Frederik 5
Konge af Danmark · Norge 1746-1766

The uniforms of the Danish-Norweigian army
1758-1762

by Tornstein Snorrason

Regimental names

The regimental names are here given as in the original text of 1758, but regimental names at that time come in many different ways. The cavalry is in its German versions mostly called Reiters (mounted men), later the term cuirassiers are used. The Danish term is ryttere. Often one also finds the "old" enlisted cavalry regiments with the prefix nationale, but here it does not mean they were second line troops or especially raised among Danes, as the name applies to the national infantry, even if men of Danish nationality formed the greater part of the cavalry men. For the cavalry it just is used to show, that the regiment is ranking among the oldest in existense in the then army.

Also the terms cuirassiers and ryttere are used witout implying any special type, at the time all Danish cavalry regiments were heavy cavalry with cuirasses, except of course for the single dragoonregiment.

But to confuse all, the prefix nationale for the Norweigian dragoon regiments means exactly what it says, the regiments not being enlisted but a kind of home guard, training a little each Sunday after church. Also the Norweigian national infantry was special in that their national regiments ranked above their two enlisted regiments, a situation from which arose quarrels about uniforms and regimental rank during the stay in Holsten 1762.

The Danish enlisted infantry regiments normally in their German name versions have the prefix geworbne (enlisted) to differ the regiments from the national regiments, which were second line regiments mainly raised for fortress service in time of war. A home guard which was trained every Sunday after church time, and which in 1758-1762 was mainly used to strenghten the man power of the line regiments and do guard service. The Norweigians sent down were kept in their own units with their own or at least Danish speaking officers, as military life under the command of German officers was a too disgusting experience for the Norweigians used to be relatively free compared to their Danish/German counterparts.

It was not allowed for Danish nor foreign recruiting officers to enlist Norweigians in Norway, only for the guard regiments is was allowed to seek recruits there and so the Norweigians were ceratinly not used to the harsh methods of maintaining discipline used in the German speaking armies of the time.

Norweigian officers during their careers freely and often rotated between Danish and Norweigian regiments.

Up to 1757 the Danish-Norweigian armies were clad in a simple red coat with regimental coloured collars, cuffs, turnbacks and trousers. Black stockings for officers and red for the men. Black tricornes with white or yellow lace following the buttons. Officers and ncos metal lace on their hats. From 1757 narrow lapels started to be introduced with the enlisted regiments.

Sources & references

The uniforms of the Danish-Norweigian army 1758-1762 are fairly well known mainly through different contemporary pictoral sources:

                  

          1) The Vial Manuscript - "Estats des Troupes de Danemark" showing the uniforms of the Danish-Norweigian army in the year of 1753. The manuscript has 64 plates made in a combination of decoupage (paper cuts) and water colour. The artist has done a remarkable job showing a lot of correct details and shows for the first time the shabraques of the cavalry, marine uniforms and some hither unkonown uniforms of the Norweigian skiers. Each plate show one private.

          2) Infanteriuniformerne, som de var 21.September 1758 (The Infantry Uniforms as they were of the 21st of September 1758).

Under that title a set of drawings from 1758 excists in the Army Archives, originating from when the king ordered all regiments in Denmark to send in drawings of the uniforms they wore, so that it could be decided, how it should be from 1759-61 when new uniforms were to be issued. Together with the drawings each regiment sent in, they often also made small comments on their uniforms. The contemporary complation of the materail is used here as skeleton.

There does not seem to excist same descriptions nor drawings of the Norweigian army, possibly because it was not intended to reuniform its regiments.

          4) Carl Bertram: Vorstellung der sämtlichen Königl. Dänischen Armee, worinnen zur eigentlichen Kenntnisz der Uniform von jedem Regiments ein Offizier und Gemeiner in völliger Mondierung abgebildet sind, nebst beygefügter Nachricht 1 von den Chefs, 2 der Stärke, und 3 der habenden Garnison eines jeden Regiments. Kopenhagen 1761, containing 73 coloured plates showing the Danish and Norweigian units of the army, each unit represented by an officer and man. All the figures are shown in white gaiters on the kings request even if these only were used for parades, also the uniforms are shown as a prototype as it should be when the whole army had been reuniformed, not how the single regiments looked in the year of publishing.

