The dutch army (1792-1815) page 5

2.2.4 CAVALRY 1790-1795

Cavalry organisation and strength
The strength of the regiments given, are of course theoretical. The real strength was mostly far lower as is shown in the 1793 battelfield organisation where only part of each regiment was fit to go into the field; the rest formed a small depot (the same as for the infantry already mentioned).
The given strenght is based on H.Hardenberg: "Overzicht der voornaamste bepalingen betreffende de sterkte, zamenstelling, betaling, verzorging en verpleging van het Nederlandsche leger" (The Hague 1858).
In the table I have given the strength for the 1792 budget, the 1793 augmentatie (a) or reinformcements of beginning 1793 and the new 1793 strength. In the table are the strength of regimental staff and the various squadrons and companies of the regiment. Remember, these are theoretical.

Guard
In 1792 existed the Gardes du Corps of only one company, the Regiment Gardes te Paard of 4 squadrons and the Gardes Dragonders also of 4 sqadrons.

Line cavalry
In 1792 there were 6 cavalry regiments (for their names see in the uniform table) of 4 squadrons. Each squadron had 2 companies.

Dragoons
Besides the Gardes Dragonders, in 1792 existed 2 other regimenten dragonders but these had a strength of 8 squadrons each; each squadron had again 2 companies.

Hussars
In 1792 existed the regiment Huzaren van Heeckeren also called "zwarte huzaren" (black hussars) because of their black outfit. They were also called "Huzaren op Holland" because when in 1787 the Legion of the count of Salm was disbanded (to which the hussars belonged), they were kept in the service of the Province of Holland and were not in the pay of the United Provinces. On the budget of 1792 they became part of the army of the United Provinces.

There also existed the Huzaren Hoop or Roode Huzaren -red hussars- because of their red outfit.
I can't find the regiment on the 1792 budget although it existed already in 1790. In 1794 they were called Huzaren van Timmerman after the death of its colonel Hoop.

1793 Augmentatie.
As with the infantry, also men were added to the cavalry regiments before the campaign of 1793..
The staff of each regiment received 3 men and to each company were added 18 men; so per regiment in total of 147men were added. The Guardes du Corps received an extra 9 men.

staff
strength company
no. of sq

total no of comp

regimental strength
1792
a
1793
1792
a
1793
1792
a
1793
Guardes du Corps
-
-
-
139
9
148
-
1
139
9
148
Gardes te Paard
8
3
11
43
18
61
4
8
352
147
499
Cavalry regiment
8
3
11
43
18
61
4
8
352
147
499
                       
Garde Dragonders
8
3
11
43
18
61
4
8
352
147
499
Dragonders
8
3
11
43
18
61
4
8
352
147
499
 
     
Huzaren Heeckeren
7
3
10
43
18
61
4
8
351
147
498
                       


Uniforms
In the presented table of regiments, the start date is 1772 as from that date onward, the regiments received numbers. This number was put on buttons etc although the regiments were still known after their owners' name. The name with which the regiment is known is underlined. If in the table the first date is 01/01/1772, it means that the regiment existed before this date.
In 1795 the existing regiments or corps were reorganized (r) into units of the Batavian Republic or were disbanded (d). All guard and most "Orange" units were disbanded. Some German and Swiss units stayed in Dutch pay without any change and were later disbanded.

The cavalry of these years consisted of heavy cavalry (consisting of cavalerie and dragoons) and light cavalry (only hussars). Some cavalry units were added from the emigé units which were later raised (see 2.2.3). The army of the Dutch Republic had no cuirassiers.

In the presented table of regiments, the cavalry regiments listed are those which existed at the start of the revolutionary war (1792). The cavalry had no numbers but were called after their colonel.

As with the infantry mentioned earlier, in 1795 the existing regiments were reorganized (r) into units of the Batavian Republic or were disbanded (d). All guard units were disbanded.

