1759 – French offensive in West Germany – Ferdinand OOB June
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Introduction
This article is derived from tables published by Christian Rogge in "The French & Allied Armies in Germany during the Seven Years War" which Christian has kindly authorised us to publish here.
Description
Ferdinand's army
Detailed order of battle of Ferdinand of Brunswick' army early in June 1759.
Summary: 46 bns, 63 sqns and light troops
- Main force under Ferdinand of Brunswick
- Infantry (28 bns)
- British infantry (6 bns)
- 12th Napier's Foot (1 bn)
- 20th Kingsley's Foot (1 bn)
- 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers (1 bn)
- 25th Edinburgh's Foot (1 bn) under the command of William Home
- 37th Stuart's Foot (1 bn)
- 51st Brudenell's Foot (1 bn)
- Hanoverian infantry (15 bns)
- Hanoverian Foot Guards (2 bns)
- Hardenberg (1 bn)
- Dreves (1 bn)
- Reden (1 bn)
- Schele (1 bn)
- Wangenheim (1 bn)
- Block (1 bn)
- Alt Zastrow (1 bn)
- Diepenbroick (1 bn)
- Behr (1 bn)
- Sachsen-Gotha (1 bn)
- Bock (1 bn)
- Stolzenberg (1 bn)
- Brunck (1 bn)
- Brunswick infantry (7 bns)
- Leib-Regiment (2 bns)
- Behr (2 bns)
- Imhoff (2 bns)
- Zastrow (1 bn)
- British infantry (6 bns)
- Cavalry (41 sqns)
- British cavalry (14 sqns)
- Royal Horse Guards (aka The Blues) (3 sqns)
- 1st King's Dragoon Guards (3 sqns) under colonel Bland
- 3rd Howard's Dragoon Guards (2 sqns)
- 2nd Royal North British Dragoons (aka Scots Greys) (2 sqns)
- 6th Inniskilling Dragoons (2 sqns)
- 10th Mordaunt's Dragoons (2 sqns)
- Hanoverian cavalry (18 sqns)
- Garde du Corps (1 sqn)
- Grenadiers à cheval (1 sqn)
- Veltheim Cavalry (2 sqns)
- Alt Bremer Cavalry (2 sqns)
- Max Breitenbach Dragoons (4 sqns)
- Bock Dragoons (4 sqns)
- Busche Dragoons (4 sqns)
- Prussian cavalry (9 sqns)
- Holstein Dragoons (5 sqns)
- Finckenstein Dragoons (4 sqns) due to losses in a skirmish near Grünberg on April 19
- British cavalry (14 sqns)
- Light troops
- Prussian light troops
- Ruesch Hussars (3 large sqns for a total of about 600 men)
- Malachowski Hussars (2 large sqns for a total of about 400 men)
- Volontaires de Prusse (1 bn of 5 coys including 1 Jägers (riffles) plus 1 dragoon detachment of 54 troopers for a total of 768 men) aka Trümbach
- Hanoverian light troops
- Luckner's Hussars (2 sqns for a total of about 400 men) a third sqn was raised later in 1759
- Jägercorps (2 brigades each of 2 foot coys counting 154 men each and 1 mounted coy of 106 men)
- Scheither Corps (4 carabinier coys, 1 Jäger coy with riffles and 1 Grenadier coy for a total of about 500 men)
- Bückeburg light troops
- Bückeburg Carabiniers (between 100 and 150 men)
- Jägercorps (about 50 men)
- Prussian light troops
- Infantry (28 bns)
- Wutginau's Hessian corps (7 bns, 6 sqns)
- Infantry (7 bns)
- Garde (1 bn)
- Leib-Grenadiers (1 bn) maybe the Grenadier-Regiment
- Erbprinz von Hessen (1 bn)
- Leib-Regiment (1 bn)
- Gilsa (1 bn)
- Prinz Anhalt (1 bn)
- Mansbach (1 bn)
- Cavalry (6 sqns)
- Miltitz (2 sqns)
- Leib-Dragoner (4 sqns)
- Infantry (7 bns)
- Imhoff's corps (11 bns, 16 sqns)
- Infantry (11 bns)
- Hanoverian infantry (5 bns)
- Post (1 bn)
- Fersen (1 bn)
- Linstrow (1 bn)
- Marsschalck Infantry (1 bn)
- Wrede (1 bn)
- Hessian infantry (5 bns)
- Prinz Karl (1 bn)
- Canitz (1 bn)
- Toll (1 bn)
- Hessen-Hanau (1 bn)
- Bischhausen (1 bn)
- Bückeburg infantry
- Schaumburg-Lippe-Bückeburg (1 bn)
- Hanoverian infantry (5 bns)
- Cavalry (16 sqns)
- Hanoverian cavalry (6 sqns)
- Hammerstein (2 sqns)
- Dachenhausen Dragoons (4 sqns)
- Hessian cavalry (10 sqns)
- Leib-Regiment (2 sqns)
- Prinz Wilhelm (2 sqns)
- Pruschenk Cavalry (2 sqns)
- Prinz Friedrich Dragoons (4 sqns)
- Hanoverian cavalry (6 sqns)
- Light troops
- Hanoverian light troops
- Jägercorps (1 brigade of 2 foot coys counting 154 men each and 1 mounted coy of 106 men)
