Svensk Militärhistoria / Swedish Military History

The Army of Russia 1788-1790

In 1786, during the regime of Catherine the great, the Russian army made a complete "make over". New types of units were introduced and some completely new ideas were used when designing the new uniforms. The information provided here are in no way complete. The purpose is just to give a rough idea on how the Russian army of Finland might have looked. The Russian army was indeed mighty, but the Russian empire was at this point busy fighting the Turks, so only a fraction were available to face the Swedish attack.

Organisation

The Cavalry

	The Cuirassiers were used for traditional task for mounted units, the charge.
	The Dragoons where mostly used as mounted infantry and for recognisance. When engaging in combat they preferred to dismount. The Russians regarded Dragoons as "inferior and poorly trained cavalry".
	The Carabineer were dragoons, but were regarded to be of a higher quality.
	The Chevaulégers (light cavalry) and the Hussars had more or less the same role, recognisance, but they were also capable to launch mounted charges.

All Cavalry units could serve dismounted.

In 1788 the Russian cavalry had the following units:

	5 Cuirassier regiments
	18 Carabineer regiments

These units counted 1106 men and 907 "battle horses" distributed on six squadrons.

	11 Dragoon regiments, each with 1882 men and 1565 "battle horses" distributed on ten squadrons
	14 Light Cavalry regiments, each with 1047 men and 907 "battle horses" distributed on six squadrons.
	3 Hussar regiments. The numbers differed between 1000 and 2000 each.

In 1789 the following cavalry unit were in, or nearby Finland:

	The Yambourg Carabineer regiment
	The Pskov Dragoon regiment
	The Yambourg Dragoon regiment
	One Hussar regiment
	Some 2000 Cossacks

The Infantry

According to the 1763 regulations, each Grenadier and Musketeer regiment were to form two battalions of six companies each. In the musketeer battalion one of the company were a Grenadier company. Each regiment held 2004 men in all, but only 1849 were in combat positions (925men / battalion). When on campaign, each battalion left one company at home as garrison.

In 1788 there came a new regulation, reducing the number of companies to five / battalion. The regimental manpower were still the same.

The Jaeger regiments were organised along the same lines as the other infantry units, though their manpower was lower. 1425 men in combat positions are mentioned.

Notes on tactics:

The forming of Jaeger units were inspired by the Prussians and while reading Swedish battle reports, I get a feeling that they were used for recognisance and as skirmishers on the flanks and ahead of the main battle line.

I have no information what so ever of any difference in quality, tactics or uniforms regarding the Musketeers and the Grenadiers.

In 1789 the following infantry unit were in, or nearby Finland:

	The Lieb grenadier regiment
	The Mourom regiment
	The Veliko-Loutzk regiment
	The Tobolsk regiment
	The Nevsk regiment
	The Pskov regiment
	The Navaginsky regiment
	The Narva regiment
	The Kexholm regiment
	The Tenginsky regiment
	The Riazan regiment
	The Vyborg regiment
	The Jeletz regiment
	The Belozersk regiment
	The Finnish Jaeger corps (four battalions)
	The Estonian Jaeger corps (2nd and 3rd battalions

I don't know if any of these units were listed as Garrison regimens.

Uniforms

The general idea behind the new design of the uniforms were to supply the troops with an outfit that were more suitable on the battlefield than the older ones. The new uniform is sometime referred to as "the Potemkin uniform".

The new jacket was worn buttoned and the turnbacks could be "buttoned down" for protection in bad whether. Pants of full length and a looser fit replaced the older breeches that had been tight and of knee length. The tricone was also replaced with a cap. It had a peek to protect from the sun light, a large pad to protect the head in close combat, and some ties in the neck that could be used as "ear flaps". The use of wig and white powder were abolished. During the regime of Tsar Paul, the Potemkin uniform was abandoned and the older fashion was reinstated.

In general, all units used a uniform of the same cut. The single regiment could be identified only by the design of the epaulette worn on the left shoulder.

Infantry and dragoons

My drawings are made as support for painting wargaming figures of a scale about 15 mm. For that reason I have taken the liberty to simplify some details. Please feel free to point out errors.

In general

Hat, boots, ammunitions pouch and bayonet were in black. Belts in white. The sign on the ammunition pouch and the band on the cap were in brass.

