The Hanoverian Army
in the 18th Century

Hanoverian Cavalry and Artillery Uniform Guide

By Bill Biles

Hanoverian Cavalry Uniforms

The two squadrons of Guards wore red coats and light buff breeches and vests. The squadron of the Garde du Corps wore tricornes with silver lace. Their coats has silver lace and buttons. Coats were without lapels and the cuffs were red while the turnbacks were blue. The Horse Grenadiers Guard squadron had facings of black that included the lapels and cuffs. The turnbacks were red. Buttons were a gold color and they wore no lace. They wore a mitre cap that had a black front plate with gold decoration and black around the base. In 1763 their facings were changed to blue and lace was added to the uniform. [14]

Regiments of Horse wore white coats without lapels and had colored facings. Breeches and vests were light buff, as was the equipment and gloves. Coats had no lace but the lace on the tricorne was metallic and matched the button color.

Dragoon uniforms were like those of the Horse with the following exceptions. The coats had lapels in the facing color and an aigulette was worn behind the right shoulder that ended in a metallic know of the button color. Hat lace was metallic and matched the button color. Grenadiers wore the same uniform as for the rest of the regiment, but with a grenadier helmet like those of the infantry. [15]

Luckner's Hussars: "The first uniform had dark green dolmans and pelisses. Lace was yellow and the pelisse was trimmed with brown fur. Breeches were red and had yellow lace down the font. Boots were yellow with red and yellow tassels. The headgear was a black mirliton with yellow cords and tassels. The sabretache was red and trimmed in yellow with the white horse of Hanover below a white crown. The pistol housing were brown fur and the shabraque was brown fur with a red vandyked border. Belting was white and the barrel sash was green. The scabbard was black trimmed with silver." [16]

"The second uniform included a white dolman with yellow cuffs and lace. The pelisse was red with gold button lace, trimmed with black fur. A brownish-gray busby with a red bag was adopted.

Breeches were white and had a yellow lace pattern down the front. The barrel sash was yellow. Sabretaches were red trimmed in yellow and decorated with the white horse and a gold crown, as was the red shabraque bordered with yellow. The pistol housing was red bordered with yellow. The valise was red and yellow and the mantle was white. Leather equipment was a tan color." [17]

Shabraques and pistol housings were ornately embroidered and not truly reproducible on wargame figures. Your best choice for seeing what this looked like is to find a copy of the Niemeyer book, which, naturally, is out of print. Uniforms of the Seven Years War: A Painter's Guide has a drawing of each of these, but is certainly not as accurate as the Niemeyer work. Pengel has drawings of these as well, but it is difficult to determine which pattern is what. With this in mind, as well as the fact that each of the four squadrons carried a unique standard, Hanoverian cavalry is a challenge for the wargamer. When done well, however, there is little else that is as beautiful on the table. You might also keep in mind that Hanoverian cavalry was considered to be among the best in Europe by their contemporaries and so you can feel free to give them a high rating.

Hanoverian Artillery Uniforms

Pengel refers to artillerists uniforms as "steel blue." [18] I call them "bluish-gray," and the picture in Niemeyer appears to make the coats a sort of dull cornflower blue. These coats had red cuffs and lapels and the vests were also red. Breeches were buff and gaiters were white. The tricorne had gold lace and the buttons on the coat were also gold-colored. Gun carriages, munitions carts and munitions wagons were all painted red.

Table 2: Hanoverian Cavalry Uniforms

The Hanoverian Army in the 18th Century

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© Copyright 1993 by James E. Purky

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