A new edition printed 1762 contains 76 plates. The three extra plates show figures from the Corps of Guides - also called the Feltjäger Corps and the two other new free corps, Frei Corps von Favin and the Hussarregiment. The Frei Corps von Lallieux is not shown even if part of it was formed before being disbanded.

These "handbooks" were meant for the commanding officers, that they could identify the many different units in the field.

In Her Majesty the Queens Royal Library excists another edition of Bertram, the original from which the woodcuts for the printed editions were made. This work of course has finer illustrations and it is the hope one day to get permission to publish those plates. But that have to come later, as it will be a rather heavy outlay to get all the plates photographed just to publish it on a webpage.

          4) Untitled manuscript in the Royal Library of Her Majesty the Queen

For the first time ever the drawings are published here with gracious permisssion from Her Majesty the Queens Royal Library.

This manuscript can be dated to have been finished the mid or end of 1762 judging from regimental organization and chefs names. Here is shown the coats for officers, ncos and privates of the enlisted Danish regiments. The Horseguard is not shown as in the new organization the Horseguard and the two guard regiments, The Foot Guard and The Grenadier Corps, all were heavuly reduced for economic reasons and all put together in a unit called The Combined Lifeguard only doing palace guard services.

With the drawings are for each regiment given the date on which the uniform model came into use. Also is given the names of all regimental officers and middle staff for each regiment pr. 31.12.1760 together with higher ranking officers and regimental commanders brought up to date ca. mid 1762. And as a speciality it shows the muster of braids on the sleeves for all the cavalry trumpeters. Drummers lacing is not shown, as it according to regulations had been abandoned, but if that was followed by the regiments is perhaps a little doubtful. At least drummers lacings are reintroduced short after again.

The manuscript excists in two exact copies of which only one is completed, possibly caused by the fall of Saint Germain and his reentering as commander of the Danish army, just to be fired once more. Every time reorganizations and new uniforms were planned and started introduced just to be stopped halfways. A rather turmoil period of which no one yet has been able to make the complete picture.

          5) Uniformes der Ober Officiers und Gemeinen eines jeden Corps und Regiments von der gantzen Königl. Dänischen Armée in den Jahren 1762, 1763. Abgezeichnet und nach der Couleur illuminiret. Without year.

This mauscript in Tøjhumuseet (The Army Museum) in Copenhagen shows on 60 plates the Danish and the Norweigian army, each represented with an officer and a man. The book is a copy made in 1938 as a gift to the museum from the German Army Museum, Berlin. The original did not survive the WWII.

          6) Vorstellung der in dem Ersten Teile des Reglements für Ihro Königl. Majtz. geworbene und National-Infanterie enthaltenen Manouvres und exercises. No year is given, but the work can be dated to ca 1759 after the uniforms depicted and the blackfronted grenadier caps (introduced from 1757) shown and from the exercises described. (1753 the infantry changed from 4 ransks to 3 ranks.).

The massive hand written text, it is a complete manual to be used with the Guards for instructing purposes, as the Guards also served as education place for both officers and ncos from all the other regiments, when new drills were introduced. Beside the text it has 88 plates each with up to 6 figures showing the different steps in handling the weapons of men, ncos and officers, accompanied by the exact command frases. The shown figures are all from the Foot Guard and the Grenadier Corps.

Beside the above mentioned works with coloured drawings are the Infantry Reglements of 1747 - 1754, which give informations which can be used in general for the infantry and artillery. Further sources are all the written orders given over the period about how to change this or that, which can be found in the Danish and Norweigian military archives.

Further of course original stuff, paintings, drawings and such found here and there, new sources still coming up like one sees with the Vial-Manuscript. The one who searches shall find, as it has been written. And the search still goes on. Especially in Northern Germany it is thought that many not yet unveiled sources can be found, and should any reader of this know of pictures or such, please be so kind to contact this page.

As a closing remark on the sources, I have to say that no thorough study of the period has yet been done, what follows is only short description based on rather easily avaible sources.

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Tornstein Snorrason