"The Württemberg army in 1809" Topic

Hello everyone

This is a draft…

At the beginning of 1809, the army of Württemberg could be divided into two separate parts.

The first consists of the 12,000 men of the contingent that the country must provide to France, within the framework of the Confederation.

The second, and completely separate, in the mind of King Frédérique, several thousand men, directly under his orders, and reserved for the defense of his territory and the maintenance of internal order.

The cavalry (2,256 men) includes 4 regiments of light cavalry with 2 regiments of Chasseurs à cheval and 2 of light horse:

Guard Light Horse Regiment
Herzog Heinrich Light Horse Regiment
König Chasseurs à cheval Regiment
Herzog Louis Chasseurs à cheval Regiment

3 mounted guard squadrons forming:

Horse Guards Regiment

There is also a squadron of "Leib" Chasseurs and a squadron of dragoons.

The infantry (9,991 men) has 7 line regiments (1,400 men per regiment):

Von Phull
Herzog Wilhelm
von Camrer
von Franquemont
Prince Friedrich
Crown Prince
von Neubronn

4 light infantry battalions (686 men per battalion):

König Chasseurs à pied Battalion-Commander: Major von Stockmayer
Von Neuffer Chasseurs à pied Battalion
1st von Wolff Light Infantry Battalion
2nd Light Infantry Battalion von Brüsselle

The Foot Guards Battalion

The light infantry and 5 of the line regiments are assigned to the main army of the Danube, Frédérique keeping the rest of the infantry to defend her kingdom: the Guard, the Prinz Friedrich and Franquemont regiments.

The army has an artillery (426 men) made up of 22 pieces, divided into three batteries (two on horseback and one on foot).

Each horse battery is made up of 4 pieces of 6 and 2 howitzers of 7.

At the start of the campaign, this contingent of 12,676 men was attached to the VIII Army Corps, but following unforeseeable events, it became de facto the VIII Corps, under the authority of Dominique Vandamme.

TMP link

TMP link

Jack Gill covers this in great detail in his book "With Eagles to Glory". He has researched all of the Confederation of The Rhine contingents that served in the 1809 Campaign, in Poland, Germany and down the Danube.

Thank you I ordered the two books by Berliner Zinnfiguren.

You know ?

Gill's Thunder on the Danube is a more modern and thorough understanding of the campaign.

According to my notes (pulled from several sources but underpinned by Gill and Rawkins) the army is as follows.

The musketeer regiments in 1809 (all expanded to 2 battalions in 1808) were:
Prinz Paul
Herzog Wilhelm
von Phull
von Franquemont
Prinz Friedrich
Kronprinz
von Koseritz (previously the von Neubronn Fusilier Battalion but always uniformed and serving as musketeers, name changed during campaign)
and
von Scharffenstein (created during 1809 from the Boxberg and Berndes garrison or depot battalions)

The light infantry battalions were:
Fusilier Battalion von Wolff
Fusilier battalion von Bruselle
Jager Battalion Konig
Jager Battalion von Neuffer

The cavalry were:
Chevaux Leger Herzog Heinrich
Leib Chevaux Leger
Jager zu Pferd Konig
Jager ziu Pferd Herzog Louis
Dragoon Regiment Kronprinz (created during 1809 from the depot squadrons of the chevaux leger regiments)

The Guard Cavalry never served outside of Wurttemberg, essentially a formal royal palace guard.

Artillery is complex but by 1809 probably consisted of three horse batteries (one designated as guard), and four foot batteries (three "light" and one "heavy"). Mostly of Austrian style pieces.

The horse batteries of 6x6pdr and 2x7" howitzers. The "light" foot batteries initially of 6x6pdrs and 4x7" howitzers, later 8x 6pdrs and 2x7" howitzers. The "heavy" initially of 6x12pdrs and 2x7" howitzers, later 5x12pdrs and 2x7" howitzers "in 2 batteries".

It's known that some guns were stripped out and deployed into the Tyrol, no idea where from or how many.

I've never been wholly convinced of any of the artillery allocations which all seem very variable. FWIW Gill gives X Corps a foot battery of 10 tubes (cf the two 5 gun heavy batteries above – if we ignore the howitzers) and 2 horse batteries each of 6 tubes (are we ignoring howitzers again?). All acting as the corps artillery, none with the divisions. But I've seen OOBs listing batteries of 6, 8, and 10 guns in all sorts of configurations.

