Prussian Line Infantry 1792-1815

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MILITARY

MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

152

PRUSSIAN LINE INFANTRY 1792-1815

PETER HOFSCHROER BRYAN FOSTEN

Published in 1984 by Osprey Publishing Ltd Michelin HOU5C. 81 Fulharn Road. London SW36RB © Copyright 1984 Osprey Publishing ltd Rep,;moo 1986. 1987. 1988. 1991. 1993 .\11 rights rescned ..\part rrom an) f:'lirdealing ror th(' purpose or private study. research. criticism or rc\-ie\\. as permitted under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act. IgS8. no part orthis publication may be reproduced, s10red in a retrie\al system, or transmitted in any rorm or b) any means, electronic. electrical. chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, \\ ithout the prior permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be addressed 10 the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Horschrbcr, Peter Prussian Line Inrantry 1792-1815- - (.\len.at.Arms series; 152) I. Prussia. Amite Inrant!"y - Equipment History I. Title II. Series

356'.11'0943

UD375·G4

Filmset in Creat Britain Printed in Hong Kong

Author's

Dote:

Erralum - Prussian Light Infantry t792-18t5, ~lAA

No. 149, colour plate H'2: gold :'\CO TTtSU should not appear around the top edge or the collar, but around the front and bottom edges only.

Prussiall LilleIIl/allfIJ' 1792-1815

Historiml Developme/lt At the beginning ofour period, the battalions of the Prussian Line usually fought in a linear formation three ranks deep, their tactical objective being to overwhelm the enemy with their superior rate of fire before deciding the issue by a well-timed bayonet attack. By the end of !his period, the preferred formation for the Line baualions was the column, twO half-companies wide and between ci In and 12 ranks deep. The responsibility for conducting [he fire-fight to wear down the enemy was now given to the skirmish elements and the artillery; the function oCthe formed battalions was to prO\;cle suppon for the fire line. and to conduct the decisive bayonet

change was morc one of practical necessity than the unwilling adoption ora 'new' system of warfare by a conservative officer corps.

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charge. A number of historians sec such a change as a revolution in warfare, but it could be argued that this is something of an exaggeration. Essentially, therc was little difference between the battles of 1806 and thosc of ,8'3. In 1806, a fire-fight and artillery bombardment wcrc used to soften up the enemy in preparation for the decisive bayonet charge by the formed troops, and in 1813 battles consisted of the same phases. The major and most significant difference was not so much in the face of battle, but rather in the scale of warfare. Frederiek the Great's system of warfare worked well with armies of 25,000 men; but at Auerstaedt thc Duke of Brunswick had problems controlling and co-ordinating 50,000 men deployed largely in linear formations, and the armies of 1813/15 were often several times that size. Forming them up in three-deep lines and co-ordinating their tactics would have produced a staff officer's nightmare. The increasing size of armies called for morc flexible formations to be adopted by thc Line tToopS, namely a mixture of lines and columns; and this

Fusili~r, Musk~teer, and Gr~nadi~r NCO of Prussian Lin~ units, 1806. For con.~mporary ClIlmpaign dr~ss, see Plales C and D. This illustration ;5 from H~n.ch~t'li 'Die preussisc:he Annee "'on der Zeit des Grossen Kurfers.en bis tum Jahre 1806' (1820).

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Orgo/lisfltio/l From I June 1787. an infantry regiment was to consist of onc Grenadier Baualion and two of .Musketeers, each of four companies. A company consisted of 1'2 N COs, 140 men and three drummers. The ;'vi uskclcer Battalions carried twO colours each. Each rcgimclll consisted of 55 officers (colonel, licutcnalll·coionel, four majors, six full captains, six junior captains, three adjutants and 34 subalterns); 144 NCOs (48 sergeants including 12 sergeant-majors, 36 senior corporals, 60 junior corporals); three arLillcry NCOs and 5' gunners; 39 drummers (including the regimental and twO battalion drummers) and six oboists; '4 lance corporals; 1,320 privates, and 120 reserves. Each company also had len SchUClzen (sec Prussioll Light l'!fll1ltry 1792-1815, MAA No. 149). At the beginning of the RcvolUlionary \Vars in [792, the Line infantry was at the following strength: Guard and 52 Linc Regiments [12>539 mcn 52 Depot Battalions 34,164 men In [794 two ncw infantry regiments werc raiscd; onc more in 1797; onc in 1803) and onc in 1804. From 1June 1799) each regimcl1l was to consist of twO Musketeer Battalions off1ve companies each; and two companies of Grenadiers, which were joined with those of another regimel1l to form a full battalion. The wartime strength of a :'' 1 usketecr Battalion was 22 officers; 60 NCOs; an arLiliery :'\CO and 17 gunners; a battalion or regimental drummer, 14 other drummers, and a bugler; 50 Schuetzen: 600 privates. 50 reserves and ten sappers. Each of the ten platoons was made up of 20 files. A Grenadier Batlalion had 18 officers; 56 KeOs: an artillery NCO, and 17 gunners; a battalion drummer) [I other drummers, a bugler and eight fifers; 40 Schuetzen; 600 privates) 40 reserves and eight sappers. Each of the eight platoons was made up of 25 files. In addition to the above, each regimcl1l had a depot battalion which from sJanuary 1796 became known as the '3rd. Musketeer Battalion', On mobilisation, these wcre brought up to full strength. A Cabinct Order of 5 July [B06 laid down the orgalllsauon of an infantry regiment at three

