"AWI: Hessian artillery woodwork" Topic

Does anyone know if the Hesse-Cassel (or Hesse-Hanau) artillery corps painted the woodwork of their equipment and, if so, what colour? I was thinking that they may have followed the Prussians and painted the guns blue.

Giles

Greyish blue.

Same as the Brits then?

A bit bluer than the Brits.

Where they had brought there own guns over then the Hessians would have Prussian style blue carriages. IIRC the Hesse Hanau artillery were equipped with old French barrels mounted on British carriages – which would be bog standard grey.

In "Washington's Crossing", Fischer states that the Hessians had quite fine artillery pieces. The 3# at Trenton were so strong that Knox was able to have them rebored as 6#.

Yes, I would have said a Prussian medium-to-light blue for the Hesse Kassel guns, and British light blue-grey for the Hesse Hanau guns, which (along with their French barrels from the Wolfe-Montcalm period) were supplied from the Quebec arsenal.

JOFM, at Trenton were the Hessian 3pound cannon real 3pds or the new Perry Swedish 4pds ?

Hesse Hanau Artillery Company consisted of ten artillery pieces from the British Artillery park:

Lt. Bach's two 3pound cannons lost at Bennington with Col. Baum force.
& Lt. Spagenberg's two 4pound cannons(refered to as light 6 pounders) abandoned by Breymann's relief force.

Two 6 pound cannon lost in the Breymann redoubt commanded by Bombadier Wall.
Two 6 pound cannon lost by Captain Pausch at Bemis Heights withdrawl. Leaving only Lt. Dufais's two 6 pound and 4 ammo carts to surrender at Saratoga. Captain Pausch's diary makes clear that it was all the Kings equipment not the Crown Prinz of Hesse-Hanau. Diary contains lots of info on the ammo carts, two lost at the Breymann redoubt, two lost with Pausch's two cannon and Captain Pausch escaping on his third ammo cart. Leaving Lt. Dufais three ammo carts and two cannons with the Specht Brigade to retreat from Saratoga.

I think the general concensus is they copied their cousins and mentors, the Prussians! Mine are blue with black iron fittings. In fact, I often use my Prussian cannons as Hessian.