Hülsen Infantry

From Project SYW

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Contents 1 Origin and History 2 Service during the War 3 Uniform 3.1 Privates 3.2 NCOs 3.3 Officers 3.4 Musicians 4 Colours 5 References

Origin and History

The regiment was raised on April 3 1713 from Prussian regiments in the Dutch service .

During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was commanded by:

• from February 25 1756 to June 7 1767: Johann Dietrich von Hülsen

The regiment was disbanded October 28 1806 after the capitulation of Prenzlau.

Service during the War

On August 26 1756, when the Prussian army was ordered to enter into Saxony, the regiment was part of Ferdinand of Brunswick's column which had concentrated at Halle and advanced unopposed through Leipzig, Chemnitz, Freyberg and Dippoldiswalde, to the village of Cotta (reached on September 9) south of the Elbe near Pirna. On October 1, the regiment took part to the battle of Lobositz. Its first battalion was assigned to the brigade of lieutenant-general Ferdinand prince of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel while its second battalion was deployed in the brigade of lieutenant-general prince of Bevern. During this battle, the regiment lost 12 officers and 265 men. On October 23, when Keith's army left Lobositz to return to Pirna, the regiment was part of the left column. On October 28, Keith's army reached Gross-Sedlitz near Pirna and took its winter quarters soon afterwards.

On May 6 1757, during the invasion of Bohemia, the regiment did not take part to the battle of Prague. It was rather deployed on the left bank of the Moldau near the Weissenberg as part of Keith's corps. On June 18, the regiment took part to the battle of Kolin where it was deployed in the first line of the infantry left wing under lieutenant-general von Tresckow. At the end of the afternoon, it reinforced Hülsen's corps which was under heavy pressure near the Krzeczhorz height. During this battle, 11 officers were killed and 16 captured while 500 soldiers were killed, 200 wounded and 250 captured. At the end of August, the 1st battalion of the regiment was part of the small Prussian army hastily assembled at Dresden by Frederick II to head towards Thuringia and to offer battle to the Franco-Imperial army invading Saxony. On November 5, at the battle of Rossbach, the 1st battalion was deployed in the second line of the infantry right wing under lieutenant-general von Forcade.

To do: campaigns from 1758 to 1763

N.B.: During the war the grenadiers from the wing grenadier companies were put together with the grenadiers of Infantry Regiment 27 forming the Grenadier Batallion 21/27 (please refer to this article for the details of the service of the grenadiers during the war).

Uniform

Privates

Uniform Details

Headgear	Musketeer black tricorne laced white, one yellow button, red/blue/white/blue pompons Grenadier mitre with yellow metal front plate; red headband with black braid laced white and yellow metal ornaments; straw backing with black braid laced white; black within white within black within red pompon (see Grenadier Batallion 21/27 for an illustration)
Neckstock	red
Coat	Prussian blue with 9 white buttonholes and 9 yellow buttons on the chest, 2 white buttonholes at the waist (2 yellow buttons on the right side only), 3 yellow buttons on each side to fasten the skirts forming the turnbacks Collar red Shoulder Straps red fastened with a small yellow button Lapels none Pockets horizontal pockets edged in red, each with 3 yellow Cuffs red (in the Prussian pattern) laced white (same lace as above) with 2 white buttonholes and 2 yellow buttons on the sleeve above each cuff Turnbacks red fastened with a small yellow button
Waistcoat	white with horizontal pockets and yellow buttons
Breeches	white
Gaiters	black
Leather Equipment	Crossbelt one white belt over the left shoulder for the cartridge box and one narrower white belt over the right shoulder for the haversack Waistbelt white Cartridge Box black Bayonet Scabbard n/a Scabbard brown Footgear black shoes

Privates were armed with a musket, a bayonet and a sabre with a curved blade.

