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The Austrian army in the war of 1859

Organisation

Infantry
The Austrian infantry consisted of 62 line regiments, 14 border (Grenzer) regiments and 1 independent battalion, 1 Jäger regiment (Kaiser-Jägers), and 25 independent Jäger battalions.
Each line infantry regiment had in peace time four fusilier battalions of six companies each, one of which was of grenadiers. In wartime grenadier companies were put together to form a grenadier battalion of four companies; four more fusilier companies were created to replace them. In the field a line regiment had a grenadier and three fusilier battalions; the fourth fusilier battalion was left at home as reserve. A fifth battalion of four companies acted as depot battalion. Each company had a paper strength of 221 officers and men.
Each Grenzer regiment had 2 battalions, each of 6 companies with the same strength as the line.
The KaiserJäger regiment comprised 7 battalions; the first six had 4 companies each; the seventh had six companies. Each company had a strength of 204 officers and men. Of the other 25 Jäger battalions, five had 6 companies each (nos. 8, 11,23,24,25); the others had four.
For tactical purposes companies of each line, border or Jäger battalion were grouped two by two in "divisions"; which were suitable for independent small actions if necessary.

Cavalry
This comprised 8 regiments of Cuirassiers, 8 regiments of Dragoons, 12 regiments of Hussars and 12 regiments of Ulans (lancers). Of these only 4 regiments of Dragoons, 5 of Hussars and 4 of Ulans took part in the Italian campaign.
Dragoon regiments had six squadrons grouped in three "divisions" , each of two squadrons. Each squadron had a paper strength of 175 officers and men. Hussar and Ulan regiments had eight squadrons, grouped in four divisions; each squadron had a paper strength of 200 men.

Field Artillery
This comprised 12 field and 1 rocket regiment. Each field regiment had 4 batteries of 6 pdrs, 6 horse batteries, 3 batteries of 12 pdrs and 1 battery of long howitzers.
Each 6 pdr battery (foot and horse) had six 6 pdr guns and two short 7 pdr howitzers; 12 pdr batteries had six 12 pdr guns and two long 7 pdr howitzers; howitzer batteries had eight long 7 pdr howitzers. The rocket regiment (Raketeur Regiment) had 20 batteries, each with eight rocket-throwers.

Technical Troops
These comprised Engineers and Pioneers. The Engineers comprised twelve battalions of four companies each of 195 men. The Pioneers had six battalions, each of four companies.

Grand tactical Organisation

The Austrian Army was divided in four "Armies". Each of these comprised a number of Corps:
Ist Army (Wien): 1st, 2nd,3rd, 9th Infantry corps
IInd Army (Verona): 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Infantry corps
IIIrd Army (Pest): 10th, 11th, 12th Infantry corps and Ist Cavalry corps
IVth Army (Lemberg): 4th Infantry corps
Each corps comprised two or three infantry divisions, one cavalry brigade or division, a reserve of artillery.
Each infantry division had two infantry brigades and two or four squadrons of cavalry (one or two "divisions"). A cavalry division had two brigades.
An infantry brigade had four line infantry battalions ( one was of grenadiers), a Jäger or a Grenzer battalion and one foot 6 pdr battery . A cavalry brigade had two or three cavalry regiments and one 6 pdr horse battery. There were mixed brigades too: three or four line battalions, one light battalion, a division of cavalry (two squadrons) and one 6 pdr battery.

Uniforms

Line Infantry
Black leather shako with yellow metal, double-headed eagle; yellow tassel with black centre. The shako was often covered with a black rubberised cloth. On campaign the shako was often replaced by a more comfortable fatigue hat of light blue cloth with white edges. Dress consisted of a white double breasted tunic (the Waffenrock) with collar, round cuffs, epaulettes, and front and back pockets, piped in the distinctive regimental colour. Hungarian regiments had pointed cuffs adorned with an inverted T-shaped white lace. Buttons were white metal. In summer a more comfortable fatigue tunic called kittel was often worn. On this, regimental distinctions were worn in the form of coloured tabs on the collar. Buttons were white. Trousers were light blue with white piping; they were often turned up, or more often tucked into the black gaiters. Shoes were black. Hungarian regiments wore light blue breeches with black and yellow looping and short black boots.

Equipment and Armament
Black cartridge box; white leather belts (grenadiers had a yellow metal grenade on each of them); a white cap box was carried on the crossing of the belts; brown knapsack and grey greatcoat with white straps. On the first stages of the campaign this last was carried rolled around the knapsack. With the hot climate of June and July this proved very uncomfortable. Kaiser Franz Joseph disposed to put aside the knapsack and to roll the greatcoat around the left shoulder . The canteen was light brown with a white strap; the haversack was brownish-grey with a strap of the same colour.
Armament was in course of modernisation. In 1854 a new rifled musket was adopted, the Lorenz; but this was still being distributed when the war broke out; many units received it when they were on the march or just before a battle, so that men could not practise with the new weapon. Many units were still armed with the old smoothbore percussion musket, the Console.Augustin. Muskets had a brown stock and white strap. Fusiliers had a bayonet carried in a black scabbard with gold fittings. Grenadiers had a short curved sabre too.

Drummers
They had the same uniform as other men. As distinctions they had "swallow-nests" in the facing colour, edged with white lace, and a central rosette. Front and lower edge of the collar and cuffs were white laced. Drums had yellow metal cases; rims were painted with black and yellow oblique (from the left to the right) big stripes; white ropes; drumsticks of natural wood. White drum belt with yellow metal fittings.