Some of the battery sizes and make-up are very unusual to say the least, by 1809 nearly everyone had decided on 6 or 8 tube batteries usually including a pair of howitzers. It's probably best to say that Wurttemberg artillery appears fluid and flexible! Maybe the howitzers were stripped out and sent to the Tyrol, maybe.

@ Zippee

Excellent post. I have always fancied the Wurttemburgers as an army because you can quite easily acquire the lot of them. I'm away from my TotD at the moment – did Gill say anything about the strength of the various units?

Here are my notes on the army – yes Gill does have strengths at various dates in his trilogy (which I will post some extracts later):

Infantry

1792:
Garde-Fϋẞ Regiment (1 battalion?)
Saxe-Coburg Regiment (2 battalions of 5 companies – 1 grenadier & 4 musketeer)
Von Hugel Regiment (2 battalions of 5 companies – 1 grenadier & 4 musketeer)
Kreis-Regiment (raised 1793 for the Army of the Holy Roman Empire)
Grenadier-Bataillon
Garnison-Bataillon

In 1798, the Wurttemberg army was reorganised.

1798:
Grenadier-Battailone von Zobel
1802 renamed "Leib-Grenadier-Battaillone"
Musketier-Bataillone von Mylius
1803 renamed "Herzog Paul"
Musketier-Bataillone von Seeger
1805 renamed "Herzog Wilhelm"
Musketier-Bataillone von Perglas
1800 renamed "von Seckendorf"
Musketier-Bataillone von Beulwitz
1804 renamed "von Romig"
Musketier-Bataillone von Obernitz
1804 renamed "von Lilienberg"
Musketier-Bataillone Erbprinz (raised 1803)
1805 renamed "Kurprinz"
1806 renamed "Kronprinz"
FussJägerKorps (raised 1799 at company strength)
1801 renamed FussJäger-Bataillone von Romannon expansion to 1 bataillone.
1805 reformed into two battalions and renamed
1st Fϋssjäger Bataillone von Romann
2nd Fϋssjäger Bataillone von Scharffenstein
1st Leichte-Infanterie Bataillone Neubronn (raised 1805)
2nd Leichte-Infanterie Bataillone de Scheler(raised 1805)
Garnison-Bataillone

1806:
On 25 January 1806 six infantry regiments were created by adding second battalions to existing Musketeer units. A regiment consisted of a depot company and 2 battalions of each of 4 companies. Regimental HQ 10 personnel; each company had 175 personnel.
The Garde zu Fϋẞ had 4 companies; while the Light Infantry & Jägers battalions with 5 companies (1 served as depot company).

Garde zu Fϋẞ Bataillone – was Leib-Grenadier-Bataillone. (Jager company added in 1809)
Infantrie-Regiment Herzog Paul – was Bataillone Herzog Paul.
November 1806 renamed "von Schroeder".
October 1807 renamed "von Phull"
1809 renamed "Prinz Paul".
Infantrie-Regiment Herzog Wilhelm – was Batallione Herzog Wilhelm.
Infantrie-Regiment von Seckendorf – was Bataillone von Seckendorf.
June 1807 renamed "von Camerer"
1809 renamed "von Phull"
Infantrie-Regiment Von Romig – was Bataillone Von Romig.
June 1808 renamed "von Franquemont".
Infantrie-Regiment von Lilienberg – was Bataillone Von Lilienberg.
March 1808 renamed "Prinz Friedrich"
Infantrie-Regiment Kronprinz – was Bataillone Kronprinz.
Fusilier-Bataillone (raised November 1806)
May 1807 named "von Neubronn".
September 1809 renamed "von Koseritz"
1st Depot-Bataillone von Boxberg (raised June 1809).
2nd Depot-Bataillone von Berndes (raised June 1809).
Infantrie-Regiment von Scharffenstein (September 1809 raised from Depot-Bataillons).
Fϋsilier-Bataillone von Berndes (raised 1810)
1811 renamed "von Etzdorff".
1st Fϋssjäger Bataillon von Hϋgel
1807 renamed König
2nd Fϋssjäger Bataillone von Neuffer
1st Leichte-Infanterie Bataillone Bünau
1807 renamed "von Wolff"
2nd Leichte-Infanterie Bataillone von Brϋsselle
1813 renamed "Stockmayer"
Fϋssjäger-Kompanie (raised 1809 and incorporated into Garde zu Fϋẞ Bataillone)
Garnison-Bataillone
Land-Scharfschϋtzen Bataillone (1809 raised from Light Inf & Jäger depot companies; disbanded after war with Austria concluded).