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Privale and officer of Regimenl NO.12, from Ramm's 'Tabellarische Nachweisung vop allen Regimenler und Korps der Ic~niglich preussischen Armee' (Berlin, 1800). The positiopipg of the toops and officer's lace on Ihese parade uniforms is fairly clear.

battalions each of four companies, and two companies of grenadiers. Only after the war of 1806 could this new organisation be achie\"Cd, and the third battalion consisted of light infantry. On the outbreak of war in 1806) the army consisted of: 4 battalions Gliards-6 companies each 28 battalions Grenadicrs-4 companies each I 12 battalions ~111sketeers-5companies each The regiments were named after their colonelsin-chief, and at the outbreak of war) the following existed:

Infantry Regiments :'\0.

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~o. 2 ;";0. 3 ~o. 4~o. 5 ;";0. 6

;";0. 7 ~o.

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Graf Kunheim Rucche1 Renouard Kalckreuth Kleist GrenadierGardebatallion Owslien Ruets chenck Wedell Schoening Herzog \'on Braunschwcig-

:'\0.31 Kropff :\"0.32 Fuerst Hohcnlohe ~0·33 Alvensleben X'0.3+ Prinz Ferdinand :\"0·35 Prinz Heinrich X'0.36 Puttkamer :'\0.37 Tschepe :\0.38 Pelchrzim :'\0.39 Zastrow ~O'40 Schimonsky ~0'41 Lellow NO.42 Ploetz

Ods :"\0.13 Arnim ~o,14 Besser XO,I5 Garde XO.16 Diericke :'\0.17 Trcskow ~0.18 Regiment des Koenigs Xo.19 Prinz \'on Oranien ~0.20 Prinz LouisFerdinand );0,21 Herzog von Braunschweig NO.22 Pirch NO.23 Winning NO.24 Zenge ~o.25 ~10cllendorff

NO.26 Alt·Larisch :\"0.27 Tschammer NO.28 ~Ialschitzky ~0.29 Trcunfcls

)\0.43 :'\0.44 );0.45 :'\0.46 ;\0.47 ;";0.48

Strachwitz Hagkcn Zweiffel Thile Grawert K urfucrst von Hcsscn

;\0.49

~lueming

.\'0.50 Sanilz

NO.51 KaurIberg XO.52 Reinhan NO·53 Jung-Larisch ~0'S4 Natzmcr NO.55 ~Ianstcin ~0·56 Graf Tauentzicn ~0.57 Grcvcnitz ;\0·S8 Courbicre :'\0.59 Grar \\"anensleben :'\0.60 Chlcbowsky

The Grenadier Battalions, named aner their commanding officers. were usually drawn from 1WO regiments, hence the double number. At the outbreak of war in 1806. the following existed: Grenadier Battalions No. 1/13 Prinz August No, 2/11 chlieffcn von Preusscn No. 3/21 All-Braun

Private a.nd offieer in the 1800 parade dress of Regiment Arnim (No.13)--from Ramm. Note the officer's white neekSlock.

