Gilten Cavalry
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Origin and History
The regiment was raised in 1701 by Colonel von Pentz.
In 1703, during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-13), the regiment took part in the capture of Boon; in 1704, the in the Battle of the Schellenberg and in the Battle of Blenheim; in 1706, in the Battle of Ramillies; and in 1708, in the Battle of Oudenarde.
In 1719, the regiment took part in the engagement of Wallsmühlen in Mecklenburg.
In 1742, during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48), the regiment was part of the Hanoverian corps sent to the assistance of Maria Theresa. In 1743, the regiment took part in the Battle of Dettingen; in 1746, in the Battle of Rocoux; and in 1747, in the Battle of Lauffeld.
During the Seven Years' War, the regimental inhabers were:
- from 1748: Colonel Friederich Moritz Baron von Pöllnitz (retired as lieutenant-general in 1757)
- from 1757: Colonel Wilhelm August von Gilten (retired in 1758)
- from 1758: Colonel Georg Carl von Breidenbach (transferred to the former Dachenhausen Dragoons in 1759)
- from 1759: Colonel Adrian Diedrich von Veltheim (transferred to the former Breidenbach Dragoons in 1761)
- from 1761 to 1765: Colonel Carl August von Veltheim
The regiment was disbanded in 1803.
Service during the War
On June 26, 1757, during the French invasion of Hanover, the regiment took part in the Battle of Hastenbeck where it fought in the centre of the second line. The cavalry was not really tested in this battle. It was superbly mounted but drilled in the old German style tactics that meant that they were steady, but slow. They would have charged at a trot and quite likely would have received an enemy charge at the halt placing their trust in their firearms.
On May 26, 1758, the regiment was with Ferdinand's main force in the camp of Nottuln. On May 31, it accompanied Ferdinand in his offensive on the west bank of the Rhine. On June 12, during the aborted attack on the French positions at Rheinberg, the regiment was in Spörcken's (second) column of attack. On June 23, the regiment took part in the Battle of Krefeld where it was deployed on the left wing under the command of Lieutenant-General von Spörcken.
In June 1759, the regiment was part of the Allied Main Army under the command of the Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick. On August 1, it was present at the Battle of Minden in the second line of the cavalry right wing commanded by Lord Sackville whose deliberate inactivity kept the unit out of any serious action. In December, the regiment was part of the reinforcements sent to Frederick II in Saxony.
On February 6, 1760, the regiment set off from Saxony and marched by Altenburg, Naumburg, Langensalza and Cassel towards the region of Cologne where it took up winter-quarters near Hildesheim.
On February 15, 1761, the regiment took part in the Combat of Langensalza. On February 19, Luckner's Corps, reinforced with 4 sqns (this regiment along with Alt-Bremer Cavalry), attacked the barricaded bridge at Vacha, drove back the defenders and made itself master of the town, forcing Stainville to retire from this town. As part of Luckner’s Corps, the regiment then covered Einbeck. On July 9, it marched from Einbeck, by Blomberg and Detmold. On July 13, it attacked Chabot's Corps near Neuhaus. At the end of the year, it took part in the relief of Braunschweig.
By May 23, 1762, the regiment served in Granby's Corps which formed the left wing of the Allied Army towards Dörnberg. On June 24, still part of Granby's Corps, it fought at the battle of Wilhelmsthal.
Uniform
Accurate Vorstellung der saemtlichen Churfürstl. hannöverischen Armee zur eigentlichen Kentniß der Uniform von jedem Regimente nebst beygefügter Geschichte, worinne von der Stiftung, denen Chefs, der Staercke und den wichtigsten Thaten jedes Regiments Nachricht gegeben wird Nürnberg: Raspe 1763 (Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Sachsen-Anhalt)
Privates
| Headgear | black tricorne laced white with oak leaves as a field sign, a black cockade and light blue small bobs on the hat | ||||||||||||
| Neckstock | black | ||||||||||||
| Coat | white with 7 (or 9) pewter buttons on the right side and 1 pewter button on each side at the small of the back
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| Waistcoat | straw (as per Wissel: medium blue until 1761 and then straw) | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | chamois | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
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| Horse Furniture |
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Troopers were armed with a Pallasch (straight steel hilted sword), two pistols and a carbine. The carbine was slung from the shoulder belt on a swivel hook.
Officers
Officers wore a yellow silken sash around the waist; a silver gorget, a silver porte-epee; silver lace on the tricorne; silver lace around the collar and cuffs. They did not carry any cross-belt.
NCOs
NCO had silver laces on the cuffs, pockets, and waistcoat. They did not carry any cross-belt.