1811:
Garde zu Fϋẞ Bataillone
Line Regiments were allocated numbers:
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 1 Prinz Paul.
November 1813 renamed "Leib-Infanterie-Regiment Nr 1"
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 2 Herzog Wilhelm.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 3 vacant von Phull.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 4 vacant von Franquemont.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 5 Prinz Friedrich.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 6 Kronprinz.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 7 – vacant von Scharffenstein.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 8 – from Fusilier-Battalions.

1813
Garde zu Fuss Bataillon.
Leib-Infantrie-Regiment Nr 1.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 2 Herzog Wilhelm.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 3.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 4.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 5 Prinz Friedrich
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 6 Kronprinz.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 7 – 14 November Disbanded.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 8 – renamed Nr 7.
Leichte-Infantrie-Regiment Nr 9 König (formed from the Jäger battalions)
Leichte-Infantrie-Regiment Nr 10 (formed from the Light Infantry battalions)
Garnison-Regiment Nr 12 (created February)

1814:
Garde-Regiment zu Fuss – was Garde zu Fuss Bataillone. Comprised 2 battalions modelled after the French Imperial Guard.- 1 Grenadier and 1 Jager. Each battalion had an establishment as for the line infantry
Leib-Infantrie-Regiment Nr 1.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 2 Herzog Wilhelm.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 3.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 4.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 5 Prinz Friedrich.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 6 Kronprinz.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 7.
Infantrie-Regiment Nr 8 – Re-raised.
Leichte-Infantrie-Regiment Nr 9 König
Leichte-Infantrie-Regiment Nr 10
Garnison-Regiment Nr 12.

Cavalry

Leibgarde zu Pferde comprised 1 squadron each of:
Husaren-Garde; Dragoner-Garde; Leibjäger; Grenadiere zu Pferde
1794 disbanded
1799 re-raised with new organisation as follows:
1st Eskadron – Leibjäger
2nd Eskadron – Garde du Korps
3rd and 4th Eskadronen – Grenadiere zu Pferde

Kreis-Dragoner Regiment (1793 raised for the Army of the Holy Roman Empire)
Amalgated into reformed Leibgarde zu Pferde

Normal strength of the cavalry regiments was 4 squadrons each of 125 personnel. Regimental HQ 12 personnel.

Chevauleger Regiment
1807 named "Chevauleger Regiment Herzog Heinrich"
1811 renamed "Chevauleger Regiment Nr 1 Prinz Adam"
1813 renamed "Leib-Kavallerie-Regiment Nr 1"

Leib-Chevauleger Kurfϋrst Regiment (raised 1803)
1811 renamed "Leib-Chevauleger Regiment Nr 2"
1813 disbanded for defecting to the Allies.

Jäger-Regimenter zu Pferde Prinz Paul (raised 1805)
1807 renamed "Jäger-Regimenter zu Pferde Herzog Louis"
1811 renamed "Jäger-Regimenter zu Pferde Nr 3 Herzog Louis"
1813 renamed "Jäger-Regimenter zu Pferde Nr 2 Herzog Louis"

Jäger-Regimenter zu Pferde König (raised 1805)
1811 renamed "Jäger-Regimenter zu Pferde Nr 4 König"
1813 disbanded for defecting to the Allies.

Dragoner Regiment (raised 1809).
1811 renamed "Dragoner RegimentNr 5 Kronprinz"
1813 renamed "Dragoner RegimentNr 3 Kronprinz"

Artillery

In 1792 Guard horse battery incorporated into a 12 gun Kreisartillerie unit.
1801 new horse battery formed – equipped with 6 x 6pdr cannon & 2 x 7pdr howitzer; 2 foot batteries also appear to have existed.

1809 Line artillery: 1 foot and 1 horse battery; Guard artillery: 1 horse battery.
1810 Line artillery: 3 foot (2nd, 3rd & 4th Foot Artillery) and 2 horse batteries (2nd & 3rd Horse Artillery); Guard artillery: 1 foot and 1 horse battery (1st Foot Artillery and the 1st Horse Artillery).
1st & 2nd horse each had 4 x 6pdr cannon & 2 x 7pdr howitzers; 3rd horse had 3 x 6pdr cannon & 1 x7pdr howitzer; 1st, 2nd & 3rd foot each had 6 x6pdr cannon & 2 x 7pdr howitzers; and 4th foot had 5 x12pdr cannon & 2 x 7pdr howitzers.

Following losses in Russia 1 battery each of Foot and Horse Artillery of the Guard were raised in 1813. Attempts to reform the line units were unsuccessful.

