Smålands Horse
Hierarchical Path: Seven Years War (Main Page) >> Armies >> Swedish Army >> Smålands Horse
Origin and History
The regiment was raised in 1543 from the ryttarfanorna in Kalmar and Kronoborg. In 1628, it became the Smålands cavalry regiment, Indelta 1684-1695. It counted 8 companies for a total of 1,000 men.
During the Scanian War, the regiment took part in the battles of Lund (1676) and Landskrona (1677).
During the Great Northern War, the regiment was at the landing in Själland, then shipped to Livland in 1710 and belonged to the King's Army thereafter. It fought at Klissow 1702, Pultrusk 1703, Warsaw 1705 and Holowczin 1708. Captured after Poltava, reprised 1709-10 and took part in the Scanian campaign. In Scania 1712, Norwegian campaigns 1716-18.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was under the command of:
- no information available yet
Service during the War
By the end of August 1757, four companies of the regiment (about 500 men) had been transported across the Baltic towards Swedish-Pomerania to take part to the invasion of Prussian-Pomerania under field marshal Mathias Alexander von Ungern Sternberg. On December 27, a detachment of 50 men were among the Swedish force which was sent out of Trebel to chase away a force of Prussian cavalry reconnoitring the Swedish positions. During its approach of the Prussian scouting party, the Swedish force was attacked by a large body of cavalry. The Swedish cavalrymen fled the field after firing a single volley. On December 30, another detachment of 60 men was part of the Swedish force defending the crossing at Nehringen. They were ordered to retreat on Triebsees in front of an attacking Prussian force and undertook a fighting retreat in good order without casualties.
In 1758, 2 additional companies (300 men) of the regiment were sent to Pomerania to reinforce the Swedish expeditionary force operating against Prussia. On September 26, a detachment of 300 men of the regiment, under Lieutenant-colonel Baron Klas Erik Silferhjelm, took part to the combat of Tarmow, they were charged and routed by 5 squadrons of Möhring Hussars. Two days later, on September 28, four squadrons of the regiment took part in the successful defence of Fehrbellin against a Prussian assault.
Uniform
Privates
| Headgear | black tricorne without lace and with a brass button on the left side | ||||||||||||||
| Neck stock | black | ||||||||||||||
| Coat | medium blue lined yellow with 12 brass buttons down the front and 2 brass buttons in the small of the back
| ||||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | yellow | ||||||||||||||
| Breeches | buckskin or reindeer skin | ||||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
| ||||||||||||||
| Horse Furniture |
|
Troopers were armed with a sword, a pair of pistols and a carbine. They could also wear a polished steel breastplate bordered in yellow under their coat but this breastplate was rarely worn.
Officers
The officers wore the same uniform as the troopers with the following exceptions:
- a gold laced tricorne
- black breeches (sometimes)
- housings and holster caps laced gold
NCOs
The NCOS wore the same uniform as the troopers with the unique distinction of a narrow golden lace on the tricorne.
Musicians
The musicians wore medium blue uniforms with yellow swallow nests laced white at the shoulders. The uniform had no additional laces.
The drums were made of brass with yellow rims. The trumpets were made of brass with a medium blue banner.
Colours
The pikes used as staffs to carry the colours were always striped in blue and yellow. The standards had gold finials, and gold and silver cords, tassels and fringe.
Lifstandar (colonel standard): white field; borders heavily embroidered in gold and silver; centre device carried the crowned royal arms of Sweden flanked by 2 crowned golden lions; the upper inner corner carried a red lion holding a brown crossbow.
Kompanistandar (ordonnance standard):
- Obverse: yellow field; centre device consisting of a red lion holding a brown crossbow.
- Reverse: yellow field; borders heavily embroidered in gold and silver; centre device consisting of the golden royal cipher “AF” surmounted by a gold crown; a golden laurel wreath beneath tied with a red ribbon.
 Lifstandar - Source: rf-figuren using elements of a template by Hannoverdidi |
 Kompanistandar - Source: rf-figuren |
The colonel's squadron carried the Lifstandar, each other squadron had a Kompanistandar.
References
This article contains texts translated from the following books which are now in the public domain:
- Großer Generalstab: Die Kriege Friedrichs des Großen - Dritter Teil: Der Siebenjährige Krieg 1756–1763. Vol. 6 Leuthen, Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung II (Publisher), Berlin 1904, pp.92-107, Annex pp. 11-16
Other sources
Brolin, Gunnar: 18th C. Swedish Military Flags - Part I: Standards and Guidons, 18th Century Military Notes & Queries No. 5
Högman, Hans: Svenska regementen under indelningsverkets dagar (broken link)
Höglund, Lars-Eric and Sallnäs, Ake: The Great Northern War 1700-1721, Colours and Uniforms, Acedia Press, Karlstadt, 2000
Pengel, R. D. and G. R. Hurt: Swedish Army in Pomerania – 1757-1763, Birmingham, 1983
Purky, Jim: Swedish Army Organization, Seven Years War Association Journal Vol. X No. 1
Säwe, Teofron: Sveriges deltagande i Sjuåriga Kriget Åren 1757-1762, Beijers Bokförlagsaktiebolag, Stockholm, 1915
Schirmer, Friedrich: Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756-1763, published by KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg, Neuauflage 1989
Schorr, Dan: Uniforms of the Swedish Army, 1757-1762, The Courrier, June-July 1979
Schorr, Dan: Swedish Cavalry Standards 1757-1762, The Courrier, December 1979-January 1980
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