No. 4/5+ ~o. 5 '20 i'\o. 7/30 f\o. 8,42 :\"0. 94-t X'0.IO'41 1"\0.12,34 1':0.14 16 1':0. '7/51 No.18'27

Yieregg Hanstein Schlieffcn ~fassow

Hallmalln Borstell Huclsen Fabecky Schmeling Rabid NO.19'25 Knebel ~0.22136 Osten No.'23/26 Rcinbaben

No.24/35 Gaudi No,28/so Borck 1\0.29/32 Hahn :'\0.31/46 Jung-Braun 1\0.3347 Sack 1\0.37/57 Schack :'\0.38,49 Loslhin :'\0.39 KolJin ~0.40!43 Graf Dohna NO.45 Herwanh 1'0.48/59 Krafft No.s2/58 Brauchitsch NO.53/55 Crel)'

The collapse of lhe army, the dispersal of its personnel, and lhe dismemberment of lhe stale

leadership, had successfully withstood the French. These were the Life J nfantry Regiment and the Colberg Infantry Rcgiment. Each received two companies from the Grenadier Battalion "Yalden· fels. The Life Regimcnt also received the 2nd Pommeranian and srd Ncumark Reserve Bat· talions and thc Light Battalion von Schill; and the Colberg received the srd Musketeer Battalions of the Regimellls Owstien (No,7) and 'vacalll Borcke' (No'30), as well as Fusilier Battalion Moeller. The remnants of the Potsdam garrison formed the Battalion of Foot Guards. At this time, there were: 612 officers and 20, I 78 men in Prussia, 222 officers and 8,201 men in Pommerania, 242 officers and 8,31S men in Silesia. It was planned to organise the army intO six J 7 N-V'"./ . J:.,''Y/yH; "'"H t~~N J., divisions each containing four infantry regimentsj 11/0 therefore, from September 1808, they received provincial names instead of the custOmary system of Crown Prince of Prussia's Regiment (No.r8j, 1797-from names taken from their colonels-in·chief. The Tbuemen. The private on guard duty is at the 'presellt arms', following infantry rcgimellls were founded: which is acknowledged by the officer raising his hat. Note' thai the officer wears the Pour It m/rilt. hanging much lower thao was 1st East Prussian from 'vacant Ruechcl' later common. His batman trails behind him, carrying his coat. Colour Plate E shows the later uniforms of this regiment. 2nd East Prussian from Prince Henry Prince Henry from Stuucrheim 3rd East Prussian following the war of 1806/7 made it necessary to (previously 'vacant Besser') completely fe-organise the army. from I January from Diercke 1808, an infamry regiment was to consist of (wo 4th East Prussian from Hamberger Grenadier companies, two Musketeer Battalions 1st "Yest Prussian 2nd \Vest Prussian from Courbiere and a Light (Fusilier) Battalion. The six Prussian regiments-'vacant Ruechel' Life see above from Pommeranians (No.2), Prince Henry (No.1 I), 'vacant Besser" 2nd Brandenburg from 'vacant Ruets' (No.14), Dierieke (No.16), Hamberger (No.52) lSI Pommeranian and Courbierc (No.s8)-received six light bat· Colberg see above talions of the 1St and 2nd East Prussian Fusilier Silesian Infantry Brigades, along with men from various srd Battalion Howcver, the Convention of Paris of8 Scptember Musketeer Battalions to make up their strengths. 1808 restricted the size of the army to a total of A Silesian Infantry Baualion was formed from various Silesian and South Prussian troops, a Light 42,000 men of which 22,000 were infantry. The Battalion Schuler and Ruehle and the Fusilier planned six divisions were instead reduced to six Battalion Danielewicz was re-formed into twO brigades, and the 2nd Brandenburg Regiment was disbanded. companies. These troops were sent to Silesia. In November 1808 the Silesian infantry were In Pommerania, the Regiment 'vacalll Ruets' (No.8) was joined with the Grenadier Baualion organised into regiments as follows: ''\'angenheim and the 1st Neumark Reserve lSt Silesian bifallll)l Regiment from two companies of lhe Grenadier Battalion Losthin (raised during the Baualion. Two regiments were formed from the famous previous war): the Silesian Infantry Battalion; the garrison of Colberg \",hich, under Gneisenau's half·strength Fusilier Battalion Danielewicz; the

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Xational Battalions Hahn (from June 1808, "Dreslcr') and Falkenstein from October 1808, "Count Hertzberg': and the 3rd ~lusketeer Battalion of Regiment Sanitz XO.iO" The light battalion was fonned from the Battalion Schuler and two companies of the ':\"ationaIJaeger Corps'. 21Id Silesian Infantry Regiment from the other two companies of Losthin; the 3rd, 4th and ith Battalions of Alvcnslcbcn (No.33); the 3rd Bat· talion of Pelchrzim (No.38); the 3rd and 4th Battalions of Grawen (No'47); and the National Battalion Glan. The light battalion was formed from the ten remaining companies oflight infantry. The six peacetime brigades were organised as follows:

