‘Hannover Siegt, Der Franzmann Liegt’ (Part 12: More Hessian Reinforcements)

The build-up of forces continues to gather pace in western Germany and here’s the latest draft of reinforcements for the army of Hesse-Cassel.  This latest draft actually completes the entire Hesse-Cassel cavalry arm of four regiments of Horse (two squadrons apiece) and two regiments of Dragoons (four squadrons apiece).

However, I must confess that I’ve not included the Hesse-Cassel Husaren-Corps, as that only existed as a single squadron for the first half of the war and after expansion to a full regiment was never really engaged in any major battles (and in any case, I could happily proxy the Prussian ‘Zieten’ Hussars, who had a very similar uniform).

So with the Hessian cavalry, Jäger-Corps and general staff finished, I just need to do another four infantry battalions and a couple of guns to call the whole army finished.  The army had fourteen infantry regiments, plus a few militia regiments who occasionally took to the field, but the maximum number of infantry regiments ever concentrated in one battle was eleven (at the Battles of Hastenbeck and Bergen), so that seems like a good number to aim for.  I’ve presently got seven infantry regiments painted.

As it happens, I painted this first regiment over 18 months ago and then completely forgot to include it in my last Hessian update!

Above:  The ‘Prinz Ysenburg’ Infantry Regiment was first raised in 1687 as the ‘Prinz Carl von Hessen’ Regiment of Foot with Venetian subsidy to fight the Turks in southern Greece.  The regiment later fought in Germany during the Nine Years War of 1688-97 and then fought in the War of Spanish Succession, when it fought at the Battle of Blenheim.  During the 1730s the regiment was allocated for a time to the Reichsarmee and during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745-1746 the regiment was shipped to Britain and joined the pursuit of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army from Derby to Scotland, though didn’t participate in the Battle of Culloden.  After returning to Germany, the regiment passed in 1748 to the ownership of Prince Johann Casimir von Ysenburg.

At the start of the Seven Years War in 1756, the regiment embarked once again for England, as part of a British-subsidised German force to counter the threat of French invasion.  However, as the threat of invasion receded in 1757, the German contingent returned to the continent and the regiment fought at the Battle of Hastenbeck.  In 1758 the regiment was distinguished under the command of Prince Ysenburg at the Battle of Sanderhausen, though suffered very heavy casualties at the Battle of Lutterberg.  In 1759 the regiment fought at Bergen, where Prince Ysenberg was killed.  The regiment then passed to Major General J A F von Bischhausen and fought under this name at Minden.  In 1761 the regiment was passed to Colonel W A von Donop and fought under that name at Langensalza, Vellinghausen, Wilhelmsthal and 2nd Lutterberg.

After the war, the regiment passed to another Donop, Carl Ulrich.  My surviving reader might remember that I modelled that iteration of the regiment and Carl Ulrich von Donop himself in 28mm for the American War of Independence.

Above:  The ‘Prinz Ysenburg’ Infantry Regiment.  I covered the organisational changes of Hessian infantry regiments through the Seven Years War in Part 7, so won’t repeat myself here.  Suffice to say, I’ve modelled my Hessian army for the first half of the war, when the infantry regiments operated as single, large battalion units.  In the latter part of the war they were split into two weak battalions, but were essentially the same strength, so makes little difference in game terms.

The regiment wore the standard dark blue Hessian infantry coat, with lapels, cuffs, shoulder-strap and waistcoat coloured straw.  Tail-turnbacks were red, though they had been straw until the early 1750s and this colouring may have persisted as late as the Seven Years War.  Lapels, cuffs and cuff-flaps were piped white.  Buttons were brass.  There were two white lace buttonholes below each lapel.  Neck-stocks were red.  Breeches were probably white at this time, though I like the look of the dark blue breeches worn in the 1740s and early 1750s.  Hats were laced white, with a black cockade and straw pompoms.

After Landgrave Frederick II’s ‘Prussification’ of 1760, a straw collar was added, the white piping was removed and the lace buttonhole colour changed to yellow.  An additional pair of lace buttonholes was added to each cuff-flap and a single lace buttonhole was added to each side of the rear-waist.  The colour of neck-stocks changed to black.

Above:  The ‘Prinz Ysenburg’ Infantry Regiment.  Officers wore the same uniform colourings, though with gold lace buttonholes and hat-lace, a gold gorget and a silver sash shot through with red flecks.  NCOs wore gold lace edging to lapels and cuffs.  Hessian infantry drummers wore reversed colours until the early 1750s, but thereafter wore the same uniform as the rest of the regiment with the addition of red & white drummers’ lace decoration to the coat.

