Haudring Infantry
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Origin and History
The regiment was raised in 1683 as the "Prinz Philipp zu Hessen Regiment of Foot." A company of the city of Kassel served as its kernel. It initially consisted of eight companies.
In 1692, during the Nine Years' War (1688-97), the regiment took part in the defence of Rheinfels. At the end of the war, it was reduced to only five companies in a single battalion.
In 1702, during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-13), one battalion of the regiment was at the siege and capture of Kaiserswerth. In 1703, it took part in the Combat of Speyerbach; in 1704, in the Battle of the Schellenberg and in the Battle of Blenheim; in 1707, in the unsuccessful siege of Toulon; and in 1710, in the siege and capture of Béthune.
During the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48), the regiment served on the Rhine as Kreis Regiment No. 7 in the Reichsarmee.
On the eve of the Seven Years’ War, the regiment consisted of a single battalion.
In the reforms of 1760, the regiment became a fusilier regiment along with Gilsa Infantry. Tricornes were exchanged for fusilier mitres at this point. It was organised in two battalions, each of 4 companies of fusiliers and 1 company of grenadiers (the grenadiers were converged with others in a grenadier battalion).
During the Seven Years' War, the successive Chefs of the regiment were:
- from 1751: Colonel O. F. Haudring (died from his wounds at the Battle of Hastenbeck)
- from 1757: Colonel W. F. Capellan
- from 1758: Colonel Baron G. H. von Toll
- from 1760 to 1770: Colonel G. F. von Bartheld
From 1760, the successive Kommandeure assuming effective command of the regiment were:
- from 1760: Colonel Faust (mortally wounded in an engagement near Fritzlar in 1761)
- from 1762 to 1765: Colonel von Pappenheim
During the American Revolution, the regiment was sent to North America where it fought at Fort Washington and was captured at Trenton. Exchanged in 1778, the regiment was sent to Canada.
In 1789, the regiment was integrated into Grenadier Regiment I.
Service during the War
By May 20, 1757, the regiment occupied Paderborn. On July 26, it fought in the first line of the centre at the Battle of Hastenbeck. In December, it formed part of the newly assembled army under the command of Ferdinand of Brunswick.
On May 26, 1758, the regiment was with Ferdinand's main force in the camp of Nottuln. During the night of May 31, when the Allied army of Ferdinand crossed the Rhine, the regiment remained at Brünen as part of Lieutenant-General von Imhoff's detachment charged to watch Wesel. On August 5 at the Combat of Mehr, the regiment was part of Imhoff's force, which repulsed the French attempt directed against the Allied bridgehead at Rees. On October 10, the regiment took part in the Battle of Lutterberg where it was placed in the first line of the centre.
On April 2, 1759, the regiment took part in the combat of Schmalkalden. In June, the regiment was part of Imhoff's Corps operating in Hesse. On August 1, it fought in the Battle of Minden where it was deployed in the first line of the 6th column under Major-General von Toll.
On July 25, 1760, the regiment took part in a rearguard action at Wolfhagen. On July 31, it fought in the Battle of Warburg where it was deployed in the first line of the centre between Ossendorf and Menne.
On March 6, 1761, the regiment took part in a combat near Florstadt and Wickstadt. On July 4, it fought in the combat of Unna. Then, on July 15 and 16, it was at the Battle of Vellinghausen where it was deployed on the right wing under the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick.
On April 19, 1762, the regiment took part in the capture of the Castle of Arnsberg. On August 25, it was present at the Engagement of Grüningen.
Uniform
Pre-1760 Uniform
Hessian troops wore a uniform in the Prussian style including the grenadier and fusilier hats. Until 1750 the trousers were dark blue. The stock was red for the other ranks and white for officers.
It seems that, like the uniforms of the Hanoverian army, those of the Hessen-Kassel got simpler during the war. Therefore, we illustrate (according to Morier and Knötel) the uniform in 1757, at the beginning of the conflict, with a white lace around lapels and cuffs; and the new uniform issued in 1760 without these white laces.
Privates
- Copyright Frédéric Aubert
| Headgear |
| ||||||||||||
| Neck stock | red | ||||||||||||
| Coat | dark blue with 3 brass buttons on each side to fasten the skirts forming the turnbacks
| ||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | white | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | white | ||||||||||||
| Gaiters | black for campaigning and during winter, white for parades and during summer | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
|
Troopers were armed with a sword (brass hilt) and a musket which was fitted with a leather carry strap.