East Pruss;an Bngade 1st East Prussian Grenadier Battalion 1st East Prussian Infantry Regiment (No.1) 2nd East Prussian Infantry Regiment (No.3) East Prussian Cuirassier Regimelll (No.2) Lithuanian Dragoon Regiment (No.3) 1St Life Hussar Regiment (1'\0.1) IloeSl Prussian Brigade

2nd East Prussian Grenadier Battalion 3rd East Prussian Infantry Regiment 1\0.4 4th East Prussian Infantry Regiment ~0.5 2nd \Vest Prussian Dragoon Regiment NO.4 2nd Life Hussar Regiment (No.2) 1st Uhlan Regiment

Pommeranian Brigade Pommeranian Grenadier Battalion 1st Pommeranian Infantry Regiment No.2 Colberg Infantry Regiment (No.lo Queens Dragoon Regiment :"J"o. I Brandenburg Dragoon Regiment :\0.5 Pommeranian Hussar Regiment NO.5) Brandenburg Brigade Foot Guard Regiment (No.8) Guard Jaeger Battalion Life Grenadier Battalion Life Infantry Regiment (Ko.g) Regiment Garde du Corps (~0.3) Life Uhlan Squadron Brandenburg Cuirassier Regiment (:"10.4 1st Brandenburg Hussar Regiment (NO.3

A Prussian aLrtrid«e bo..: of aboul 1800, with a bran plale on the flap bearin& a fairly crudely .Iamped eagle relief.

2nd Brandenburg Hussar Regiment (No.7)

Lower Silesian Brigade West Prussian Grenadier Battalion 1St West Prussian Infantry Regiment (No.6) 2nd \\'est Prussian Infantry Regiment (1'o.7) East Prussian Jaeger Battalion 1st \rest Prussian Dragoon Regiment (1'\0.2) ;'\;eumark Dragoon Regiment (No.6) 2nd hlan Regiment Upper Silesian Brigade Silesian Grenadier Battalion 1st Silesian Infantry Regiment (No.1 I ) 2nd Silesian Infantry Regiment (No.1 2) Silesian Schuetzen Baualion Silesian Cuirassier Regiment (No. I) 1St Silesian Hussar Regiment (NO.4) 2nd Silesian Hussar Regiment (:"10.6) The numbers given in brackets after the regiments tended not to be used in practice: usc of the provincial name alone was preferred. The fact that a number of regiments appear in brigades other than those of their province was due to the re~ organisalion caused by the Treaty of Paris. Russia 18]2-13 Some 14,000 infantry went wilh the Auxiliary Corps of the Grande Armee to Russia in 1812. This consisted of ad hoc regimentS, assembled out of 7

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The gala uniform of Regiment No.t8-now the King's Regimenl-in 180,;. in another plate by Thuemen. Note the different 'prese.nt arms' positions adopted by the officer, the NCO (left background, with ,ponloon) and the privates, and cf. Plate E.

banalions combined from the Line regtments as follows: ~o. I-I I II SI Easl Prussian. I h2lld East Prussian. Fus/lst East Prussian :\'0.2-I'3rd East Prussian. I & Fus 4th East Prussian ~0.3 II 1st Pommeranian, I Colberg, Fus,. lSI Pommeranian XO.4-Life Regiment .\"0.5-1 1St \rest Prussian. 1 & Fus/2nd \\'est Prussian ~o.6-II 1St Silesian, II & Fus/2nd Silesian NB: I:z: 1St Batallion. II = 2nd Battalion, Fus = Fusilier Light Battalion Each ~Iusketeer Battalion consisted of jS8 officers and men; each Fusilier Battalion, 762. 181

