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Infantry by Bernhard Schwertfeger |
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Line Battalions – Captain Within the infantry the light (rifle) battalions with a green uniform must be differentiated from the line battalions with the red coat of the English infantry. According to British establishment all battalions should be brought up to ten companies. As it proved to be more favourable for the gradual growth of the Legion to have more, but smaller, battalions at the start, initially six companies with a reduced establishment were formed. Later the strength of the battalions was increased, at first to eight, in May 1812 to ten companies. With this strength one company was called the grenadier company, another the light company. The establishment of a battalion was:
1 Colonel Commandant as chief (might even be a general)
2nd Light Battalion 1 Lieutenant Colonel (commander) And: The establishment of a company, which was not reached in all instances in the beginning: 1 Captain
2nd Light Battalion The last number includes a second drummer (bugler), 1 pioneer, grooms and officers’ servants, so that the fighting strength including the noncommissioned officers was just over 90 men. Accordingly the strength of a battalion - not counting casualties and other reductions - was approximately 900 muskets in the later time. Although the light battalion had another character than the line battalions from the beginning because of its uniform, its establishment was absolutely the same. The numbers above include, besides a differing number of musicians, the bugle major (drum major). He commanded the band. The companies used to have another soldier as a 2nd drummer of fifer, each of the companies had a pioneer. These latter together, under a corporal, formed a special section within the battalion. Each of the pioneers had a shovel and a billhook, also a saw, axe or large hatchet, brown or yellow aprons, which were blackened or whitened for parade.
1st Light Battalion – Officer The armament of the infantry was not uniform. Part of the light battalions - at first 1/6, then 1/3, at last the whole establishment - had a rifle, which had a range of approximately 400 paces, but was difficult to load. The so called sharpshooters of the line battalions were also armed with this rifle. These battalions detached, as it was common in the army of the Electorat of Hannover, a special sharpshooter section of 1 Subaltern armed with rifles, sword bayonet and a special uniform, from the battalion. Until 1811 all the riflemen (sharpshooters) of the infantry of the Legion in Spain formed a separate corps of sharpshooters under the command of Major Adolf Wilhelm von Wurmb of the 2nd Line Battalion, who was killed in action on 18 October 1812 at the storming of the citadel of Burgos.
Sharpshooters of the In 1811 the sharpshooters from the light battalions left this unit, Captain Karl August Aly of the 5th Line Battalion took over in command. Soon after the battle of Fuentes de Onoro he was followed by Captain Heinr. Laroche von Starkenfels, who died on 31 October 1812 from wounds received at Burgos. Captain Carl Wilh. Langrehr became his successor, at the end of 1813 he was succeeded by Captain Leopold von Rettberg of the 1st Line Battalion, the last commander of the sharpshooters. The rest of the infantry was armed with a smoothbore flintlock musket with a larger calibre. Accordingly its ammunition could not be used in the rifles, which oddly did not prove to be a problem. Only at the defence of La Haye Sainte on 18 June 1815 the equipment with two different sorts of ammunition led to serious problems. The infantry usually fired with fixed bayonets. The shooting range differed according to the wear of the gun and was significantly less than that of the rifle.
Line Battalions – Enlisted Man Firing exercises were up to 200 paces, but with this distance ½ meter elevation was needed. (Scharnhorst in his well known Handbook for the use in the field says: "It is a common rule to fire only on short distances. With a distance of 150 paces every 2nd, of 200 paces every 5th, of 300 paces every 7th, of 400 paces every 15th bullet hits a battalion, if everybody aims.") The sword bayonet was only fixed on the rifle, if close combat was expected. The uniform of the light battalions was green with black collars and facings, shako with cord, black shoulderbelt, long grey trousers. The officers of the 2nd Light Battalion additionally sported to their green uniform hussar braid of black silk and as headgear a so called "Flügelmütze", off duty the cocked hat was also worn. The officers wore short sabres in steel scabbards. All line battalions had the same scarlet uniform with dark blue collars and facings, in the beginning the officers wore the cocked hat, later (1812) the same shako as the men. They were armed with a sword in leather scabbard.
1st Light Battalion – Enlisted Man All of the infantry had long grey trousers, booties and gaiters. The musicians were dressed very colourful and not in all instances uniform. Every line battalion had a king’s colour (union jack) and a dark blue battalion colour. On the king’s colour a scarlet, else a blue shield in the middle wore the name of the unit, e.g. "King’s German Legion, 1st Line Battalion". The two most junior ensigns carried the colours. They were carried in a belt, which was fixed around the neck under the uniform. Tactically the infantry was formed in two ranks and very tight. In battle it was formed in line, skirmishing was only done by the light companies. The order of companies or divisions within the line was somewhat artificial, as well as the formation of the square, the latter was formed in 2 - 3 ranks. The decision was usually forced by a bayonet charge in line. First a volley was fired, then both ranks shouldered arms and marched in cadence (75 paces per minute). On the order "Charge" the 1st rank charged bayonet and everybody stormed in the direction of the enemy, preserving order as far as possible. Buglers and drummers played alarm.
Sharpshooters of the The "Huzzah" was not ordered but usually used. "No single example is known", Schütz von Brandis thinks, "that the thin line did not beat the column." As part of the infantry the Depot Company, formed according to an order of 24 November 1803, and the Independent Garrison Company, formed on 25 March 1805, must be counted. The latter was commanded by Captain Friedr. Plate, who served meritoriously, recruiting in Hannover, it became part of the Foreign Veteran Battalion on 25 February 1813. from: Geschichte der Königlich Deutschen Legion 1803—1816, Erster Band, Hannover und Leipzig 1907, Pages 61 - 65 Original text and maps ©
1907 Hahnsche Buchhandlung |
