I was intrigued by Don McHugh's recent piece on the grenadier unit raised by the Austrian general Gideon Ernst, Freiherr von Loudon during the Seven Years War (SWYAJ, vol. XII, no.2 pp. 39-41). Don raised the question of the status of the unit, and questioned whether it should be classified as a 'free corps', or as an elite unit. As Don rightly points out, the free corps have entered military history with a poor reputation, thanks to the practice of recruiting them from deserters, prisoners and other men rejected by regular formations. This does not seem to match the combat record of the Gron Loudon grenadiers, raising the question of their true status.

Fortunately, the key documents recording the establishment of the regiment are reprinted in Johannes Kunisch's pioneering study on the development of eighteenth century European light troops and their tactics, Der kleine Krieg. Sludien zum Heerwesen des Absolutismus (Wiesbaden, 1973). Kunisch's main argument is that eighteenth-century generals sought a way to harness the energy and utility of skirmishers within the framework of more disciplined, regular linear warfare. As other, more recent research has indicated, many free corps officers themselves favoured this as they wanted to improve their reputations and secure their place in the regular army. Loudon's unit was born out of these concerns, but was nonetheless a true 'free corps' in the method of its initial formation and in its recruiting practices and relationship to the line army.

As Don says, Loudon wanted to stiffen the Croats by supplementing them with more disciplined troops to achieve a compromise combining the bravery of light troops with the discipline of regular soldiers. He wanted to correct two deficiencies in Croat tactics which he blamed for a series of minor defeats. He had noticed that the Croats often disordered enemy formations by firing at them from a distance, but would seldom close to finish the task. This gave their opponents time to recover and drive them off He had also witnessed how the Croats were vulnerable to enemy cavalry counter attacks. Since 1757 he argued that they should be stiffened with grenadiers who could provide the necessary support in these situations. However, the Austrian high command (the Hofkriegsrat) was reluctant to detach men from its regular regiments, either to support the Croats directly, or to form a new unit for that task. Loudon tried to raise a corps of 1,500 grenadiers from the Croats themselves in 1758, but this was unsuccessful. He then started establishing an alternative unit later that year, forming a single company which first saw action in September. This was the basis of what became the Grun Loudon grenadier regiment once the high command sanctioned the formation of two battalions in March 1759.

This two-battalion regiment was a true `free corps' in that in was formed outside the organisation of the regular army. This had implications for those who served in it, in that the Habsburg monarchy did not assume the same level of paternal responsibility for its personnel as it did for regular soldiers who stood a better chance of being retained after the end of the war. Unlike many regular soldiers who joined up for an unlimited period, its soldiers also signed short term service contracts, and also received a lower rate of pay. Recognising that the high command would not provide him with either existing veterans or new recruits, Loudon sought to make a virtue out of necessity in recruiting his regiment from Prussian deserters.

He pointed out that Prussian deserters were normally impressed in the regular German infantry regiments, but promptly absconded again because they were used to greater freedom than Habsburg recruits and did not like the rigid discipline. He believed he could overcome this problem by offering a more attractive life in his free corps, particularly as the short term contracts would not bind them to serving for life. The practical green uniform would also require less spit and polish, while the title `grenadier' would appeal to their vanity and pride. He claimed that this would enhance the regiment's military role, because not only could it support the Croats more effectively, but it would spare the Austrians from having to detach existing regulars, whilst encouraging more Prussians to desert.

Loudon's proposal was approved by both Maria Theresa and the high command. However, the latter, eager as ever to conserve funds, refused to authorise expensive grenadier hats, arguing that the possession of a sabre and the title `grenadier' were already sufficient inducements to potential recruits. It also did not sanction the issuing of standards to the unit, but did approve an additional company subaltern to ensure better command whilst on detached duty. It seems, however, that Loudon managed to secure approval to issue grenadier hats to his regiment towards the end of the war. The Bautzen series of pictures from 1762 show a Loudon grenadier wearing a typical Austrian style black fur cap with a yellow metal front plate and red bag laced white with a white star and tassle (see Lars-Holger Thummler [ed], Die osterreichische Armee im Siebenjahrige Krieg [Berlin, 1993], p.53). Each battalion was to have eight companies, each of four officers and 150 men, while the regiment had its own staff of twelve officers, surgeons and administrators. In its approval, the high command termed the unit `Free or so-called Grenadier Battalion' (Freyoder sogenanten Grenadier Battaillon).

In his application to raise his regiment, Loudon explains how he intended it should operate in the field, giving us a clear insight into Austrian light troop tactics. The grenadiers were to deploy as a reserve to an advanced screen of Croat skirmishers. The Croats were to disrupt regular Prussian formations by sniping from a safe distance. Once the Prussians were disordered, the grenadiers were to advance and open regular musket fire before they could reform. The grenadiers' reputation would supplement their firepower and bring about a collapse of the enemy's morale: Loudon clearly believed that the Prussians feared `grenadiers' more than they did Croats. If the Prussians counter attacked at any point with cavalry, the grenadiers were to move from their position in reserve to protect the Croats' flanks.

From these papers, it would seem that the Grun Loudon were a true `free corps', but that they were also intended from the outset to act in the manner of regular troops. Their formation was part of a wider effort to integrate irregular skirmishing tactics within the framework of regular warfare, taming its excesses whilst harnessing its advantages. Their was a conscious effort to cultivate an elite status amongst the personnel, but while the regiment was clearly capable of taking its place in the main line of battle, it was primarily intended to detached duty as the backbone of the Austrian light troops.

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