"Prussian Uhlans 1815" Topic

Hello. I have a doubt about the Prussian Uhlans in 1815.

As per several sources, like Horfschroer Osprey book on Prussian cavalry, these say that all Prussian uhlan regimients wore a generically dark blue tunic. But in some other references (like mont-saint-jean.com kindly provided by another tmper in these boards) seems not all regiments shared this blue color, as the 6th Uhlan regiment wore black jackets and the 7th red.

Which is correct, did the 6th wore black jackets?.

If so I'll paint the 6th, these are the ones that reminds me the scene of the cavalry appearing after Blücher at the film Waterloo.

The regulation uniform, worn form 1809 to 1815 by the three Ulanen regiments, was blue.

In March 1815, Ulanen regiments 4 to 8 were created. Their regulation uniform was blue as well. Due to lack of funds, they had to take part in teh 1815 campaign in their old uniforms.

The 6. Ulanen-Regiment was formed from the former Lützow cavalry regiment. In the 1815 campaign, they wore black hussar dolmans.

An officer:

picture

For these 1815 regiments composed of foreign or freikorps units, it would not be out of place to have a mix of uniforms. Troopers mostly in the old uniforms, with officers and ncos in the regulation attire.

Rob

Most of the 6th wore black letewkas: link
and:
link

One squadron might have worn black dolmans and pelises:
link

A statement on a website doesn't make a fact. The following is based on the regimental history.

The 6. Ulanen-Regiment did not have a provincial designation in 1815. In June, it consisted of 3 squadrons, all in black dolmans (maybe also pelisses), and a volunteer detachment of 65 men, only the latter in black litewkas.

In addition, a squadron of volunteers formed in Bremen joined the regiment shortly before the campaign, which wore black dolmans like the rest of the regiment.

Just as a sidenote: Ive painted several of my 1815 Prussian units in an historical mish mash of uniforms.
Sure I think its more accurate. But it looks very raggedy.
Not my favorite army because of this.

Oliver: Thanks. Does it indicate their headgear? (Prussian shakos? British shakos? soft caps? czapkas?)

raducci: At least it provides some variety. There's nothing so boring as painting dozens, even hundreds, of figures all dressed alike.

In 1813/14, all men of the Lützow cavalry had Prussian style shakos.

The guard Ulanen squadron aside, the Prussian Ulanen had worn shakos since the 18th century. But on 11th March 1815, the Czapka was introduced as headgear for all Prussian Ulanen regiments.

I am convinced, but cannot prove it, that czapkas were actualy made for most the Ulanen regiments only after the 1815 campaign.

Don, true but I have a preconception of Napoleonic uniformity even if I know its not true.

Based on Knötel, I always thought the Bremen contingent of the 6. Ulanen wore litewkas?

The 7th if I recall correctly were formed from Hellwig's corps, in British-supplied red dolmans, and Schill's which wore blue dolman or pelisse. For headgear, there seems to have been some indication of czapkas with at least some of 7. Ulanen (Knötel again) – could this be the first of the new issue, sent to the "youngest" unit to at least get rid of their hussar busbies?

I believe, the Bremen contigent to the Hanseatic Legion 1813/14 had czapkas indeed.

Of the 1815 Bremen volunteer detachment for the Prussian 6th Ulanen, there is only one image in the Elberfeld manuscript, No. 45a of 13th May 1815), with shako.

The 7th Ulanen regioent in red dolman with czapka is also based on an Elberfeld image: No. 50c of 5th November 1815. These were probably distributed in France.

I posted the following about the 7. Ulanen-Regiment somewhere two years ago.

The Elberfeld mansucript somehow contradicts the statement in the regimental history, that the regiment received new czapkas as late as March 1816. Any explanation will be speculative.

***********************
The following is mainly from the regimental history by Kusenberg, published 1890 in Berlin, with some additional info from other sources.

The regiment was created by an order of 25th March 1815, and was to be formed from v. Hellwig's cavalry and Saxon troops.

In the beginning of 1815, v. Hellwig's cavalry consisted of three squadrons.

His 1813/14 Streifkorps had consisted of 2 squadrons of the 2. Schlesisches Husaren-Regiment (both returned to the regiment after the war), 1 squadron of self-equipping volunteers, and 1 squadron of cavalry which was raised by him, formed from volunteers as well.

The two squadrons formed by Schill (brother of the famous 1809 leader) had joined Hellwig's cavalry in June 1814 (due to a royal order of 12th May 1814). Some time between June 1814 and April 1815, the four squadrons (2 Schill, 2 Hellwig) must have been set to three. Probably (I didn't find a positive evidence, but it is the most plausible, in the Lützowsches Freikorps it was similar) the squadron of self-equipping volunteers (who usually had an independant source of income) returned home shortly after the 1814 peace, whereas most of the "poor" volunteers stayed in order to earn their living. In 1815, the 1st squdron had the same commander as the former Hellwig "poor" volunteer one, so I suppose the Schill squadrons formed the 2nd and 3rd.