Appendix 2 Volume 1 Pages 331 & 332

10 April 1809
VIIIth Corps GD Vandamme
Infantry Division – GL von Neubronn
1st line Brigade – GM von Franquemont
Kronprinz Infantry Regiment (2 battalions) 1,331 men
Herzog Wilhelm IR (2 battalions) 1,383 men
1st Battalion Neubronn Fusilier Regiment 702 men
2nd Line Brigade – GM von Scharffenstein
Camrer IR (2 battalions) 1,359 men
Phull IR (2 battalions) 1,387 men
2nd battalion Neubronn Fusilier Regiment 691 men
3rd Light Brigade – GM von Hugel
Jager Battalion Konig 704 men
Jager Battalion von Neiuffer 695 men
1st Light Infantry Battalion von Wolff 674 men
2nd Light Infantry Battalion von Brusselle 689 men
Cavalry division – GL von Wollarth
1st Brigade – GM von Roder
Leib Chevaulegers (4 squdrons) 565 men
Herzog Heinrich Chevaulegers (4 squadrons) 545 men
2nd Brigade – GM von Stettner
Konig Jager-zu-Pferd (4 squadrons) 555 men
Herzog Louis Jager-zu-Pferd (4 squdrons) 549 men
Artillery & Train 413 men
Line (foot) battery 8 x6pdr & 2 x howitzers
1st Light Battery 4 x 6pdr & 2 x howitzers
2nd Light Battery 4 x 6 pdrs & 2 x Howitzers

Note: The situation in Charles Saski, Campagne de 1809, Paris: Berger-Levrault, 1899-1902, shows the two royal cavalry regiments under GM von Roder & the other trwo under Stettner, but other reports make it clear that the chevauleger regiments & the Jager-zu-Pferd regiments were brigaded togther from the start of the war (VIII Situations dated 1, 15 & 19 April 1809, AG, Armee d'Allemagne, C2/508; General von Cammerer, 1 April 1809 report, HStAS, Kabinet, Geheimer Rat, Ministerien 1806-1945, E271aNr.50).

There are other partial Orders of battle in the various other volumes.

@Zippee

Thank you for all this information. So their 6 and 12 pdrs guns and 7" howitzers would be Austrian? And their limbers?

@Prince of Essling

Bravo again and thank you for your work and for the strength of the various units !

I'm waiting for Wright David's two books on the Württemberg army of the Napoleonic Wars and I bet you all that this author will have a different OOB than I've seen so far !
So many authors, so many opinions !

TMP link

Depends on scale and pernicketyness I guess but Austrian pieces are probably "good enough". I work in 6mm and 10mm so have different tolerances perhaps.

Same goes for the limbers and caissons at least at first although I believe they moved to their own design of wurst style limbers that had differences to both Austrian and Bavarian styles. Not sure if that was limited to horse batteries, don't think they would have been in place for 1809 though.

I also have no information on whether the horse batteries employed wurst style limbers prior to this – association with Austrian and Bavarian practice makes it feel likely but as far as I am aware its an unknown.

From Rawkins' CD:
"The guns in use with the Württemberg artillery in 1806 were mostly of Austrian manufacture with a few older French and Prussian tubes which had been mounted on new carriages. The orders of 1806 provided the horse companies with six light 6 pdr field guns and two 7 pdr howitzers, with six munitions caissons and one field forge. The foot artillery companies were initially equipped with six 6 pdr field guns and four 7 pdr howitzers, however by 1809 two of the howitzers had been replaced by 6 pdr field guns for the light artillery companies. The heavy artillery company had five 12 pdr field
guns and two 7 pdr howitzers in 1809 in two batteries. The foot artillery companies were supplied with an ammunition caisson for each gun and the company had a forge and a tool wagon. In the field each gun of both horse and foot artillery were provisioned with 110 rounds of shot and 20 rounds of canister.

In June 1811 the foot companies were rearmed prior to joining the Grand Army with the addition of some French manufactured guns and each foot company now had two 12 pdr field guns, two pdr field guns and two 7 pdr howitzers. The surplus personnel and drafts from the depot company made
up a reserve park company and found the crews for four 3pdr guns attached to the Infanterie-Regiment ‘Prinz Friedrich' as regimental artillery. When the artillery left Danzig in 1812 it was organised into three foot companies, two
being armed as light artillery with three 6pdr guns and two howitzers and the heavy battery with six 12pdr field guns. At this time the ordnance would appear to have been mostly French manufactured equipment, possibly to simplify munitions supply within the Grand Armee. The organisation of the horse artillery companies remained as before.