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On mobilisalion in spring 1813. the Line battalions wcre brought up to a strength of 801 officers and men, the grenadiers to 805. A number of reserve battalions were formed based around the cadres of trained men builL up using the 'Kruemper' system. The restrictions of the 'Canton' system of recruit· ment were lifted on 9 February 1813 and, in errect, universal conscription was introduced. A militia was founded on 17 March. The Prussian Army had thus become a 'mass conscript army'. During the Armisticc ofPlaeswitz in the summer of 18 I 3 the Foot Guard Rcgiment was removed from the Line, causing thc regimcJ1ls below it to be re-numbered, and allowing a new Brandenburg Infantry Regiment (NO.12 to be formed from the first two reservc battalions of the Life Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the 1St \Vest Prussians. A second regimelll of Foot Guards was raised from the 'Normal' Infantry Battalion a drill demonstralion unit raised in 1811 ,the 1St Battalion of the Colberg and the Fusilier Battalion ofthc Life Regiment. The latter t\\'o battalions were replaced from various reserve Units. After the downfall of :\apolcon Bonaparte in 1814, the army underwent a major re-organisation. The planned strcngth of the infantry was to be:

2 foot Guard RegimentS}. . . In a lota 1 0 f 18 2 GrenadIer RegIments b' d R ' ngaes · 32 L lIle eglments This was accomplished as follows: On 14 October 1814, the six Grenadier Ballalions were organised into two regiments named after the King of Prussia's allies, Czar Alexander of Russia and Emperor Francis of Austria. The 'Kaiser Alexander' Grenadier Regiment was formed from Ihe Life and ISl and 2nd East Prussian battalions; the 'Kaiser franz' from the Pommeranian. \Vest Prussian and Silesian. The new infantry regiments were formed as follows: :'\os.13 to 24-Rcser\"e Infantry Regiments I to 12.

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Luctzow's Infantry -Elbc Infantry Regiment Reiche's Jaeger, Hcllwig's Infantry, Reserve Battalion of the Elbe Regiment, jth Replacement Battalion

:'\0.26 ~0.27

r\0.28 } ~0.29

NO·3 0 } NO·3 1 NO·3 2

Berg Infantry Regiments German Legion, formerly the Russo·German Legion -from men of the Elbe, Westphalian and Saxon militia. Thc Saxons in this regimenl mutinied and so il was broken up and reformed in November 1815.

Tile Commoll Soldier One feature of cvcry bailie fought by the Prussian Army in the Rc\"olutionary and Napoleonic \\'ars was the determined and bloody naLUre of the fighting. The fighting spirit and ability of the infantry remained consistcl1lly high throughout this period. Yet a number ofhislOrians divide the army into two periods: that of 1806 and earlier they describe as a 'mercenary army', while that of 1813 is seen as a 'national army". Although there were indeed somc dirrerences between the twO, they were not as great or as radical as some would have us belicve. 9

There were indeed a number of so-called 'foreigners' in the army, especially prior to 1806; but what should be borne in mind is that every nonPrussian German was a 'foreigner', whereas every conscript from the newly-acquired Polish provinces was a 'native'. Moreover, the recruitment of 'foreigners' was often a great boon to the Prussian army, and a number of them wcre amongst its most famous leaders-e.g. Bluecher, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Another point to consider is that throughout this entire period the Prussian army, consisting mainly of Germans and Poles, was much more of a 'national' army than Francc's Grande Armee with its Frenchmen, Hollanders, Germans, Poles, Italians, Illyrians, and so on. Even in 1806 the Prussian soldiers had more of a 'national cause' to fight for than Napoleon's troops. Although there certainly was a spirit of national uprising in Prussia in 1813, this did not result in a radical alteration in the outlook of the common soldier. As Yorck said: 'What is said about the "old" army of 1806 is not well thought out, but rather a miserable rehash of an old song which places the misfortune of the state in the formation of the army. The evil was at quite another level. The foreigners were nOt as bad as the learned gentlemen believe, and I very much doubt that the Rhineland or Posen militia would evcr be better.'

is generally misunderstood. The advanced age of the Prussian generals is usually seen as a major cause ofdefeat in 1806, and their ages are often contrasted with a more youthful French marshalate. It is true that :"Japoleon's 37 )'ears made him a stripling in comparison with the septagenarian Duke of Brunswick: but that is far from the entire picture. The youngest senior commander on either side was a Prussian, Prince Louis Ferdinand. Of the I I senior commanders in 1806, three died during the campaign,just onc was pensioned off, and four held commands at a later date. The scnior commanders of 18 I 3 were not much younger than in 1806 and in some cases, such as Bluecher and Tauentzien, they were older. The main problem with aged officers was not faced by the field army, but rather by the fortress garrisons. A number of their commanders were bordering on senility, and surrendered to small French forces without offering resistance. It should also be pointed out that other than the youthful marshalate unique in Europe, the French officers were themselves no striplings. In 1805 the average age of French colonels was 39, captains likewise 39, lieutenants 37 and sOlls-lieu/manls 32. The contrast between the officer corps of the French Army and that of the Prussians was not as great as some would appear to think, and was hardly enough to show up tactically.