The 7. Ulanen-Regiment assumed its new name on 25th April 1815. Major v. Hellwing left in order to command the 9. Husaren-Regiment.

A royal order of 6th August declared the regiment should finally be augmented to 4 squadrosn by including the Saxon squadrons. These were 2 squadrons taken from the former Saxon Prinz-Clemens-Ulanen-Regiment. The new four squadrons of the 7. Ulanen-Regiment were made up in equal parts from former Hellwig hussars and Saxon lancers.

A reserve squadron was formed in now Prussian parts of Saxony from a Saxon cavalry depot.

In September 1815, two volunteer detachments from Magdeburg were attached to the regiment (and surely sent home at the end of the year).

By the way, in May/June the uniforms within the regiment consisted of "partly green, partly red dolmans and pelisses, with yellow or white cords."

Red with white would have been Hellwig's cavalry, green with yellow are the colours of the 2. Schlesisches Husaren-Regiment. The blue Schill uniform (all known images are based on an illustration in the Elberfeld manuscript, dated February 1814) is not mentioned. Trying to explain this would be pure speculation. The regiment did not receive lances in time for the 1815 campaign.

In the end of 1815, officers had the regulation uniform, in February 1816, all the men had received litewkas (but not yet the "Kollet" = uniform coat), in March 1816, all the czapkas and the lances arrived.

Hope this helps

Oliver

Thanks a lot for your help, Oliver et al. You've been very kind and this info helps a lot.

Oliver: Great stuff! What do you have on the 8th Uhlans?

Oliver: did the 6th Uhlans have lances in time for the battles of 1815?

Geschichte des Rheinischen Ulanen-regiments NR. 7, 1815-1890 by Otto Kusenberg. 1890:

link

Geschichte des ostpreussischen Ulanen-regiments No. 8 by Georg Hoffmeister. 1862:

link

Die althannoverschen Überlieferungen des Königs-ulanen-regiments … Nr. 13 by A. Nettelbladt. 1903:

link

Aufzeichnungen aus der Geschichte des altmärkischen Ulanen-regiments NR. 16 by Eugen von Koblinski. 1882:

link

I can't check it in the moment, but at least in 1813/14, one or two squadrons of Lützow's cavalry were lancers (however in the black dolmans).

The 8. Ulanen-Regiment was formed in April 1815 from the remaining men of the two hussar regiments of the "Russo-German" legion.

They had received new uniforms in late 1814, which they continued to wear "for several years". The first two squadrons wore the green uniform of the former 1st hussars, and third and fourt suadron the black uniform of the 2nd hussars of the legion. No lances in 1815.

In late 1814, they had also received a complet set of English shakos "made of sealskin". I hacve no idea what these looked like.

I don't know whether it is pertinent to the Napoleonic era, but later Victorian 'sealskin' caps were identical to Hussar busbys (Coklpacks), or to fusilier caps as distinct from Guardsmen's Bearskins.

When are you going to write a book (or start a web site) Oliver?-)

NSN

Byrhthelm, thanks for this info. I will try to find out what British hussar fur caps were made from in the Napoleonic period.

NSN, The general interest in the Prussian army seems to be not so big to encourage publishers investing in this subject – my Osprey Warrior did not sell very well.

However, in autumn, there will appear an article by me on the uniforms of the Prussian hussar regiments from 1812 to 1815, in the French journal "Soldats Napoléoniens":

link

Haithornthwaite has the 6th Uhlans from Lutzow wearing a black litewka--no dolmon. Is this wrong?

Haythornthwaite's Ulan is based on a contemporary coloured print which had been published by Richard Knötel, and has been ever copied since:

picture

However, all written sources I know (regimental histories of Lütozw's corps and of the 6th Ulanen) agree that lancers and hussars of the Lützow cavalry both wore dolmans, and only the volunteer squadron (who brought their own unifoms and horses) had litewkas.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any other contemporary prints of the Ulanen in Lützow' Freikorps.

So we have got the choice how to dress the Ulanen, but I tend to mistrust the contemporary print. Contemporary does not automatically mean correct or drawn from life.

The Freikorps was very popular at that time, so maybe someone who knew the uniform of the volunteers and was asked for a print of an Ulan, just composed it.

Or maybe the written descriptions are wrong.

Thank you very much for your kind help and your time Oliver. You are very informative.