Prior to the reorganisation of 1760, each Hessian regiment would form a single company of 80 flank-grenadiers and these would be massed on an ad hoc basis into combined grenadier battalions.  When the army was reorganised in 1760, an additional 200 men were added to each infantry regiment.  These new men were largely absorbed by each regiment’s grenadier corps, which now consisted of two much larger companies.  These grenadier companies were then massed into Prussian-style semi-permanent grenadier battalions, each formed from the grenadiers of two regiments and known by the name of the battalion commander.

This regiment’s grenadiers were paired with those of the Füsilier-Regiment von Bartheld to form Grenadier-Bataillon ‘Papenheim’.  The title changed in 1761 to ‘Schmidt’ and again in 1761 to ‘Knoblauch’.  The regiment’s grenadiers wore the same uniform as the parent regiment, with Prussian-style mitre caps.  The cap’s bag, band and pompom were straw-coloured, laced yellow with a brass front-plate.

These figures are 18mm Prussian infantry by Eureka Miniatures, while the flags are by Maverick Models.

Above:  The Leibregiment zu Pferde was first raised in 1684 and fought in the War of Spanish Succession, the Austro-Turkish War of 1716-1717 and the War of Austrian Succession.  At the start of the Seven Years War it was the second-most senior of the six regiments of Hessian cavalry (three of heavy horse and two of dragoons).  During Landgrave Frederick II’s ‘Prussification’ of 1760, the regiment’s title was changed in 1760 to Gensd’Armes.

Christian Albrecht von Oheimb (in 1770)

The regiment’s Chef was Landgrave William VIII until his death in 1760, when the title passed to Lieutenant-General Georg Ludwig von und zu Urff and then again in the same year to Major General Christian Albrecht von Oheimb.  However, as a ‘titled’ regiment, it was always known by its title rather than by the name of its Chef.  The regiment fought at Hastenbeck, Krefeld (where it was distinguished against the French Royal-Carabiniers), Lutterberg, Bergen, Minden, Vellinghausen, Grüningen and Nauheim.

As with Hanoverian regiments of horse and most British cavalry regiments, the Hessian heavy horse were relatively weak organisations, consisting of only two squadrons, each of three companies and only 362 men at full strength (being expanded in 1760 to 422 men).  In Tricorn game terms, two regiments are therefore brigaded together to form a ‘unit’.

Above:  The Leibregiment zu Pferde initially wore a white coat with ‘red’ (probably more crimson) lapels, cuffs, collar, shoulder-strap, aiguillette and tail-turnbacks and brass buttons.  This was worn over a white waistcoat with red/crimson lace edging and straw breeches.  Belts were white.  Necks-stocks were black.  Hats were edged with yellow lace and had a black cockade, often decorated with a sprig of foliage.  Horse-furniture was red/crimson, edged in yellow lace and decorated with golden Hessian lions.  Cuirasses were declared obsolete before the start of the War of Austrian Succession.  There is some difference of opinion as to whether trumpeters wore reversed colours of just had the same uniform with musician’s lace; I’ve gone with reversed colours.

With the ‘Prussification’ of 1760, the uniforms of the heavy horse changed radically to a Prussian-style buff ‘kollet’ with poppy-red cuffs, collar, cummerbund and shoulder-strap, with buff tail-turnbacks.  The cuffs, turnbacks and front-seam were edged in red & white lace.  This was worn over a light blue waistcoat edged in the same lace and pale straw breeches.  Horse-furniture was poppy red with a double edge of yellow lace and was decorated with the Badge of Hesse-Cassel (a light blue disc, charged with the red & white striped lion of Hesse, edged with a gold wreath and topped with a crown).  Hats, belts, etc remained the same.  The Hessian heavy horse were now meant to be equipped with cuirasses, but these items do not appear to have been delivered until after the end of the Seven Years War.

Above:  The Cavalry Regiment ‘Prinz Wilhelm’ was the most senior cavalry regiment in the Army of Hesse-Cassel, being first raised in 1673 as the ‘Hornhub’ Regiment of Horse (that name sounds like it belongs to a dealer of ribald French lithographs…).  The regiment fought in the Wars of Spanish and Austrian Succession.  Prince Wilhelm von Hessen was appointed as Chef in 1753 and retained ownership of the regiment throughout the Seven Years War.  When Prince William’s father became Landgrave Frederick II in 1760, Prince William became the Hereditary Prince or Erbprinz and his regiment also therefore became known as ‘Erbprinz Wilhelm’ or simply ‘Erbprinz’.  The regiment fought in numerous major engagements of the Seven Years War; Hastenbeck, Krefeld, Lutterberg, Bergen, Minden, Fulda, Vellinghausen and Wilhelmsthal.