			Line infantry Green jacket with the collar, lapels, cuffs and the decorations on the turnbacks in red. Red pants with double stripes in yellow. The pad on the cap in yellow. Dragons They used the same uniform and colourings as the line infantry. To distinguish them they had some yellow ribbons on the right shoulder. Jaegers Over all dark green. Double stripes and details on the jacket in black. Red piping on lapels and cuffs. Garrison units They had a less decorated uniform then the other units. It was over all dark grey/green. Red collars and cuffs. The cap was of a less expensive kind.
Line infantry	Jaeger	Garrison unit

Cavalry

			Cuirassier Yellow jackets. The colouring on collars, lapels and turn backs differed between the regiments. These colours were dark green, black, light blue or dark blue. Carabineer Dark blue uniform with red. Yellow buttons. Chevaulégers (light cavalry) Dark blue uniform with red. White buttons.
Cuirassier	Carabinier	Light cavalry

Artillery

There artillery was organised in two ways, as regimental artillery and as the independent units of the field artillery.

There are some confusing info on the paintings of the artillery limber. Some sources state that the limber were painted in the same colour for all artillery, and some state that the two branches used different colours. Don't take my notes as the truth, merely as what I believe at this moment, so don't get surprised if it changes...

		The regimental artillery had the green uniform of the line infantry. All details were however black. The pad on the cap was red. The limbers were painted in red with black on the metal parts. The field artillery had an over all red uniform. Details on the jacket in black and with double stripes in yellow on the pants. The pad on the cap was white while the bands hanging down from the cap was in yellow. Limbers were painted in green with black on the metal parts.
The Regimental artillery	The Field artillery

Colours

The ideas about uniformity did also influenced the colours of the Grenadier and Musketeer regiments. In 1780 new colours were issued. The only distinctions between the units were that the crest of the city or the province were the unit were required were portrayed on the chest of the double eagle (the red area in my illustration).

I have no info on colours for Jaegers (if there were any) and for the mounted units.

Below you will find some scanned images that I have received from some of my friends on the Internet. The pictures shows samples of Russian colours of the period 1763 -1799.

	Russian Colours-1 Page 175 shows colours from the period of 1763-1796. The Russian regiments were obviously carrying two different colours. One regimental (the white) and one called “the coloured”. The later seems to have been used by the battalions. This picture shows: White regimental colour of Leib-guards Preobrazensky regiment, model 1763 (1); coloured battalion's colour, model 1763, of the Leib-guards regiments: Preobrazensky (2), Semyenovsky (3), Izmailovskiy (4); coloured battalion's colour of the grenadiers regiments, 1763-1780 (5), a colour of the St.-Petersburg garrison (6).
	Russian Colours-2 Page 189 shows`:` Different infantry helmet (musketeers and grenadiers, after 1786 (1); fanions of Leib-guardes regiments: Preobrazensky (2), Semenovsky (3). Izmaylovsky (4). “Fanion”. It’s a french word, that in Russian means a small flag, which was carried by infantry NCO for maintaining an alignment in formation. Futher more some Officer infantry regiments shabracks: staff-officer (5), ober-officer (6). Aiguillettes of the Leib-grenadiers regiment (7).
	Russian Colours-3 P 192 shows colours from the 1763-1796 period. Regimental (Colour) colours of the infantry regiments, 1763-1780. I get the impression that each division had it's own colour and that the individual regiments were distinguished by the crest on the centre of the colour. Divisions: Estlandia (1), Ukrainian and Svevsk, after 1766 (2), Liflandia (3), Smolensk (4), St.-Petersburg (5), Finnish (6), Siberian corps (7), Moscow (8), Svevsk, up to 1766 (9), Ukrainian, up to 1766 (10), Orenburg corps (11). Obverse (12) and averse (13) sides of Regimental (Colour) colours of the grenadiers and infantry regiments, model 1780. The white/yellow colour (called the 1780 pattern) Obverse (12) and averse (13) sides of Regimental (Colour) colours of the grenadiers and infantry regiments, model 1780. These colours were the same for all regiments. To tell the different regiment from each other, the regimental crest were put in the centre of the colour. I don’t know if these regiments had two different colours like the Life guards.
	Russian Colours-4 P 248 shows colours from the 1786-1799 period. Colour of the Gatchinsky armies (1), kaiser-colour Gatchinsky armies (2), 1786-1796; white regimental colour of Leib-guards Preobrazensky regiment, model 1796 (3), colour battalion’s colour of Leib-guards Semyenovsky regiment, model 1796 (the Maltese cross was added on a panel after 1798) (4).