The re-constructed artillery battalions of 1813 received new French guns and the older pieces which were still in use with the guard companies that had not been sent to Russia remained in used until replaced with French ordnance in 1814. The French guns remained the basic ordnance patterns for the Württemberg army until 1817.

The gun carriages, limbers and wagons would appear to have been initially of Württemberg manufacture based on Austrian designs in 1808 when new improved equipment designed by Oberstleutnant von Kerner was gradually introduced. The guns had a ‘wurst' seat which could be fitted over the trail
and seated four gunners back to back instead of astride as for the Austrian pattern. Guns and wagons were either sanded timber, possibly varnished, with black painted ironwork in 1806 but by 1808 would appear more commonly to have been painted a light ochre colour to protect the timber.
Surviving examples of cannon from the period show traces that the tubes may have been painted black during campaign to protect against rusting or powder pitting."

@Zippee

My scale is the real 25mm, MiniFigs with parts and artillery equipment from Old Glory unless someone knows something more compatible.

Indeed apart from the British and the French (still without 6pdrs gun), as for the Napoleonic ranges of 25mm MiniFigs, it is a waste for the artillery pieces and the same goes for the limbers and the caissons.

What do you write?

Wurst style limbers for the Württemberges, but which would present differences compared to the Austrian and Bavarian styles, the Bavarians had wurst style limbers after 1809?

I hope this will be indicated in the documentation I am waiting for.

@Prince of Essling

If the cannons used by the Württemberg artillery in 1806 were mostly Austrian made, as were the carriages, that suits my business.

But in 1806, the ammunition boxes and field forges were also Austrian made?

And for use?

The artillery remained in the divisions or formed "Grandes batteries"?

7 pdr field guns in 1811?

It's a strange caliber for cannons of the time!

I didn't know that there were 7 pdr field guns?

What origin were they from ?

For the Campagne de France of 1814, all their artillery equipment, gun , carriages and limbers was therefore French ?

I am looking forward to finding illustrations of a Württemberg-style "wurst" siege with its four gunners back to back.

@Paskal,

For Wurttemberg artillery & ammo wagons including illustrations see "Weissenbach's History of the Royal Württemberg Artillery – Organisation and Equipment 1734-1815," Smoothbore Ordnance Journal, Issue 2 (07) [Translated by Digby Smith] PDF link and "Scale Models of Wurttemberg M1809 Field Ordnance,"
Smoothbore Ordnance Journal, Issue 2 (08), [John Cook and Stephen Summerfield] PDF link

7pdr howitzers are not unusual as both Austrian & Prussian used them – see Section 3: Napoleonic Ordnance Weight and Range Tables

A collection of tables and information compiled and translated by Alexander Zhmodikov and Stephen Summerfield focussing upon Russian Artillery, the mobility of artillery and ranges.

SOJ-07 (16) Comparison of Horse Artillery Weights

SOJ-07 (17) Comparison of Foot Artillery Weights

SOJ-07(18): Windage of Austrian and Prussian Ordnance

SOJ-07(19): Russian Artillery 1812

SOJ-07(20) Russian M1805 projectiles and powder charge

SOJ-07(21) Russian M1805 Guns, Limbers and Caissons
PDF link

Good article on use of Wurttemberg's light troops in 1809 (page 169 onwards): PDF link

@Prince of Essling

Thank you for your help, perhaps one day I will be able to put together the Württemberg and Bavarian army corps? I know that 7pdr howitzers are not unusual, but there we were talking about cannons!

TMP link

@Paskal,

Nothing I have said refers to 7pdr cannon, only 7pdr howitzers – have I missed something?

@Prince of Essling

I saw something strange and I thought you were talking about two 7 pdr field guns because nothing is actually indicated.

"In June 1811 the foot companies were rearmed prior to joining the Grand Army with the addition of some French manufactured guns and each foot company now had two 12 pdr field guns, two pdr field guns and two 7 pdr howitzers. The surplus personnel and drafts from the depot company made"

Now I am looking forward to finding illustrations of a Württemberg-style "wurst" siege with its four gunners back to back.

Now, I am looking forward to finding illustrations of a Württemberg-style "wurst" siege with its four gunners back to back.

Because in fact I don't really see how they were positioned.

@Paskal,

I haven't been able to track down a contemporary illustration – though Franznap at link have the following models:

@Prince of Essling
Well done and thank you, well now it's clear! Same problem with the Bavarian artillery and the Saxons which will become problematic.

TMP link

TMP link