"Confederation of Rhine landwehr uniforms" Topic

There were several landwehr units that participated in the 1814 campaign. These units were from the small German states. I cannot find any references of what their uniforms were like. Were they like the uniforms the regular units from these states? Any help will be appreciated

There were several landwehr units that participated in the 1814 campaign. These units were from the small German states. I cannot find any references of what their uniforms were like. Were they like the uniforms the regular units from these states? Any help will be appreciated

could you specify? What states?

Bernberg Landwehr
Weimer Landwehr
Gotha Landwehr
Schwarberg landwehr
Dessau-Kothen landwehr

I believe that I have read that the landwehr of at least some of the states were uniformed in greatcoats. So, if nothing else, put them in those if you can't find what you need.

I have 2 units of Mecklenburg, they are in greatcoats and covered shakos. They look French except for the flags.

Germanic states were often a confusing intermix of interconnections. Dessau, Kothen and Bernberg had been part of Anhalt under the Confederation.

link

It's a start…

Here is some great Greatcoat info for you (should you want to go that way….)

Greatcoats of the Minor German States: 1809 – 1812
By Robert Burnham

In general, overcoats were of a gray – shaded wool and either double or single breasted, with two rows of buttons for the double breasted coats and one row for the single breasted coats. Most coats had large cuffs that were turned backed on the sleeve, while some had high collars. Few had any facing colors on the collars, while many of the elite companies wore their epaulettes on the coat.

Nationality & Unit

Color of Coat

Type of Coat

Collar

Buttons

Elite Epaulettes

Baden Line Infantry

Mid Gray

Single Breasted

High

Cloth Covered

No

Baden Light Infantry

Mid Gray

Single Breasted

High

Cloth Covered

No

Baden Garde Grenadiers

Dark Blue

Single Breasted

High

White

No

Bavarian Line Infantry

Note [1]

Single Breasted

Note [2]

Brass

No

Bavarian Light Infantry

Note [1]

Single Breasted

High

Brass

No

Hesse-Darmstadt Line Infantry

Dark Gray

Double Breasted

High

White

Yes

Kleve-Berg Line Infantry

Mid Gray

Single Breasted

High

Brass

Yes

Mecklenberg-Strelitz Infantry

Mid Gray

Single Breasted

High

White

Yes

Mecklenberg-Schwerin Infantry

Mid Gray

Single Breasted

High

White

Yes

Nassau Infantry

Pepper Gray

Single Breasted

High

Brass

Yes

Saxon Line Infantry

Pepper Gray

Single Breasted

Note [3]

Brass

No

Saxon Leib Grenadiers

Pepper Gray

Single Breasted

Note [3]

Brass

No

Saxon Light Infantry

Mid Gray

Single Breasted

Note [4]

Brass

No

Saxon Jagers

Pepper Gray

Single Breasted

Note [4]

Brass

No

Westphalian Line Infantry

Pepper Gray

Single Breasted

High

Brass

Yes

Westphalian Light Infantry

Pepper Gray

Single Breasted

High

Brass

Yes

Westphalian Grenadier Garde

Dark Gray

Double Breasted

High

Brass

Yes

Westphalian Jager Garde

Dark Green

Double Breasted

High

White

Yes

Westphalian Jager Karabinier

Dark Green

Double Breasted

Note [5]

White

Yes

Westphalian Fusilier Garde

Dark Blue

Double Breasted

High

White

Yes

Wurttemberg Line Infantry

Mid Gray

Single Breasted

High

White

No

Wurttemberg Light Infantry

Mid Gray

Single Breasted

High

Brass

No

Wurttemberg Jager zu Fuss

Dark Green

Single Breasted

Note [6]

Note [6]

No

Wurttemberg Leib Garde

Dark Blue

Single Breasted

High

White

Yes

Wurzburg Infantry

Grey

Single Breasted

High

Brass

No

Notes

Bavarian infantry wore a light gray coat until 1811, when the coats were changed to pepper-gray.

Bavarian infantry greatcoats had a collar of the coat color except for the 1st Regiment, which had scarlet collars.

Saxon line infantry greatcoats had a pepper-gray high collar. Line infantry grenadiers and Leib Grenadiers had scarlet patches on their collars. See illustration for example of this patch.

Saxon light infantry and jagers wore black collar patches piped scarlet.

Westphalian Jager Karabinier greatcoats had two scarlet lace battons on the collar; epaulettes were green with scarlet piping.

Wurttemberg jager overcoats had black collars; the 1st Battalion had brass buttons; the 2nd Battalion had white buttons.

Bamberg did belong to Bavaria in 1813 and was by no means any longer in independent state, it never belonged to Anhalt as well but was before annexed by Bavaria an independent state and belonged to the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations and was usually Reichstreu (faithful to the Empire and usually sided with the German Emperor) – the Bavarian used the term national guard instead of Landwehr, an example how the looked like please check the Perrys at

link

Thank you for your input. I am thinking of a mix of uniforms and greatcoats in each unit. I think the uniforms will similar to the uniforms their line units wore( not enough time to manufacture regular uniforms). The picture attached messes this plan up as my sources said they had a French style uniform in blue, but the illustration shows a Prussian style schirmutz in green. Gunna have to make some decisions on the uniform style.

"Anhalt" was a loose familial web of aristocratic holdings. In 1806, Napoleon mandated that they combine to raise a line infantry Battalion from the holdings of Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Kothen and Anhalt-Bernberg.

There is a brief passage about the Landwehr uniforms in:

link

Frankly, in my estimation, the purchase of any Nafziger book is a sound investment.

Weimar and Gotha were Confederated as part of the Saxon Duchies and too chaotic for me to try to unravel.

As a BROAD generalization, Landwehr uniforms of the time will be largely thigh length frock coats with stove pipe shakos or caps:

link

Uniform colors varied.

Great info, Tom. Mecklenberg was who I had read about.

Were the stovepipe shakos British surplus?

sorry for my misreading, but about Landwehr please check the images supplied in this link, from Markus Stein's webside

link

@79th

I'm not sure they were surplus or purpose made for export, but I'm pretty sure they were Brit manufacture.

@Dye4minis, that post was awesome, thank you for that.

Ah, I didn't even think about the export trade.