Königsegg Infantry
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Origin and History
The regiment was raised in 1703 by Damian Hugo, Reichsgraf (Imperial Count) von Virmond. Deutschmeister Infantry contributed 3 companies; Heister Infantry, 2 companies; and Thürheim Infantry, 2 companies for the creation of this regiment.
In 1704, during the Rákóczi Uprising in Hungary, the regiment took part in a combat near Gyirmóth not far from Raab. In 1705, it campaigned once more in Hungary against Rákóczi and fought in the battle of Sibó. By 1706, the regiment was still serving against the Hungarian insurgents. At the beginning of 1709, it was stationed in Transylvania.
At the death of Count Virmond, on April 21 1722, he was succeeded by Count Alonius von Lievingston.
In 1738, the regiment served against the Turks and distinguished itself at the siege of Ufitza.
In 1741, Christian Moritz Eugenius Franz Count von Königsegg-Rothenfels became proprietor of the regiment.
During the War of the Austrian Succession, from 1740 to 1748, the regiment served in several campaigns and fought at Chotusitz (May 17, 1742) and (September 30, 1745).
As per the Etat nouveau des Troupes de sa Majesté Impériale Royale comme elles se trouvent effectivement l'an 1759 and Etat général des Troupes qui servent sa Majesté Impériale et Royale Apostolique sur pié en 1760, the regiment counted 4 battalions (2 grenadier coys and 16 fusilier coys) for a total of 2,300 men. This was the administrative organisation of the regiment. However, the tactical organisation differed: 2 field fusilier battalions, each of 6 companies; 2 grenadier companies (usually converged with grenadiers from other battalions into an ad hoc unit); and 1 garrison battalion of 4 companies (see Austrian Line Infantry Organisation for more details).
During the Seven Years' War, the chef of the regiment was:
- since 1741 till 1767: Christian Moritz Eugenius Franz Count von Königsegg-Rothenfels
During the Seven Years' War, its colonel-commander was:
- from at least 1759 to at least 1762: Colonel Franz Xaver Count von Königsegg-Aulendorf
Regimental numbers were introduced only in 1769 when this regiment was designated as "I.R. 16".
Service during the War
On May 6 1757, during the Prussian invasion of Bohemia, the regiment took part in the Battle of Prague where it was deployed in the Reserve in Count Macquire's Brigade. On September 7, when General Nádasdy engaged Winterfeldt's isolated Prussian corps at the Combat of Moys, one battalion of the regiment was deployed in the second line of the infantry left division under the command of Lieutenant-General Clerici. On November 22, one battalion of the regiment took part in the Battle of Breslau where it was part of the Reserve Corps in Baron Wolff's Brigade. On December 5 at the Battle of Leuthen, one battalion of the regiment was deployed in the first line of the far right Reserve under Major-General von Luzinsky.
By August 2 1758, one battalion of the regiment was serving in the first line of the main Austrian army under the command of Daun near Jarmeritz. Daun was following up the Prussian army retiring through Bohemia after the failure of the Prussian invasion of Moravia. On October 10, the regiment took part in the Battle of Hochkirch where it formed part of Count O'Kelly's Brigade occupying the Stromberg.
On November 20 1759, 1 battalion of the regiment took part in the Battle of Maxen where it was attached to Brentano's Corps initially posted at Röhrsdorf, 5 km north of Maxen.
In early June 1760, 2 battalions of the regiment formed part of the Army of Silesia stationed near Frankenstein under the command of Field-Marshal Ernst Gideon Baron Loudon.
On October 1 1761, 1 battalion of the regiment took part in the storming of Schweidnitz where it was attached to the third column under Colonel Caldwell and Count von Cassano.
To do: more details on the campaigns from 1760 to 1762
Uniform
Until recently we had a very vague description of the uniform at the outbreak of the Seven Years' War. Thanks to the kind authorisation of the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum in Vienna, Dal Gavan, a member of our group, has had access to the Delacre Bilderhandschrift, a rare contemporaneous manuscript depicting the uniforms of the entire K. K. Army around 1756-57. For this reason, we present the uniforms of privates circa 1757 and in 1762.
Privates in 1757
| Headgear |
| ||||||||||||
| Neck stock | one red and one black (for parades the regimental commanders agreed before on the colour of the neckstocks) | ||||||||||||
| Coat | white lined white with 3 yellow buttons under the right lapel and 1 yellow button in the small of the back on each side
| ||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | dark blue with 2 rows of small yellow buttons (arranged 3-3-3) and with horizontal pockets, each with 3 yellow buttons (only 2 visible on the Delacre plate) | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | white | ||||||||||||
| Gaiters | one pair of black (for winter) and one pair of white gaiters (for summer and parade) | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
|
Rank and file were armed with a musket (Model 1745 for fusiliers, Model 1754 for grenadiers). Grenadiers carried a sabre while fusiliers carried only a bayonet.
Other interpretations
Muhsfeldt and Schirmer mention that the waistcoat was white.
Privates in 1762
| Headgear |
| ||||||||||||
| Neck stock | one red and one black (for parades the regimental commanders agreed before on the colour of the neckstocks) | ||||||||||||
| Coat | white lined white with 3 yellow buttons under the right lapel and 1 yellow button in the small of the back on each side
| ||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | white with 2 rows of small yellow buttons (3-3-3) and with horizontal pockets, each with 3 yellow buttons | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | white | ||||||||||||
| Gaiters | one pair of black (for winter) and one pair of white gaiters (for summer and parade) | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
|
Rank and file were armed with a musket (Model 1745 for fusiliers, Model 1754 for grenadiers). Grenadiers carried a sabre while fusiliers carried only a bayonet.