Tile Officer Corps

Drillalit! Tactics

Some writers tend to draw a sharp line ofdistinction between the officer corps of 1806 and that of 1813, lamenting the old age and conservatism of the former and praising the reforming spirit of the latter. There was in fact very little difference between the officer corps of 1806 and that of 1813. All thc officers holding the rank of captain and above in 1813 had served in 1806, as had most of the lieutenants. Some reforms had been made in the wake ofJena and Auerstaedt, notably improved access to the officer corps for the middle classes by means of examination. It took several decades to make any noticeable changes to the fabric of the officer corps. which remained dominated by the nobility. The age of the officer corps is also an issue which

The basic documents which governed infalllry drill and tactics in the period 179'2 to 1815 were the Drill Regulations of I 788 and 1812. Bet ween these dates a number of additional instructions were issued. The essemial difference between the earlier and later regulations was that the former emphasised the deployment of a battalion in a linear formation whereas the lauer favoured the column, although not exclusively. The elementary evolutions-wheeling, turning, arms drill, etc.-remained virtually unchanged throughout this period. The rate of march generally used was 108 paces per minute, although 75 was used on certai n occasions. Until 1806, emphasis was placed on lhe rale of fire, and the Prussian infantry was reputed to have a

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,f:.en~;:~~~. :f6'ukul'/t-'''' /,f()Q.

It. Tb"edlen plate showins the Grenadier Guard BattaliOD (No.6) in 1806: offi«r, NCO and private. The NCO has Ulra lace on the front of hi. 11lftie, and the usual cane hangs from a

hutton. The private is at the 'shoulder anns'.

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rate offire three times that of the French thanks to a suitably designed weapon and special training. As well as volleys, battalions could also engage in socalled 'battle fire', i.e. independent fire by file with the first and second rank alternating. The order to cease fire was given by means of a long drum roll and a bugle calL In defence against cavalry: cvery Officer, NCO and privale oflhe Fool Guard Hallalion, 11kry, in parade dress-from Thuemen. A slriking change in unifonn styles is evident when one compares this with Ihe plate of the Grenadier Guard BallalioD in the pre,ious year. S~ Plale F.

two platoons alternated their fire. The front rank would kneel, presenting their bayonets, while the rear two ranks fired. Prior to the introduction of the new rcgulations volleys wcre fired by all three ranks, with the front rank kneeling. Thereafter. only the front twO ranks were to fire, both standing. The third rank. when not deployed for special use, did not participate in volley firing. Before lBog the favoured grand tactical for· mation, that is for brigades and divisions, was the deployment of the battalions in echelon. As the

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Front, inside, and rear views ofa surviving Prussian shako of 1808 13: one of,·ery few which fnay niJI be ellam.ined. It lacks rhe replatioD while band round lhe lOp, and t.he polDpon. Alt.hougb probably a Fusilier shako, il could h.,'e bf'f'n WOrD by almOSI anybod,-wartilDe conditions crealed lDany anom· alies. A pull-cord adjulilf'd the nel liaer 10 fillbe head, and in t.he rear viewean be seen lhe buckled strap which adjuSlf'd lhe OUlfiide circulDference. (Bluecher MU5f'UID, Kaub).

three-deep line was the formation used almost exclusively on the field of battle, deploying an entire brigade or division with all the battalions drawn up next to each other would ha\'c produced one long line which would havc been difficult to manoeU\Te and keep aligned. It was thus far easier to deploy the twO battalions ofa regiment next to each other. and then havc the remaining regiments form up thus either to the left or right and to the frollt or rcar. It was standard praClice to secure both Aanks either with ca,-alry and artillery or with a natural obstacle such as a wood or village. See the accompanying diagrams for examples of echelon altacks, The main disadvantage with the echelon formation was that ifits conStituelll battalions were not properly co-ordinated, then it was likely that they would be defeated in detail. One of the lessons of the double defeat of Jena and ,\uerstaeclt in October 1806 was that the command structure at brigade and divisional le\'eI did not function well. This \\'as due largely to the relative inexperience of the responsible officers. By way of illustration. it would be convenient to refer to the relcvant section of a report made by an officer present, Col. von Elsner, commander of the Duke of Bruns\\ick's Regiment al Aucrstaedt: '. , . \\'e knew nothing about the disposilion of the enemy or lhe terrain. Gaping holes appeared between the battalions and regiments, I dealt with thedcplo)ment of the 2nd Battalion to the len of the yillage of Rchhausen. and then had to hand it owr to itS commander SO that I could bring up the 1st Battalion_ I advanced into the abo,"C yillage--to the front of me, a deep, sunken road and had to elller the village with a right turn OIllO a footpath, Deploying to either side of a ridge. the battalion, when I last saw the enemy's position, had to make a quarter turn to the teft to get an enemy square to its front. I moved to the left against batlalions partly already forced back and partly still advancing: and undertook a number of unfortunately isolated and totally umupported attacks, which \\ere point! and unco-ordinatcd and, as a consequence. 13