- Stockhausen Freikorps (1 bn of 1 grenadier coy and 2 Schützen not rifled coys for a total of 400 men)
- Hessian light troops
- Husarencorps (2 sqns for a total of about 240 men)
- Foot Jägers (4 rifle armed coys for a total of about 400 men)
- Mounted Jägers (2 rifle armed coys for a total of about 200 men)
- Hanoverian light troops
- Infantry (11 bns)
Wangenheim's corps
Summary: 8 bns, 10 sqns
- Wangenheim's detached Hanoverian corps
- Infantry (8 bns)
- Sporken (1 bn)
- Kielmannsegg (1 bn)
- Jung Zastrow (1 bn)
- Halberstadt (1 bn)
- Laffert (1 bn)
- Oberg (1 bn)
- Scheither (1 bn)
- Schulenburg (1 bn)
- Cavalry (10 sqns)
- Leib-Regiment Reuter (2 sqns)
- Hodenberg Cavalry (2 sqns)
- Grothaus Cavalry (2 sqns)
- Heise Cavalry (2 sqns)
- Reden Cavalry (2 sqns)
- Infantry (8 bns)
Organisation of the battalions of grenadiers
On June 12, 1759, prince Ferdinand of Brunswick ordered to form the grenadier companies of the army into converged battalions. Furthermore, they were concentrated in a so called “Grenadier Corps” under the command of Major-General Prince Carl von Brunswick-Bevern. A total of 8 battalions were formed (named after their commanders) with 7 under Bevern and 1 with Wangenheim’s Corps:
- British grenadiers (1 bn)
- Maxwell Grenadier Battalion under the command of Major Maxwell of the 20th Foot and consisting of grenadier companies from 12th Napier's Foot, 20th Kingsley's Foot, 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 25th Edinburgh's Foot, 37th Stuart's Foot and 51st Brudenell's Foot
- Hanoverian grenadiers (3 bns) excluding grenadiers of the Foot Guards
- Sydow Grenadier Battalion: from 9 grenadier coys (about 64 men each) of Ferdinand's Army for a total of 576 men
- Pritzelwitz Grenadier Battalion (later Wense): from 9 grenadier coys (about 64 men each) of Ferdinand's Army for a total of 576 men
- Wersabé Grenadier Battalion: from 8 grenadier coys (about 64 men each) of Wangenheim's Corps for a total of 512 men
- Hessian grenadiers (2 bns)
- Donop Grenadier Battalion formed of 6 coys for a total of 570 men
- Schlotheim Grenadier Battalion formed of 6 coys for a total of 570 men
- Brunswick grenadiers (2 bns)
- Stammer Grenadier Battalion (might have combined forces of two earlier converged battalion who had suffered heavy casualties at Bergen)
- Wittdorf Grenadier Battalion
Artillery of Ferdinand in July
By July 1759 , Ferdinand's artillery totalled 121 pieces organised in 3 brigades of Line Artillery and 3 brigades of Park Artillery. All guns were Hanoverian and were served by Hanoverian gunners unless specified.
- Line artillery
- Right wing brigade under Captain Drummond
- 9 x British 6-pdrs
- Centre brigade under Major Storch
- 10 x Bückeburger 6-pdrs
- Left wing brigade under Captain Foy
- 9 x British 6-pdrs
- Right wing brigade under Captain Drummond
- Park artillery
- Right wing brigade under Major Haase (30 pieces)
- 22 x Hanoverian and British 12-pdr guns
- 6 x Hanoverian 3-pdr guns
- 2 x Hanoverian 30-pdr howitzers
- Centre brigade under Colonel Braun (29 pieces)
- 2 x Hanoverian 10-pdr guns
- 18 x Hanoverian 6-pdr guns
- 2 x Hanoverian 4-pdr guns
- 4 x Hanoverian 3-pdr guns
- 3 x Hanoverian howitzers (16 & 20-pdr)
- Left wing brigade under Lieutenant-colonel Huth (24 pieces) served by Hessian personnel
- 16 x British, Hanoverian and Bückeburg 12-pdr guns
- 6 x British, Hanoverian and Bückeburg 6-pdr guns
- 2 x British, Hanoverian and Bückeburg howitzers (20 & 30-pdr)
- Right wing brigade under Major Haase (30 pieces)
N.B.: 10 additional Bückeburg 3-pdr guns served as battalion guns with Bevern’s Grenadiers
References
Grosser Generalstab Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung II: Die Kriege Friedrichs des Grossen, Part 3 Der siebenjährige Krieg 1756-1763, Vol. 11 Minden und Maxen, Berlin, 1912, Anlage 2
Rogge, Christian, The French & Allied Armies in Germany during the Seven Years War, Frankfurt, 2006
