Prussian 25th Infantry Regiment

Sketch 4
3rd and 10th Erstaz Battalions
16 June 1815

by Peter Hofschröer, Austria

“A French battalion, moving through the tall crops to reinforce St Amand le Hameau, was spotted because the tops of the French shakos were visible and was therefore taken in the left flank by I./25th Regiment. Lieutenant Schmidt, commanding the battalion’s skirmishers, found himself standing in the crops not far away from a French colour party.”.

On the left, firing, is a soldier from 3rd Erstaz Battalion. He wears a Prussian kollet with the distinctives of IR3 and most of the comments for Sketch 2 apply to this figure. His Prussian cartridge box, of the kind introduced in 1809, has long since lost the trophy-shield plate from the flap. Black belting suggests a fusilier although it appears that black and white belting was worn indiscriminately. His trousers are typical and could be either Prussian or British in origin, or a civilian item. The knapsack is a converted hide haversack dating from the 1806 period. There were not enough of the new knapsacks, part of the uniform and equipment introduced from 1809, to go round and large number of these old haversacks were converted to be worn on the shoulders, rather than on the left hip.

Initially they had only shoulder straps but a chest strap was later added. They were recognisable from the newer knapsack because they were wider than they were tall. They were also considered to be too small for practical use. He is firing a French Charleville musket at the advancing enemy, and his ramrod is stuck in the ground, for speed of loading on the skirmish line, to his right. The soldier on the right, covering and apparently urging his colleague to use rather more discretion than valour, is dressed in the uniform of 10th Ersatz Battalion. The lemon-yellow distinctives and white shoulder straps are those of the parent regiment, in this case IR11 (1st Silesian). I have chosen to depict him in a Prussian cap but any of the shakos already mentioned would be equally appropriate. His jacket is a standard Prussian kollet and the trousers are probably of British origin. His water bottle is a civilian type and probably personal property. His Charleville musket has brass mounts which suggests that its original owners were a French Imperial Guard unit.


More Prussian 25th Uniforms Uniforms of the Waterloo Campaign

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