"1806 Prussian Hornists & Sergeants With Spontoons" Topic

Were hornists assigned to just light battalions, or did they serve in musketeer battalions too? I'm painting some AB figures and I have a good number of these to slot in somewhere.

Also – sergeants with spontoons – just assigned to the colour party? Or did they use these to keep men in line etc throughout the battalion?

Thanks for your help.

IIRC – Prussian companies had 4 drummers until 1800 then went to 3 drummers and 1 horn. The horn would be used in guiding the actions of the shutzen element (10 or more sharpshooters per company)or the 3rd rank deployed as skirmishers. I believe this would have been the same for Musketeers and Fusiliers. I'm not certain about Grenadier or Jaeger companies.

Re. Spontoons. Senior officers only – again, IIRC. NCO's and file fillers carried a short pike, which for miniatures purposes could be replaced by a spontoon.

For all the above I stand to be corrected and will wait for VW and others to confirm or correct as they are the experts here.

Cheers!
Beeker

Beeker,

Do you mean "Junior Officers" carrying the spontoons?

I don't know from 1806 Prussians, but IIRC, Russians were similar, and I know a bit about them. The junior officers carried spontoons, the NCOs carried halberds. Seems like the Prussian set up at this period might have been similar.

Hornist were used in all infantry units to guide the schutzen from the Musketeers, Grenadiers, and the Fusiliers and for the Jaeger companies.

I would say the Officers spontoons were more ceramonial by this time and not used in the field. NCO's most likely did carry the pikes in the field for file filing.

This from memory though as I'm not near any of my books and vW most likely have something to add to this.

I would place the NCO's in the back as normally they would be behind the formed lines.

John

Thanks all for your responses – so placing a hornist and a drummer on the command stand would be okay, and the spontoon carriers in the rear rank of any company?

This is pretty much what I planned to do but wanted re-assurance I wasn't doing anything totally stupid!

Malc

a halfmoon player would be along with the Schützen- I wouldn't place it along with the drummer.
NCOs did carry "pikes" – I have to check – from caporal onwards.
3 Grenadier NCOs had special long pikes to simulate the absent colours, which grenadier battalions did not carry, they were placed in the center of the battlion.

Otherwise NCOs were placed as file closers behding the ranks.

Officiers discontinued (unofficially) to carry their spontons already in the 1792 – 1795 campaigns, in 1806 in case I remember correctly – they didn't carry them, but I have to check Kling on this.

Many thanks VW!

Curious – any chance Fusiliers would also carry long pikes in place of not carrying colours at this time?

Füsilier NCOs did not carry pikes – but they carried either rifles or muskets (in those units who decided that NCOs didn't fire that much anyway and for better use to give them to the sharp shooters), there Füsiliere had a different tactical role, there was no need for a substitude for absent colours anyway.

Duly noted! Tnx VW!