unsuccessful. The whole banalion was burning with eagerness to get stuck into the enemy. but on no single advance was it supported by any of the neighbouring banalions. It undertook se\'eral Normal Inraalry Baualioa, 1811: aD NCO, privates. aDd aD o£6c~r all On parad~ d~-rrom Thu~m~n. difTer~nl plumo~$ di.stiDsui.sb ra..ak.

Note the way that

attacks like this; bUl, at the point of making lhe bayonct chargc, lacking any support at all, it had to fall back. This was always accomplished calmly and in good order, although accompanied by a murderous fire.' It can be seen from this report how time and again Elsncr stresses thal he was left out on a limb

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Infantry Regiment Holstein·Beck (No.ll), 1794: 1: Grenadier, parade dress 2: Musketeer, campaign dress 3: Officer, service dress

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Infantry Regiment Wartensleben (No. 59), 1803-06: 1.2: Officers 3: Private. service dress

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Infantry Regiment Ruechel(No. 2), 1806: 1: Officer, campaign dress 2, 3: Privates, campaign dress

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1: Grenadier, Inf. Regt. Winning (No. 23); parade dre8s, 1806 2: Grenadier, Int, RegL Courbiere (No. 58); campaign dre8s, 1806 3: Grenadier NCO, In!. Regt. Kroptr(No. 31): campaign Olh Russian corps could only now think of falling back.' In these live days ofoperations around Riga at the end of September and beginning of October 1812. the Russians lost an estimated 5.000 men including 2,500 prisoncrs. The Prussians lost 1,080 dead. wounded and missing. The conduct and performance of the Prussian Auxiliary Corps earned it praise even in Napoleon's headquarters: and it was this fine body of fighting Musketeer Qr th~ R~gi.menl Arnim (No.13). parad~ dress, men whose defection to the Russians by the l806--rrom tlenschel. For equivalent campaign dr~s5. se~ Convention of Tauroggen on 30 December 1812 Plat~ C. precipitated Ihe uprising in Germany which Insterburgl when inspecting ~lacDonald's troops of became known as lhe 'Wars of Liberation'. which Ihe Prussians were a pan, :\apoleon was The order-of-balllc of this Corps was as follows: shocked by the stony silence with which the Prussian comingcnt greeted him-Ihe French. xxvn Division of the Grand Armee Italians, Poles and Confederation troops had all Commanding general: Gen. von Grawert shouted 'Vive I"Empercur!' Chief of the general Stan': Col. von Roeder On crossing the Russian border, '{orck instructed Second commanding general: Lt.Gcn. von Yorck his men to treal the Russians and their property hifanl'J' with respect. The Prussians formed a division in 1st Brigade: Col. von Below MacDonald's Corps. and he described them as Infantry Regiment ~O.I: ~laj. von Sjoeholm I being a fine army. but suspected them of ill will. Infantry Regiment No.2: ~laj. von Sjoehohn Despite this. the Prussians always showed their II professionaJism and determination when it came to East Prussian Jaeger: ~Iaj. \'on Clausewilz a fight with the Russians. During the operations 2nd Brigade: Lt.Col. \"on Horn connected with the siege of Riga there was some Infantry Regiment NO.3: :\Iaj. von Steinmetz particularly hard and bloody fighting. Droysen Infantry Regiment 1\0.4: ~I the other component of Saltalion Rheinbaben, Re~ntent Winning (No'~3~rrom Henschel. Apin, see Plate D,