NCOs
no information found yet
Officers
The officers wore the same uniform as the privates with the following exceptions:
- tricorne laced gold with a white and green cockade
- black neckstock
- no turnbacks
- yellow and black silk sash
Senior officers carried sticks identifying their rank:
- lieutenant: bamboo stick without knob
- captain: long rush stick with a bone knob
- major: long rush stick with a silver knob and a small silver chain
- lieutenant-colonel: long rush stick with a larger silver knob without chain
- colonel: long rush stick with a golden knob
Sergeants carried a halberd and a wooden stick.
Corporals carried a halberd.
Musicians
Until 1760, despite the new regulation of 1755, the musicians probably wore coats of reversed colours with white swallow nests and white turnbacks. From 1760, they wore uniforms identical to those of the privates with dark blue swallow nests on the shoulders.
The drum had a brass barrel decorated with black flames at the bottom and with a black double headed Eagle on a yellow field. Rims were decorated with red and white diagonal stripes. The bandolier was white.
Colours
All German infantry regiments carried identical colours: a white Leibfahne (colonel) and yellow Regimentsfahne. The hand painted colours were made of silk and, according to some sources, measured 178 cm x 127 cm. However, a flag kept at the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum in Vienna shows different proportions (unfortunately we do not know the exact measurements) which we have used for our illustrations. The 260 cm long flagpoles had golden finial and were decorated with black and yellow spirals of cloth.
The colonel colour was carried by the first battalion.
Colonel flag (Leibfahne):
- field: white
- border: alternating white and yellow outer waved triangles pointing inwards, red and black inner waved triangles pointing outwards
- obverse (right): the Immaculate Mother of God (which had been declared the patroness of the army by kaiser Ferdinand III) on a cloud, crushing a snake under her foot and surrounded by rays
- reverse (left): crowned and armed Imperial double-eagle with the "Lothringen-Toscanian" arms on a shield and the initials of the Emperor CF (Corregens Franciscus) on the left wing and IM (Imperator Magnus) on the right
The so-called "armed" Imperial double-eagle on the reverse of the Leibfahne seems to have been represented in two different variants:
- with a sword in its right claw and the sceptre in its left (no Imperial Apple with this design)
- with a sceptre and sword in its right claw and the Imperial Apple in its left.
The first variant seems to have been more common.
Regimental flags (Regimentsfahne):
- field: yellow
- border: alternating white and yellow outer waved triangles pointing inwards, red and black inner waved triangles pointing outwards
- obverse (right): crowned and armed Imperial double-eagle with the "Lothringen-Toscanian" arms on a shield and the initials of the Emperor CF (Corregens Franciscus) on the left wing and IM (Imperator Magnus) on the right
- reverse (left): unarmed and crowned Imperial double-eagle with the arms of Hungaria and Bohemia on a shield and the initials M on the left wing and T on the right
Some publications represent an "armed" Imperial double-eagle on the reverse of the Regimentsfahne but we followed Hausmann's paper of 1967 which also matches with the insignia seen on Austrian artillery barrels of the period.
In fact, the situation on the field was slightly more complex than this, since colours were usually replaced only when worn out. By 1756, only a few regiments had actually purchased sets of flags of the 1745 pattern; so many regiments, who had been issued colours of the 1743 pattern, were still carrying them at the beginning of the Seven Years' War. For more details, see Austrian Line Infantry Colours.
References
This article contains texts from the following sources, which are now in the public domain:
- Seyfart, Kurzgefaßte Geschichte aller kaiserlich-königlichen Regimenter zu Pferde und zu Fuß, Frankfurth and Leipzig, 1762, pp. 24-25
Other sources
Dihm, Dr. Hermann; Oesterreichische Standarten und Fahnen zur Zeit des 7 jährigen Krieges, Die Zinnfigur, Klio
Donath, Rudolf; Die Kaiserliche und Kaiserlich-Königliche Österreichische Armee 1618-1918, 2. Aufl., Simbach/Inn 1979
Etat nouveau des Troupes de sa Majesté Impériale Royale comme elles se trouvent effectivement l'an 1759
Etat général des Troupes qui servent sa Majesté Impériale et Royale Apostolique sur pié en 1760
Funcken, Liliane and Fred, Les uniformes de la guerre en dentelle
Gräffer, August: Geschichte der kaiserl. Königl. Regimenter, Corps, Bataillons und anderer Militär-Branchen seit ihrer Errichtung biz zu Ende des Feldzuges 1799, Vol. 1, Vienna, 1804, pp. 67-71
Hausmann, Friedrich, Die Feldzeichen der Truppen Maria Theresias, Schriften des Heeresgeschichtlichen Museums, vol. 3, Vienna: 1967
Knötel, Herbert d.J.; Brauer, Hans M.: Heer und Tradition / Heeres-Uniformbogen (so-called “Brauer-Bogen”), Berlin 1926-1962, Österreich-Ungarn – 1756-63
Muhsfeldt, Th.; Abzeichenfarben der K. und K. Regimenter zu Fuss im Jahre 1757 und früher, in Mitteilungen zur Geschichte des militärischen Tracht, No. 12, 1904
Schirmer, Friedrich, Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756-1763, hrsg. von der KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg, überarb. u. aktual. Neuauflage 1989
Seidel, Paul; Nochmals österreichische Standarten und Fahnen zur Zeit des 7 jährigen Krieges, Die Zinnfigur, Clio
Seyfart, Kurzgefaßte Geschichte aller kaiserlich-königlichen Regimenter zu Pferde und zu Fuß, Frankfurth and Leipzig, 1762, pp. 24-25
Thümmler, L.-H., Die Österreichiches Armee im Siebenjährigen Krieg: Die Bautzener Bilderhandschrift aus dem Jahre 1762, Berlin 1993
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
Acknowledgments
User:Zahn for gathering most of the information about this regiment