In the table, the Dutch names are used. If the date raised is 1-1-1790, the regiment existed before this date

 

 

raised

Disbanded/
reorganized

uniform in 1792-1795

 

Garde du Corps

Garde du Corps

01/01/1790

01/07/1795 (d)

 

Regiment Gardes te Paard

Regiment Gardes te Paard

01/01/1790

01/07/1795 (d)

 

Regiment Oranje Friesland

Regiment Karabiniers Oranje Friesland

01/01/1790

08/07/1795 (r)

 

Regiment Tuijll van Serooskerken

Hendrik Jacob, baron van Tuijll van Serooskerken

01/01/1790

08/07/1795 (r)

 

Regiment van Bentinck

Marinus van Stavenisse Pouse
Barend Hendrik baron Bentinck tot Boekhorst

01/01/1790
22/04/1794


08/07/1795 (r)

     

Regiment Hessen Philipstal

Willem, landgraaf van Hessen-Philipstal

01/01/1790

08/07/1795 (r)

     

Regiment Hoeufft van Oijen

Gerrit Willem van der Hoop
Johan Philip Hoeufft van Oijen

01/01/1790
26/08/1791


08/07/1795 (r)

     

Regiment van der Duijn

Adam Francois van der Duijn van 's Gravenmoer
Willem Hendrik, baron van der Duyn Maasdam


01/01/1790
10/01/1794



08/07/1795 (r)

     

Regiment Gardes Dragonders

The first company had grenadier caps.

Regiment Gardes dragonders

01/01/1772

25/01/1795 (d)

 

Regiment dragonders van Hessen Cassel
They were also called " Hollandse dragonders"

Frederik, Prins van Hessen Cassel

01/01/1790

08/07/1795 (r)

     

Regiment dragonders van Bijlandt

They were also called "Waalse dragonders" or "dragon Wallons"

Otto Jacob Christoffel, Graaf van Bijlandt

01/01/1790

08/07/1795 (r)

 

Regiment Huzaren van Heeckeren

also zwarte Huzaren or
Huzaren op Holland (they were payed by the province of Holland)

former Hussars of the Salm Legion they were payed by the Province of Holland
R.B.W. baron van Heeckeren van Molencaten (now in Dutch/United provinces pay)


01/01/1790

17/04/1793

 


08/07/1795 (r)

 

Regiment Huzaren van Timmerman

also Roode Huzaren

van der Hoop
Pieter Josef Timmerman

01/01/1790
01/01/1794


08/07/1795 (r)

 

 

Campaigning

For the 1793 campaign each regiment delivered 2 squadrons to the field army, the rest of the regiment formed a weak depot.

According to F.H.A.Sabron for the campaing of 1794 the following cavalry strength was added to the field army of the United Provinces

cavalry Gardes te Paard 2 sq.
  Oranje Friesland 2 sq.
  Van Tuyll 2 sq.
  Bentinck 2 sq.
  Hessen-Philipstall 2 sq.
  van der Duijn 2 sq.
  Hoeuft van Oijen 2 sq.
dragoons Garde Dragonders 2 sq.
  Hessen-Cassel 2 sq.
  Van Bylandt 2 sq.
Hussars Van Heeckeren 2 sq.
  Timmerman 2 sq.
Emigré Beon 1 sq.
  Damas 1sq.

The strength of the squadron can be put at this time at appr. 112 men while the emigre squadrons (each 2 companies) were smaller (appr 100 men) so the total cavalry arm counted 2.888 men.

 

2.2.5 ARTILLERY 1790-1795

Artillery organisation and strength

The artillery arm of the United Provinces consisted in 1792 only of foot artillery. For the campaign of 1793 4 companies horse artillery In in 2 brigades) were added.
Added to the artillery was a regiment of mineurs of 1 battalion of 4 companies with (in 1793) a total strength of 256 men. Also a company of pontoniers of 60 men belonged to the artillery arm.

According to the budget of 1792 the foot artillery consisted of a regiment foot artillery of 4 battalions each of 5 companies so a total of 20 companies. Each company had 137 men while the regimental staf had 15 men, so the regiment had a total of 2755 men.