David Morier painted the regiment in 1748, when it was the ‘Prinz Maximilian’ Regiment

Above:  The Cavalry Regiment ‘Prinz Wilhelm’ wore exactly the same style of uniform as the Leib Regiment above, though with blue facings and yellow ‘metal’.  When it was re-designated as a cuirassier regiment in 1760, the regiment again followed the same scheme as the Leib Regiment described above, except that all regimental distinctive colourings were blue, including the waistcoat.  Lace was blue/white striped.  The trumpeters are known to have worn reversed colours.

For my Hessian cavalry I’ve used Eureka Miniatures 18mm Prussian Dragoons, which are a pretty close match for both the Hessian regiments of heavy horse and of dragoons.  For the standards I’ve used those produced by Maverick Models.  Each regiment’s 1st squadron carried a white standard, but I’ve used the 2nd squadron’s coloured standard for my regiments of horse, as it looks rather more interesting than a load of white standards.

Above:  The Leibdragoner-Regiment was first raised in 1688 as the ‘Wartensleben’ Dragoon Regiment, becoming the ‘Erbprinz’ Dragoons in 1695.  The regiment enjoyed a distinguished career during the War of Spanish Succession, famously capturing the French Marshal Tallard at Blenheim.  In 1721 Erbprinz Frederick was invited to become King Frederick I of Sweden, so the regiment was re-titled as the ‘König’ Dragoons (Frederick also became Landgrave Frederick I of Hesse-Cassel in 1730).  The regiment fought again during the War of Austrian Succession, being attached to an Austrian corps in the Western Theatre.

David Morier painted the ‘König’ Dragoons in 1748

With Frederick’s death in 1751 the regiment finally became the Leibdragoner-Regiment.  The regiment’s Chef was now the new Landgrave William VIII (Frederick I’s younger brother), but the regiment was always known by its title rather than the Chef.  During the Seven Years War the regiment fought at Hastenbeck, Krefeld, Bergen, Minden, Corbach, Langensalza, Grüningen and Nauheim.

Above:  The Leibdragoner-Regiment was one of two dragoon regiments in Hessian service, the other being the ‘Prinz Friedrich’ Regiment.  As with Hanoverian and French dragoon regiments, the Hessian dragoon regiments were roughly double the strength of their heavy horse counterparts, having four squadrons apiece, each of two companies, for a total of 662 men (increasing to 702 men in 1760).  Each Hessian dragoon regiment is therefore represented in Tricorn as a 12-figure unit in its own right.

Above:  The Leibdragoner-Regiment wore a Prussian-style sky-blue uniform, with lapels, collar, cuffs, shoulder-strap, tail-turnbacks, halt-pulls and horse-furniture coloured red.  Buttons were brass and the aiguillette, hat-lace and double-lace edging to the horse-furniture was coloured yellow to match the button colour.  The horse-furniture was also decorated with a wreathed and crowned ‘W’ cypher’ for William VIII.  Neck-stocks and hat-cockades were black.  Waistcoats were sky-blue and breeches were pale straw.  Belts were white.  Officers had gold lace buttonholes.

There was very little change to the uniform following Frederick II’s ‘Prussification’ in 1760; the colour of waistcoats changed to pale straw and the badge on the horse-furniture changed to a crowned ‘FII’ cypher without wreath.

Above:  The Leibdragoner-Regiment dressed its drummers in reversed colours, decorated with red & white ‘national’ lace.  Drum-borders were striped diagonally red & white.

As this is a larger unit than the heavy horse, I’ve given them the white Leib standard in addition to a coloured squadron standard.  Curiously, the colour of the squadron standard was blue, not red as you might expect.  However, the flag-staves were coloured red and the colour of the standards changed to red sometime after the Seven Years War.

Pictured below is the entire Hesse-Cassel cavalry arm on parade outside the walls of Cassel at the start of the Seven Years War.  They are shown in order of seniority from left to right; the ‘Prinz’ Wilhelm’ Horse, the Leibregiment, the ‘Miltitz’ Horse, the ‘Prüschenck’ Horse, the ‘Prinz Friedrich’ Dragoons and the Leib Dragoons.