Search found 114 matches

by Tacitus
Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:45 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: The Cuirass and Swedish Cavalry
Replies: 23
Views: 24064

Re: The Cuirass and Swedish Cavalry

The wearing of the cuirass would probably have been most prevalent in the King’s army, as compared to those in Courland, the Baltic provinces and Finland. Bengt Nilsson checked the records of Lewenhaupt's army and no cuirasses were mentioned in the lists of defect equipment when they joined the mai...
by Tacitus
Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:39 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: The Cuirass and Swedish Cavalry
Replies: 23
Views: 24064

Re: The Cuirass and Swedish Cavalry

Tacitus, Thanks a lot for the information. Is there any evidence that the cuirass was worn over or under the coat, or, like the Danes, was worn over a kyller, with no coat? The kyller was abandoned in the 1690s so these would not have been in use during the Great Northern War. I have not come acros...
by Tacitus
Tue Jan 27, 2015 10:51 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: The Cuirass and Swedish Cavalry
Replies: 23
Views: 24064

Re: The Cuirass and Swedish Cavalry

Thanks Stenbock. Perhaps the 3-männingregiments were never issued breastplates, but the fact that they were mistaken for dragoons would indicate that other cavalry still had breastplates as you indicated. As far as I know the Danes did not give a reason why they thought it was a dragoon regiment. 3...
by Tacitus
Tue Jan 27, 2015 10:44 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: The Cuirass and Swedish Cavalry
Replies: 23
Views: 24064

Re: The Cuirass and Swedish Cavalry

The picture I get after I have checked with my informants is that Swedish cavalry regiments were supposed to have cuirasses and that Charles XII was an enforcer of this regulation. But this was not so easy to achieve since the cuirasses were highly unpopular among both privates and officers. Major g...
by Tacitus
Sun Dec 28, 2014 4:27 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: swedish coat buttons
Replies: 5
Views: 7452

Re: swedish coat buttons

The fourth coat in the photo above might have that type of buttons. The other coats seem to have had buttons with smooth surfaces, although many of them appear to be dented from wear and tear. Some of them even missing the top half. More photos off these coats can by the way be found on Digitalt Mus...
by Tacitus
Sat Dec 27, 2014 5:31 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: swedish coat buttons
Replies: 5
Views: 7452

Re: swedish coat buttons

I have a book with more detailed photos of these uniforms and judging from those photos I would say the buttons are definitely shaped more like balls than pennies. The third uniform with pocket flaps that are identical with the later Carolean uniform might have sligthly flatter semi spheric buttons....
by Tacitus
Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:50 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: Swedish Uniform Questions
Replies: 8
Views: 17698

Re: Swedish Uniform Questions

I think the existence of the prototype uniform has been a red herring which has misled the historians into thinking of two distinct Karoliner uniforms separated by the year 1706, rather than having a single Karoliner Uniform with slightly different variations during the course of the war and between...
by Tacitus
Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:52 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: Swedish Uniform Questions
Replies: 8
Views: 17698

Re: Swedish Uniform Questions

Yes, I am familiar with the painting although I do not know when it was painted. I am not sure if anyone does. The artist, Johan Henrik Schildt, lived 1678-1732. According to the tradition in the Horn family, the painting along with a similar one depicting the battle of Narva was commisioned by Char...
by Tacitus
Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:00 am
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: Swedish Uniform Questions
Replies: 8
Views: 17698

Re: Swedish Uniform Questions

In December 1706 Charles XII wrote a letter to Stockholm with instructions regarding the uniforms for the new recruits which would arrive to the main army the following spring. He instructed that the lower part of the coat was to be wider with folds in the sides and back, and that there would be no ...
by Tacitus
Sun Oct 05, 2014 6:41 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: Color of Polish and Saxon Foot Guards Hat Lace in GNW
Replies: 7
Views: 8840

Re: Color of Polish and Saxon Foot Guards Hat Lace in GNW

I sense some irritatation directed at me in the last posts. Perhaps I should clarify myself. I am very unwilling to pick any side when two authors disagree with each other and I do not any know more about the subject than what they have written. In my website I have tried to just compile information...
by Tacitus
Sun Oct 05, 2014 1:52 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: Color of Polish and Saxon Foot Guards Hat Lace in GNW
Replies: 7
Views: 8840

Re: Color of Polish and Saxon Foot Guards Hat Lace in GNW

All what I know of Saxon uniforms come from Schorr and Höglund. The reason why followed Höglund instead of Schorr in my illustrations is that Höglund specifically mention the colour of the hat lace for these regiments while Schorr only wrote in general terms. Another reason why I was inclined to fol...
by Tacitus
Sat Sep 13, 2014 7:45 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: Swedish headgear question
Replies: 1
Views: 3744

Re: Swedish headgear question

There are only a few examples of regiments being issued both karpus and tricornes. The general rule was that they either had karpus or tricornes. The karpus was based on the headgear worn by ordinary peasants and it was issued to the provincial regiments (mainly the infantry, but also the cavalry to...
by Tacitus
Fri Aug 01, 2014 10:56 am
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: Scanian War -- Swedish infantry battalion guns?
Replies: 1
Views: 3803

Re: Scanian War -- Swedish infantry battalion guns?

The Scanian War is not my strong suit, but in the OOB for the battle of Lund there were eigth (possibly twelve) cannons deployed in the intervals between the ten Swedish battalions. The Swedish army brought eight 6-pounder cannons to the battle and since Erik Dahlberg drew 12 cannons in his first ba...
by Tacitus
Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:25 pm
Forum: SKANE WARS/GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Topic: Swedish cavalry in the Scanian War
Replies: 4
Views: 5917

Re: Swedish cavalry in the Scanian War

Swedish cavalry could go either way during the Scanian War. But apparently only during the battles, otherwise they seem to exclusively have worn the coats without turnbacks. And even during the battles it seems to have been more common to not have turnbacks (judging by the battle paintings).
by Tacitus
Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:09 am
Forum: Wargaming the period 1660-1721
Topic: The Great Captain-Generals of our Period
Replies: 7
Views: 7136

Re: The Great Captain-Generals of our Period

Charles XII was a bold commander but overextended himself leading to defeat at Poltava. In all fairness, Charles XII was forced to fight a war with the odds so heavily stacked against him that he could not possibly win it. He had no choice but to be a bold commander and "overextend" his resources b...