With the augmentatie of 1793 an artillery staf was created of 5 men, each artillery company received 21 men or a total adding of 420 men to the 4 existing battalions. Each company now was 158men.
Added to the artillery was also:
- a fifth battalion with the same strenth as the other 4
- 4 companies of horse artillery (organised is 2 "brigades") each company of 108 men. A small staff for the horse artillery brigades consisted of 7 men so the horse artillery total was 439 men (theoretical of course)

According to the "History of the horse artillery"in 1793 the horse artillery was raised to a strenth of 2 brigades each of 2 companies each of 6 officers, 7 NCO, 7 corporals , one trumpeter, 80 gunners and 5 workmen (smith, carpenter, wheelmaker etc) or a total of 106 men. There was no additional train personnel; theswe had to be rented in time of war..
Each company should have 4 6pdr, 2 3pdr and 2 24pd houwitzers.

Per gun, the crew consisted of:
6pdr: 1 NCO, 1 corporal, 7 gunners, 2 horse holders and 3 drivers (so the gun had a limber with 6 horses)
3prd: 1 NCO, 1 corporal, 7 gunners, 2 horse holders and 2 drivers (limber with 4 horses)
24pdr houwitzer: 1 NCO, 2 corporals, 6 gunners, 2 horse holders and 2 drivers (again limber with 4 horses)

Additional remark: horseholders and drivers were not mentioned in the organisation as mentioned in the budget. Of the 80 gunners of a company, 54 would be manning the guns according to the above organisation which leaves 26 gunners. The drivers and horse holders totals 36 so I think the 26 gunners were used as amunition carriers etc and drivers and horseholders were hired personnel. (but see the practice in the campaign under)

The mineurs and pontonniers received no extra men for the 1793 campaign.

 

Uniforms

In the table, the Dutch names are used. 

 

 

raised

Disbanded/
reorganized

uniform in 1792-1795

 

Artillerie

Regiment artillerie

01/01/1790

08/07/1795 (d)

Rijdende artillerie

Brigade rijdende artillerie

01/01/1793

08/07/1795 (r)

Mineurs

Bataljon mineurs

01/01/1790

08/07/1795 (r)

compagnie pontonniers

compagnie pontonniers

01/01/1790

08/07/1795 (r)

 

Officier genie (the engineer corps consisted only of officers and was no part of the artilery arm)

Just added for information.

 

     

Campaigning

For the 1793 campaign "Hardenberg" records that the artillery added tot the field army consisted of 48 3pdrs (for service with the field battalions - so grenadiers had no battalion guns- and 3 batteries of 6- and 12pounder guns and howitzers.

The field strenth of the artillery for the 1794 campaign was according to "Sabron" 20pieces of 12pound, 20 pieces of 6 pound, 2 howitzers of 16pound and 8 howitzers of 24 pound. How they were divided intot batteries I don't know (yet).
The personel strength was 1766 men.

To give some more information about the Dutch horse artillery in the 1794 campaign (the practice of war!):

For the campaign of 1794, the horse artillery needed to be ready but was understrength and it was decided that one company (instead of the 4 mentioned) would be made ready. The first and second brigade needed to deliver both men for this company who had to be be mounted and armed.
Added to this, each brigade had to deliver 1 corporal and 10 men to act as drivers for the gun limbers. It is mentioned that this had to be expierenced men because manoeuvring the guns was difficult.
About the crews for caissons and other wagons is not spoken, so these had to be hired from sollicitors.

Additional note:
Mentioned is, that in the period of the Batavian Republic (after 1795) the manner in which the field train was formed stayed the same: men and horses for the train were hired in time of war. But this was changed for the horse artillery; although men and horses were hired, this was also during peacetime. This seperate arangement was changed in 1801 when permanent train personnel were added to the artillery; every artillery brigade received a train division; for each company 25 train servants and 25 horses.

 

 

 


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