B3-' Pri~'ate. sen'iu dress The official history of this regiment is emitled: 'Founded in 1803 at E!fun. Wiped Out in 1806 at Auerstaedt·. Brandenburg-Prussia received the fortress of Erfun at the end of 1802, and this regiment was raised to garrison it. Those elements which were nOI destroyed at Auerstaedt, their first and only battle, capitulated at E.rfun two days later. All figures aner Fritz Kersten, C: bifantry Regiment Ruechel (No.2), /806 CI: Ofjicer in 'Ueberrock'. campaign dress Officers tended to leave their finely embroidered uniforms behind in time of war; they ,,'ent on campaign wearing the o\'ercoat illustrated here, o\'er undress tunic and riding o\'eralls. C2. C3: Pril:ates. rampaign dress These figures illustrate clearly the equipment carried by the Prussian Line in the 1806 campaign, and lhe overalls generally issued. The latter varied in colour from grey to brown. Also pan of the Koenigsberg garrison, this regiment did not see action ulllil the end of 1806, It fought at Eylau, In the subsequent re-organisation it became the 1st I nfantr} Regimclll 1st East Prussian . entering the First' \'orld \\' ar as the 1st Grenadier Regiment. .\11 figures after Kling, DJ.' Grenadier. b!fantry Regiment Il'inning (So.23); parade dress. 1806 forming part of the Berlin garrison, these grenadiers were combined with those ofAlt·Larisch ~0.26J in the battalion commanded by Rheinbabel1. They fought at Auerstaedl. and remnants capitulated al Erfun and Luebeck. After Henschel. D2: Grenadier. Infantf)' Rtgiment Courbiert (-,"0.58); campaign drus, 1806 This regiment took part in the defence of Danzig, which lasted well into ,80]. One of the newest regiments of the 'old' army, it became in 1808 the ]lh I nfantry Regiment (2nd West Prussian), and its grenadiers later formed part of lhe Kaiser Franz Regimenl. DJ: Grtnadi" _'·CO. lafantry R,gimtnl Kropff(.'O.JI ); campaign drus. 1806 .\5 this regimelH formed pan of the garrison of

Warsaw. which was ceded to the Grand Duch\ in 18071 it was not re-raised subsequently: this.. de"pite its successful participation in the defence of ilesia in 1806-07. Figures D2 and 03 after K.lin~.

£: InfantT)' Regiment du Kot1ligs f. \ruB : parade dUlL 1805

Olfiar £2: Drummer £3: Pril'ate The King's Regiment, which formed part of the Potsdam garrison, combined splendid uniforms with a history of bravery in action_ Among its many battles were Malplaquct (1709 , Hohenfriedberg ('745), LobosilZ ('756), and Lcuthcn ('757)· Although forced lO retire at Aucrstacdt in 1806, clements of the regiment fought on with Bluecher until he was finally forced to capitulalc at Lucbeck. It was not re-raised. (Xote the lace on the drummer's tunic: such distinctions were later abandoned in fa\'our of the 'swallow·s·nest· shoulder ornament. The private is in the 'present arms' position. All figures aner Thucmen. £1:

F: Foot Guards Regimen/. 1808-1] FI. 1-2: Olfiurs. /808 The relative simplicity of FI's undress uniform contrasts with the service dress of his comrade, F2. White overalls were worn in summer_ The regiment was pan of the Potsdam garrison and the Royal Guard. Fj.' Grel/adier. parade dress, /8/3

The regiment fought at Gross·Gocrschen in the spring of 181g. but thereafter remained in resen'e until the final attack on Paris in ~larch 18q. When on campaign the plume was removed, the shako covered with oilskin, and a greatcoat worn en bandolier. After Thuemen and Kersten.

G: 12th "1an/T)' Regiment (2nd Siluian). /808-/] G/: Soldier in camp dress This forage cap and jacket were worn by Prussian infantry until 1814, when a differenl cap was issued. Yellow was the provincial distinction of Silesian regiments.

Grenadier of Regiment Ah·Larisch (No.:z6) in .806 parade dre._from Hen.chel.

G2: .\fuskt/ter. campaign dress, /8/2

Once the winter of 1812 had set in, most Prussian infal1lry would ha'-e resembled this greatcoatcd fi~rc. Their appearance in France in early 1814 would have been "imilar. except that ankle· length coah were issued.

G3: .\"CO. u1nter parade dress White trousers were substituted in summer. After Knoctel. I-II: .\/uske/eer. 8th Infantr.J Rfglmmt (Life Regiment). /815 This typical example of the uniforms in which lhe

Prussian

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