NCOs

NCOs wore uniforms similar to those of the privates with the following distinctions:

• tricorne with wide gold lace and black and white quartered pompoms
• 6 gold buttonholes on the chest (none in the small of the back and on the cuffs)
• no shoulder straps
• yellowish leather gloves
• black and white sabre tassel

NCOs were armed with a sabre and a dark brown half-pikes measuring 10 Rhenish feet (3.06 m.) in the musketeer companies and 13 Rhenish feet (4.10 m.) in the grenadier companies (carried by the 3 most senior NCOs while other grenadier NCOs were armed with rifled muskets since 1744).

NCOs also carried canes (normally attached to a button at the top of the right front while carrying the half-pike).

Officers

Officers had a white neck stock and their hat wore a thin gold lace. They always wore tricornes notwithstanding if they were commanding musketeers or grenadiers. They also wore a black and silver sash around the waist. Six gold buttonholes and 6 golden buttons on the chest and 2 gold buttonholes with 2 golden buttons at the waist. Two gold buttonholes on the pockets. One gold buttonhole sidewise in the small of the back. Two gold buttonholes and 2 golden buttons on the sleeve above each gold laced cuff.

Officers carried dark brown spontoons measuring 7 ½ Rhenish feet (2.36 m.).

Musicians

The lace of the drummers consisted of a white braid bordered with yellow dented braids. The coat, buttonholes, pockets, collar and cuffs were edged with the narrow lace. Shoulder decorated with 5 vertical narrow laces and 1 horizontal wide lace. Nine chevrons in narrow laces (9) on the sleeve bordered with a wide lace on each side..

Colours

Colonel flag (Leibfahne): white field, black flames, purple red central medallion surrounded by a gold laurel wreath and decorated with a black eagle surmounted by a white scroll bearing the gold motto "Pro Gloria et Patria". Decoration (crowns, laurel wreaths, ciphers and grenades) in gold.

Regimental flags (Kompaniefahnen): Purple red field, four black flames, white central medallion surrounded by a gold laurel wreath and decorated with black eagle surmounted by a purple red scroll bearing the gold motto "Pro Gloria et Patria". Decoration (crowns, laurel wreaths, ciphers and grenades) in gold.

        

The pikes used as staffs for the colours were dark brown.

References

Anonymous (maybe Karl Wellner), Montierung des Königlich Preussischen Armee

Bleckwenn, Hans, Die Uniformen der Preußischen Infanterie 1753-1786, Teil III/Bd. 3, Osnabrück 1973

Brauer, M.: Heer und Tradition / Heeres-Uniformbogen (so-called „Brauer-Bogen"), Berlin 1926 -1962

Bleckwenn, Hans, Die friderzianischen Uniformen 1753-1786, Bd. I Infanterie I, Osnabrück 1984

Deutsche Uniformen, Bd. 1, Das Zeitalter Friedrich des Großen, 240 images of Herbert Knötel d. J., Text and explanations by Dr. Martin Letzius, published by Sturm-Zigaretten GmbH, Dresden: 1932

Die Bewaffnung und Ausrüstung der Armee Friedrichs des Großen: Eine Dokumentation aus Anlaß seines 200. Todesjahres, 2 erw. Auflage, Raststatt 1986

Engelmann, Joachim and Günter Dorn, Die Infanterie-Regimenter Friedrich des Grossen, Podzun-Pallas, 2000

Funcken, Liliane and Fred, Les uniformes de la guerre en dentelle

Guddat, Martin; Grenadiere, Musketiere, Füsiliere: Die Infanterie Friedrichs des Großen, Herford 1986

Menzel, Adolph von, Die Armee Friedrich's des Großen, Berlin: 1851/57

Schirmer, Friedrich; Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756-1763, published by KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg, Neuauflage 1989

Schmalen, Accurate Vorstellung der sämtlich Koeniglichen Preusischen Armee Worinnen zur eigentlichen Kenntniss der Uniform von jedem Regiment ein Officier und Gemeiner in Völliger Montirung und ganzer Statur nach dem Leben abgebildet sind., Nürnberg, 1759

Tressenmusterbuch von 1755

Uniformes Prussien et Saxonne, Bilderhandschrift, 1758 (Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin)

N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.