Musicians
Musicians comprised trumpeters and one kettle-drummer. They were dressed in reverse colours and probably had swallow nests at the shoulders. Staff trumpeter probably carried NCO distinctives.
The kettle-drums were made of copper.
The kettle-drum apron and trumpet banners were white, probably fringed in silver, and carried the Springing White Horse on a red ground within the Garter; the motto “NEC ASPERA TERRENT” underneath.
Standards
The regiment carried one Leibstandarte and one regimental standard.
Colonel Standard (Leibstandarte): white field , there is no mention of the colour of the fringe and embroideries, here we assume them to be silver to fit with the colour of the buttons of the uniform:
- obverse: centre device consisting of the White Horse on a red ground within the Garter with the motto “NEC ASPERA TERRENT” underneath
- reverse: centre device consisting of the golden initials “GR” on a red ground within the Garter; motto “NEC ASPERA TERRENT” underneath
Regimental Standard: probably blue field, there is no mention of the colour of the fringe and embroideries, here we assume them to be silver to fit with the colour of the buttons of the uniform:
- obverse: centre device consisting of a White Horse on a red ground within the Garter; the motto “NEC ASPERA TERRENT” underneath
- reverse: centre device consisting of an armed Lion Rampant; the motto “IN PACE AD BELLUM PARATUS” above
References
This article incorporates texts from the following books which are now in the public domain:
- Wissel, Friedrich v. and Georg von Wissel: Geschichte der Errichtung sämmtlicher Chur-Braunschweig-Lüneburgischen Truppen, sammt ihren Fahnen, Standarten und Pauken-Devisen ..., Zelle, 1786, pp. 131-137
Other sources
Deutsche Uniformen, Bd. 1, Das Zeitalter Friedrich des Großen, 240 Bilder von Herbert Knötel d. J., Text und Erläuterungen von Dr. Martin Letzius, hrsg. von der Sturm-Zigaretten GmbH, Dresden 1932
Knötel, R.: Farbiges Handbuch der Uniformkunde: Die Entwicklung der militärischen Tracht der deutschen Staaten, Österreich-Ungarns und der Schweiz. Begründet von Prof. Richard Knötel. Grundlegend überarbeitet und bis zum Stand von 1937 fortgeführt von Herbert Knötel d.J. und Herbert Sieg. Dem Stand der Forschung angepaßt und ergänzt von Ingo Pröper, überarbeitete Neuauflage, Stuttgart 1985
Knötel, Richard: Die Uniformen des Hannoverschen Heeres 1763 und 1770. Part I : Das Heer von 1763, in: Mitteilungen zur Geschichte der militärischen Tracht, vol. XVI, no. 1-4 (1909), page 3-15
Knötel, Richard: Die Uniformen des Hannoverschen Heeres 1763 und 1770. Part II: Das Heer von 1770, in: Mitteilungen zur Geschichte der militärischen Tracht, vol. XVI, no. 4-5 (1909), page 15-20
Knötel, Richard: Die Uniformen des Hannoverschen Heeres 1763 und 1770. Kurze Stammliste. 1617 bis 1803, in: Mitteilungen zur Geschichte der militärischen Tracht, vol. XVI, no. 6-11 (1909), page 22-42
Lawson, Cecil C. P.: A History of the Uniforms of the British Army - from the Beginnings to 1760, vol. II
Manley, S.: Uniforms of the Danish and German States' Armies 1739 - 1748, Potsdam Publications
Niemeyer Joachim and Georg, Ortenburg: Die Chur-braunschweig-lüneburgische Armee im Siebenjährigen Kriege: Das Gmundener Prachtwerk, Beckum 1976
Pengel, R.D, and G. R. Hurt G.R.: German States in the Seven Years War 1740 to 1762, Imperial Press
Pengel, R.D, and G. R. Hurt G.R.: Seven Years War. Brunswick-Luneburg (Hanover). Hessen Cassel. Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. Schaumburg Lippe. Supplement, Birmingham 1984
Schirmer, Friedrich: Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756-1763, hrsg. von der KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg, überarb. u. aktual. Neuauflage 1989
Schirmer, Friedrich: Die Uniformierung der kurhannoverschen Infanterie 1714 - 1803 in: Zeitschrift für Heereskunde, 1970
Schirmer, Friedrich: Nec Aspera Terrent: Eine Heereskunde der hannoverschen Armee von 1631 bis 1803, Niedersächische Hausbücherei, Bd. 3, Hannover 1929
Sichart, Louis von: Geschichte der Königlich-Hannoverschen Armee. Dritter Band. Vierter Zeitraum. 1756-1789, Hanover 1870 [google books]
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
