lumhan~ ,"erdockl .ittd, \'erblie~ dmed.ille der Ulll.",Riziert: und g."'e'tt"" SoIdol.n. G) """h Kl.i" dc~ '·"rochrif"n,ii8ige Manld, mil d~r Au.nahme der ul\"",,'ohnlichen rOten ManocheLten. G.f Hinleran,i.hl deo ipilcren 5chllillmullCrs dcr Jacke. L'"~$3m bronnende Zlilld~r wordell \'on einigett Ilcsatulllf.mitgliedefll d.r Kanomcrel\eben de,,' Sabel gelragrn. HI V"" Klien: di~ i!l ",.hrscbrinlidl eill Obergefrciler, da cr eine brei,. Ilu.,.;hnur d"e" "'eiflkallligen Pompon ,rag', aher keine" gelbe" und ",h"·ar>:.ll Feld"'.belschwertkno'en h.l. lfa V"l"$miifligc Uniform, ",,,bei Klcin ehcr d,e redne aI, die lillk~ Scit< der hn<:hgeklapplen HUlk,e"'l'e und den g.raden uttSe",iil",lich,," Sabel ,eigl. Die noru"t<,hangende Feder ""heinl .piller e!.arak'cri"isch z" .. in. H3 Obg\cich Ollenfetd u,td andere diesdben S.!,pcur_ und ~Iin.urj.ek.n <1ar,,"ll~n, oei,o;t di"", Ahbildung ~in d"nkele,~ llau. 84 Einc Sludie I'on Klein beim Vorau.klimpfcn dd ,. I ofa",~rie'egimC"1> _ ei" H.nd"'erker ill A,beiulr.ch,.
' '>U
rnm'.l
MIUTARY
MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES
rnm'.l MILITARY
An unrivalled SOUTce of information on the u.niforms, insignia and appearance of the world's fighti.ng tnen of past and present. The Men-al-Amls titles cover subjects as diverse as the Imperial Roman army, the Napoleonic wars and German airborne troops in a popular 'IS-page format including some
40 photographs and diagrams, and eight full-eolour plates.
COMPANION SERIES FROM OSPREY ELITE Detailed information on the uniforms and insignia of the world's mOSI famous military forces. Each 64-page book contains some 50 photOgraphs and diagrams, and 12 pages offull-eolour artwork. WAKRJQR Definitive analysis ofthe armour, weapons, tactics and motivation of the fighting men of history.
Each 64-pagc book contains cutaways and exploded artwork of the warrior's weapons and armour.
NEW VANGUARD Comprehensive histories of the design, development and operational use of the world's armoured vehiclesand artillery. Each 'IS-page book contains eight pages of full-colour artwork including a detailed
cutaway of the vehicle's interior. CAMPAIGN Concise, authoritative accounts of decisive encounters in military hislOry. Each 96-page book contains more than 90 illustrations including maps, orders of battle and colour plates, plus a series of three-dimensional battle maps that mark the critical stages of the campaign. THE ANCIENT WORLD 2' 8 Ancient Chine5e Armie> 109 Ancient Middle fan 131 TheScytllians7QO-300B.C. 69 Greek & Persian Wars 500-323 B.C. 148 Anrrt of Alexander the Great 121 G.maginiMl Wars 46 Roman Army: (I) Caeu.r.Trajan 93 (2) Hadrian-Coosantir>e 129 Rome·s Enemies: (I): Germanics & Da<:ians 158 (2): Gallic & Briti.h Celt> 115 (l):?amians&$uWlids 180 (4): Spain 218 B.C.-19 B.C. 243 (5): The Desert Frontier
251 50 151 94 136 166 195 259 140 210 III 144 I I1 14S 99
Medieval Chinese Armies Medieval European Armies Scou&Wel.hWar; TheSwin 1300-1500
THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 241 Romano-Byzantine Armies 4t1l 9th C 154 Arthur & Anglo-Saxon Wars 255 Armies of the Muslim Conquest 125 Armies of 1.lam.1th.llth C 150 The Age of Charlemagne 89 Byzantine Armies 686-1118 85 Saxon V,king & Norman 231 French Medieval Armies 1000-1300 75 Armie. of the Cru...des 111 Saladin & tile SaraceM IS5 Knight> of Chriot 200 EI Cid & Reconquisa 1050-1492 lOS The Mongol. 222 The Age of Tamerlane
256 191 58 101 263 235 262 14 110 203 261 97 86 184 .88
Ple<>se ""Ie that fer space reasons abbrf;,;"IN _ a~ r'-' above; ~n a«Ierln£ pIeose qoore ~ lilIe ""mber. e.t W3 ylltiry HetSir'. ere.
Avec annotations en franca;. sur Ie. planche, en couleur. Mit Autzeichnungen auf Deutsch ilber den Farbtafeln
la~anA""iesI300-1500
German Armie, 1300·1500 HUI1gary & E. Europe 1000·1568 The Mamluks 1250-1517 DttomanTurks I3(l()..1 774 Venetian Empire I2(l().. 1670 Armies of Crecy and Poibers Medieval Bu rgundy 1364-1~77 Annie, of Agincourt Wars of the Roses Medieval Heraldry
16TH AND 17TH CENTUR.IES
The Irish Wars 1485·1603 HenryVIII',Army The Land5knecht> The Conqui.tadore, Mughullndia 1504· 1761 Gustavus Adolphus (I): Infantry Gusavus Adolphus (2): Cavalry English Civil War Armies New Model Army 1645-60 Loui. XIV·. Army Tile British Army 1660_17Q.4 Marlborough', Anny SamuralArmie, 1550-1615 Polish Armies 1569-1696(1) Polish Armies 1569_1696 (2)
18TH CENTURY 261 18th Century Highlanders 260 Peter the Greaf5 Army (1): Infantry 264 Peter the Great"s Army (2): Cavalry 118 Jacobite Rebellions 236 Frederick the Great ( I ) 240 Frederick the Great (2) 248 Frederick the Great (l) 271 Austrian Army 1740-80 (I) 48 Wolfe', Anny 228 American Woodland Indians 39 Brit. Army in N. America 244 French in Amer. War Ind. 213 General Washington·s Army (I): 1775·1778 NAPOLEONIC PERIOD 257 Napoleon·s Campaigns in Iuly 79 Napoleon·, Egyptian Camp;tign 87 Napoleon·. Manhal. 64 Nap·s Cuirassiers & Carabiniers S5 Nap's Dragoons & uncers 68 Nap·s wne Chasseu,. 76 Nap's Hus...rs 8) Nap's Guard Cavalry 141 Nap's wne Infantry 146 Nap's Ught Inf