Wittmer Infanterie

From Project SYW

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1 Origin and History
2 Service during the War
3 Uniform
4 Colours
5 References

Origin and History

This Swiss regiment was raised on December 5 1673.

Even though this regiment was considered a Swiss regiment, an entire company belonged to the town of Mulhouse (a free town allied to Switzerland). The command of this company was always assumed by a gentleman of this town. During the last years of its existence, this regiment consisted almost entirely of French subjects from the district of Sudgau, the county of Ferrette, the region of Jura, the principality of Montbéliard and the districts of Delamont.

During the War of the Polish Succession, the regiment served on the Rhine in 1733 and 1734. In 1735, it was at Stenay. In 1736, it was stationed in Valenciennes where it remained until 1741.

During the War of the Austrian Succession, the regiment served in Flanders from 1744 to 1748.

The regiment counted two battalions and had prévôté (provostship).

During the Seven Years' War, the regiment ranked 55^th and was under the command of:

since October 3 1734: Wittmer
November 13 1757: comte de Waldner de Freudenstein

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Service during the War

Somewhere between August 23 and September 6 1757, the regiment joined the Army of Saxony, led by Soubise, in the area of Erfurt and Eisenach. On September 27, it is brigaded with Touraine Infanterie under M. de Waldner in the first line of the left wing of the Franco-Imperial Army. On November 5, under the comte de Lorges, it took part to the battle of Rossbach where it was placed in the second line of the centre. At the end of the year, it took its winter quarters in Offenbach in Hessen.

In March 1758, when the Allies launched their surprise offensive, the regiment retreated towards Düsseldorf and Deutz with the bulk of Broglie's army. It passed the Rhine on April 3 and 4. In the first days of June 1758, as a French army prepared for an offensive in Hesse, the regiment was part of a detachment under the command of Broglie who followed up Ysenburg during his retreat. By July, it had joined Soubise's army assembling near Friedberg in Hesse. On July 23 1758, the regiment took part to the battle of Sandershausen where it was placed in the first line of the right wing and was engaged against the Hessian units occupying the Ellenbach woods. In the morning of September 27, the regiment entered into Kassel to prevent its capture by an Allied army under the command of Oberg. On October 10, it was present at the battle of Lutterberg where it was placed in the centre of the second line.

To do: campaigns from 1759 to 1762

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Uniform

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Privates

Uniform in 1758 - Source: rf-figuren

Uniform Details as per
Etrennes Militaires 1756 and 1758
completed where necessary with information from C. Pajol's book and L. Mouillard's uniform plates

Headgear

Musketeer	black tricorne laced silver
Grenadier	black tricorne laced silver towards 1759, bearskins became increasingly common among grenadiers

Neckstock

probably black

Coat

red lined blue with pewter buttons (in 1760, there were 12 buttons on the right side and 12 blue buttonholes, in 4 groups of 3, on the left side)

Collar	none (blue in 1760)
Shoulder Straps	n/a
Lapels	none
Pockets	vertical pockets, probably with 3 pewter buttons (horizontal with 3 pewter buttons in 1760)
Cuffs	blue, probably with 3 pewter buttons
Turnbacks	none

Waistcoat

blue (madder red in 1760 with 12 pewter buttons on the right side and 12 white buttonholes, in 4 groups of 3, on the left side)

Breeches

blue

Gaiters

white

Leather Equipment

Crossbelt	natural leather
Waistbelt	natural leather
Cartridge Box	natural leather
Bayonet Scabbard	n/a
Scabbard	n/a

Armaments consisted of a musket and a bayonet. Fusiliers carried a sword (brass hilt) while the grenadiers had a sabre.

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Officers

n/a

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Musicians

An illustration entitled "Swiss troops' uniforms of the late 18th Century by an unknown master" kept at the Musée de Penthes, illustrate an officer, a private and a musician of Waldner Infanterie around 1776. At this time the uniform was quite different from the 1758 uniform. However, it is interesting to note the differences of the uniforms of musicians compared to those of privates:

laced with a white braid decorated with red and blue rhombuses along the seams and edges
yellow cuffs with 2 buttons and 2 buttonloops (arranged vertically on each cuff)
yellow swallow nests laced (same braid as above) along the edges
yellow lapels (probably not yet introduced in 1758)

Since Waldner was colonel of the regiment until 1783, we can reasonably assume that the musicians of the regiment were similarly distinguished from the privates in 1758. Thus applying the above mentioned differences (except lapels) to the 1758 uniform would probably be a good approximation.

Under colonel Waldner, the drum casing was decorated with blue, white, red and black flames and with colonel coat of arms (white field with 3 blue mountains each with a red eagle at its top) while rims or hoops were decorated with blue, red and black stripes.

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Colours

Under colonel Wittmer:

the colonel flag: white with a white cross; centre device depicting a storm on a body of water dominated by mountains with an allegory of the wind blowing and a sun shining.
ordonnance flags: white cross; each canton carrying 7 flames (green, yellow, red, blue, red, yellow, black).

Under colonel Waldner:

the colonel flag: white with a white cross; centre device depicting a storm on a body of water dominated by mountains with an allegory of the wind blowing and a sun shining; the whole surmounted by a white scroll bearing the motto "Vis Nulla Revelet".
ordonnance flags: white cross; each canton carrying 4 flames (red, black, white, green).