Officers
Officers wore a white stock and, as a sign of their commissioned rank, a gorget, in button colour, and sash. The sash was of silver silk shot with red flecks.
NCO's carried the Prussian style partizan.
The standard staff was black.
Musicians
By the Seven Years War the convention of wearing reversed colours had disappeared. Drummers now wore the same dark blue coat with white and red livery lace placed along the coat seams in seven inverted chevrons along the sleeves and around the 'swallows nests' on the shoulder. Very much a copy of the Prussian style.
Drum barrels were of polished brass and were decorated with the Hessian lion surrounded by a laurel wreath with a crown above. The Hessian lion was striped red and white with a red tongue on a royal blue background. The drum cords were white and, for this regiment, the rim was a pattern of alternating orange and white diagonal stripes. Within the white stripe was a thin blue stripe.
1760 Uniform
Privates
- Copyright Frédéric Aubert
| Headgear |
| ||||||||||||
| Neck stock | black | ||||||||||||
| Coat | dark blue with 2 brass buttons under the lapel on the right side and 3 brass buttons on each side to fasten the skirts forming the turnbacks
| ||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | white | ||||||||||||
| Breeches | white | ||||||||||||
| Gaiters | black for campaigning and during winter, white for parades and during summer | ||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
|
Troopers were armed with a sword (brass hilt) and a musket which was fitted with a leather carry strap.
Other interpretations
The Mondierungsreglement of 1761 describes orange turnbacks; light blue button loops tinged with white at the waist, on the sleeves and at the small of the back; a red neckstock and a green pompom.
Colours
To the present day, a definitive reconstruction of the Hesse-Cassel colours during the Seven Years' War is non-existant. All existing publications are mostly speculative. The Leib (colonel) colour was probably white.
References
Bleckwenn, Hans: Europa kämpft in Flandern... Die Morier-Bilder in Windsor Castle, Teil IV: Hessen-Kassel 1748, in: Zeitschrift für Heereskunde, XXX Jg. (1960), Nr. 207, S. 122-125 and Nr. 208, S. 166-168
Böhm, Uwe Peter: Hessisches Militär: Die Truppen der Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel 1672-1806, Herausgegeben im Auftrag der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Heereskunde e.V., Beckum 1986
Großer Generalstab, Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung II (Publisher): Die Kriege Friedrichs des Großen. Dritter Teil: Der Siebenjährige Krieg 1756–1763. Band 5 Hastenbeck und Roßbach, Berlin 1903
Henry, Mark: Hessian Army of the 7 Years War, Seven Years War Association Journal Vol. VII No. 3
Manley, S.: Uniforms of the Danish and German States armies 1739-1748, Potsdam Publications
Mohr, Kurt: Einiges über die Hessen-Kasselsche Infanterie 1760, in: Artikel für KA7-Sammler aus alten "Zinnfigur" Heften (1924-1944), KLIO-Arbeitsgruppe 7jähriger Krieg, Manuskript, Köln 1980, S. 106-107
Noeske, Rolf: Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756-1763, 1. Ergänzung Hessen-Kassel, KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg e.V., Magstadt 1989
Ortenburg, Georg: Das Militär der Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel zwischen 1783 und 1789, Herausgegeben im Auftrag der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Heereskunde e.V., Potsdam 1999
Pengel & Hurt: German States in the Seven Years War 1740 to 1762, Imperial Press
Renouard, Carl: "Geschichte des Krieges in Hannover, Hessen und Westfalen von 1757 bis 1763", 3 Bände, Cassel, 1863-64
Rogge, Christian: The French & Allied Armies in Germany during the Seven Years War, Frankfurt, 2006
Schirmer, Friedrich: Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756 - 1763. KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg e.V., Magstadt, 1989
Schirmer, Friedrich: Die Infanterie des Landgrafentums Hessen-Kassel während des Siebenjährigen Krieges, in: Artikel für KA7-Sammler aus alten "Zinnfigur" Heften (1924-1944), KLIO-Arbeitsgruppe 7jähriger Krieg, Manuskript, Köln 1980, S. 104-106
Trenkle, Karl: Nix wie weg ... die Hesse komme - Hessen-Kasseler Uniformen 1730 - 1789, Marburg 2000
Witzel, Rudolf: Hessen Kassels Regimenter in der Allierten Armee 1762, bearb. u. hrsg. von Ingo Kroll, Norderstedt 2007
Zahn, Michael: Stammliste und Gefechtskalender der Regimenter der Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel im Siebenjährigen Krieg (1756-1763) - Teil 1: Infanterie, Metzingen, 2009
