since i start reading this board there are from time to time talks or painted figures about prussian hussars of the 1813 - 1815 period, and that´s the reason i want to share my information about these troops (and another reason is that i have some spare time but cannot paint). Of course i hope i will not start to anoy you
, not with the matter nor with my bad english.My main sources are regimental histories and the books of Mila and Pietsch about the prussian army.
I will not give you all uniform information to spare us time
. Please look at the very good site http://www.mont-saint-jean.com/cent_jours/unitesPR.php
go to the prussian hussars uniforms. I will give the things that were surely different (no shame on the site owner here!!!. the prussian army is difficult, and sometimes strange
) )at first some general information:
there are 6 regular regiments in the time from 1810 to march 1815, each of 4 squadrons, when there were an additional 6 regiments raised from ex-freecorps, foreign troops or by taking squadron from existing regiments.
the original 6 were:
1. Life Hussars
2. Life Hussars
Brandenburg Hussars
1. Silesian Hussars
Pommeranian Hussars
2. Silesian Hussars
The only Hussar regiment(s) to survive the war of 1806/07 were the 2 Life Hussars regiments, beeing one 10 squadron regiment (5th), with 2 Batallions of 5 each, in the times up to 1808. This was the old regular setup of the prussian light cavalry. They were divided in 2 regiments of 4 squadrons in 1808 and got a kind of guard status (name "Life" Hussars, guard star badge in white metal on the cartridge pouch, reporting directly to the king).
The Brandenburgers were founded mainly from the old Ziethen Hussars (2nd) who had managed to reach east prussia or silesia in great numbers, the pommeranian from the old Blücher Hussars (8th), the 1. silesian got the uniform of the old Wechmar Hussars (6th) and the 2. silesians the one of the old Hussar Batallion von Bila.
Uniforms and their differences to the mont-saint-jean site (and info´s about the life-hussars):
Pelisse:
they wore the dolman OR the pelisse, not both, so also no slung pelisse (as the site shows correctly). up to march 1815 all regiments had white fur for the men, black for the NCO´s and grey for the officers. only within the "Normal" / Guard hussars the men had black fur. with the new uniform regulation of march 1815 some regiments got black fur for the men and officers, the others white also for the NCOs, but i don´t think that they were worn during the 100 days campaign.
shoulder straps:
the men and NCO´s had none except the 2 life hussar regiments and the "freiwillige Jäger" volunteers!
1. life hussar regiment had white, 2. life hussar regiment red shoulder straps.
the volunteers had them in the color of the dolman of the regiment, that means e.g. on the green dolman of the 1. silesians volunteers brown shoulder straps.
The officers off all regiments had shoulder straps in dolman color (except life hussar officers who wore the color of their regiment, white or red) edged red with the rank designation in silver-black lace, regardless of the button color! The site shows the rank lace in button color. (Officers rank-lace was allways silver, interwoven with black, in the whole army!)
sabretache:
both life hussar regiments and the pommeranian regiment had plain black leather sabretaches!
the sabretaches of the other regiments were brown (you can see the back side many times on the figures, so you will have to paint it
) with the red cloth cover laced in button color. The belts were allways black.the officers of ALL regiments (so also the ones of the here named regiments) had the usual red cloth covered ones with lacing in button color (gold or silver).
Officers lace on the dolman and pelisse:
This was "Kamelgarn" (camel hair?), NOT gold or silver!! only the Normal / guard hussars officers had gold lacing.
Cartridge pouch (giberne):
the life hussars regiments had the white metall guard star on the pouches of the men and NCO´s, the officers in silver.
the Normal / Guard hussars had the star from brass, but the officers silver!!
All other regiments had plain pouches, and for the officers the kings "Namenszug", the crowned"F W R" on it in gold, regardless of button color!
"Faustriemen", the leather strap at the sabre:
it was of black leather for the NCO´s and men of all regiments of light cavalry (so also ulans), not as the above mentioned site states white for some regiments. There was also no colored tassel to designate the squadron! The NCO´s had the black/white interwoven tassel.
The cord on the trumpet
was (after Pietsch) not black/white mixed, but up to 1825 collar-color with button-color, except the 4. (1. silesian) which had both in yellow. They had brown-yellow cords.
the black-white prussian national
on the oil skin cover of the shako was worn only during the 1812 campaign against russia. it was ordered to be removed after this.
(btw., it is interesting that there is not one serious written source that states that the death head of the life hussars was painted on the oil skin cover. I know that all pictures shows it
)Trousers:
whether they had a red piping along the leg or metall buttons depends on the regimental commander (same with the horse artillery). If he wants them he had to pay it from his own funds. So we have to guess which regiment had them. Buttoned were all the trousers, but officially the buttons were cloth covered (except for officers).
Some additional info´s about the hussars in 1815:
Life Hussars:
Both regiments were not involved in the 1815 campaign, so one can read sometimes that the capture of a life hussars NCO and the interrogation by napoleon must be wrong. Why? The 1. squadron of the newly raised 8th hussars (belonged to Bülows corps and was heavily envolved) was the original 4. squadron of the 2. life hussars, so there were about 150 ex-Life Hussars in their old uniforms. So it is possible.
Look at the 8th hussars for the life hussars uniform, and add the guard star on the pouch and replace the shown sabretache with a plain black for all except officers.
6th Hussars (2. silesian) (the second hussar regiment with Bülow and heavily envolved at Plancenoit)
The regimental History gives an interesting fact about the uniforms during this campaign:
1. and 2. squadron:
green dolman, brown pelisse (received in 1814 from a french depot while belonging to Thielmann´s freecorps, probably as replacement for wornout own pelisses)
3. squadron:
red dolman, green pelisse (The 3. and 4. squadrons were the original Hellwigs Freecorps, that received red dolmans, pelisse and a busby during the armistice 1813. whether they still wore the busby is not stated)
4. squadron:
green dolman and pelisse. The 4. squadron was the original depot squadron the had joined the regiment before the battle of waterloo as replacement for the original 4. squadron that became the new 3. of the 8th hussars. This squadron was the only one with the official uniform.
The mont-saint-jean site states that part of the regiment had the new cloth shabraque, officially intruduced in end-march 1815. My guess is that if this is true it was the 4. squadron, or part of it. Btw., this was the squadron that attacked the french tirailleurs directly in front of plancenoit.
So how to paint this regiment?
I would choose:
1., 2. and 4. squadron in dolman, 3. squadron in pelisse. That´s the way you have them in all-green, the way i think that a commander would decide.
All the new regiments in 1815 had not received their (in end-march officially introduced) new uniforms. The regimental history of the 8th hussars (officially in blue dolman and pelisse with light blue facing and white lace) states that they got 26! new dolmans before the outbreak of the campaign, and that they paraded in their new uniforms as complete regiment in mid 1816 for the first time!!
So this regiment fought:
1. squadron (2. Life Hussars) in black
2. squadron (Brandenburg Hussars) in blue
3. squadron (2. silesian) .... in red dolman and pelisse? very possible, but if they´ve received the green pelisse like the 3. squadron the might have been in green pelisse too?
plus some 26 blue dolmans faced light blue with white lacing?
))Regards
Herbert