Officers
Same uniform as men. Officers wore the kittel too. Rank distinctions were worn on the collar in form of golden six-pointed stars. As distinction an officers wore around their waist a golden cloth sash with black stripes. Trousers were often tucked into boots or rolled up as men. Officers of Hungarian regiments wore trousers instead of breeches. Pictures of the time show Austrian officers carrying wooden or tin canteens with brown straps on the right side and greatcoats rolled on the left or right shoulder. Armament consisted of a sabre carried in a white metal scabbard with white belts.

Frontier Regiments (National Grenze Infanterie)
Style of uniforms was similar to the line Hungarian regiments, but with brown tunic instead of white. Like the line infantry , Frontier regiments were distinguished from each other by the colour of collar , epaulettes, cuffs and piping. The kittel was often worn in campaign, white with tabs of the facing colour on the collar. Regiments which fought in Italy had the following distinctions.

No	Regiment	Facings	Buttons
1	Liccaner	imperial yellow	yellow
2	Ottocaner	imperial yellow	white
3	Oguliner	orange yellow	yellow
4	Szluiner	orange yellow	white
5	Warasdiner Kreuzer	lobster red	yellow
6	Warasdiner S. Georger	lobster red	white
8	Gradiscaner	pale red	yellow
9	Peterwardeiner	light bluish-grey	yellow
10	I. Banat	carmine	yellow
11	II. Banat	carmine	white
13	Romaten Banater	light bluish-grey	white
14	Illyrisch Banater	light blue	yellow

All belts and leather equipment were black. All other equipment was the same as that of the line infantry .Armament consisted of the rifled Kammerbüchse MI842 (Delvigne system) with black strap and bayonet.
Titler independent battalion had light blue tunic with red collar , round cuffs, epaulettes and piping. Trousers were light blue, styled like "German" regiments' ones. All leather was white.
Jägers
Headgear consisted of the characteristic cylindrical-shaped hat with green plumes on the left side. When on campaign it was covered with a black cloth. Dress of Jägers consisted of grey-green, double-breasted tunic with dark green collar , pointed cuffs, epaulettes, cords and piping. Trousers were the same colour as the tunic, with green piping. On campaign the kit tel was often worn, white with green tabs on the collar. Equipment was like that of line infantry , but with black belts and leathers. Armament consisted of the good rifled Jägerstutzen M1854 with black strap. As it was a short weapon it had an unusual long, straight bayonet, sabre shaped. Scabbard was black with yellow metal fittings.
Dragoons
White metal crested helmet with yellow metal edges and fittings and chin straps. White, double-breasted tunic with collar , round cuffs, white piped epaulettes and piping in the distinctive colour . Regimental facings were as follows, Stadion, black; Kaiser Franz Joseph, dark red; Prim Eugen v. Savoyen, green; Horvath, sky blue. All these had white metal buttons. Trousers were light blue, piped white with applied false black boots. Equipment consisted of a black cartridge box, white shoulder belt and waist belt with white metal buckles and fittings, and tan canteen with white leather strap.
Dragoons were armed with a sabre with white metal hilt, carried in a white metal scabbard, and a rifled carbine.
Trumpeters
Uniform was same as for other men. Front and lower edge of the collar and cuffs were white laced. Trumpets were brass with black and yellow cords.
Officers
Same uniforms as troopers, but without epaulettes. They wore the distinctive gold cloth sash with two horizontal black stripes around the waist.
Hussars
Shakos were of the distinctive regimental colour with a yellow and black tassel; Off campaign they were covered with a cloth of the same regimental colour .A light blue or dark blue close-fittingjacket, called an Attila, with collar and cuffs of the same colour, yellow and black piped was worn; also a pelisse of the same colour as the Attila, with dark brown or black fur trim. Attila and pelisse had five rows of loops and embroidery of mixed black and yellow. Buttons were white or yellow metal, according to the regiment. Breeches were dark blue or light blue, with yellow and black piping and looping. Black hussar-style boots were edged black and yellow. The sabretache was red, with yellow-black-yellow edge, yellow ciphers and white straps.
Regimental distinctions for regiments which participated in the Italian campaign were as follows:

No	Regiment	Shako	Attila and breeches	Buttons
1	Kaiser Franz Joseph	grass green	dark blue	yellow
3	Prinz v. Bayem	white	dark blue	yellow
10	Prinz v. Preussen	grass green	light blue	yellow
11	Prinze v. Wurttemberg	grass green	dark blue	white
12	HaIler	grass green	light blue	white

Equipment and armament were same as for the Dragoons.

Trumpeters
Same uniform as other troopers, possibly with collar and cuffs edged white. Trumpets were brass with black and yellow cords.

Officers
Same uniforms as troopers, with gold lace instead of yellow, and gold belt instead of white. Rank distinctions on the collar.

Ulans
The headgear was the czapka, the characteristic square-topped, Polish lancer cap. This had a black peak and skull cap; the square upper part was in the distinctive colour of the regiment. Cords and chin straps were yellow. A drooping, black horsehair plume was carried on the left side. In campaign the czapka was covered with a cloth in the distinctive regimental colour. Dress consisted of a dark green jacket (called Ulanka) with red collar, pointed cuffs, breast lapels and piping. Waist sash and fringed epaulettes were yellow. Trousers were dark green with red band and false black boots.

No	Regiment	Czapka's colour	Buttons
1	Civalart	Imperial yellow	yellow
2	Schwarzenberg	dark green	yellow
4	Kaiser Franz Joseph	white	yellow
12	König v. Sicilien	carmine	white

Equipment was as for other cavalry .Armament consisted of a lance with black (upper) and yellow, two-pointed guidon, a sabre with white metal scabbard, and a rifled pistol; in each squadron sixteen men had only the sabre and a rifled carbine instead of the lance and pistol.
Trumpeters
Same uniforms as the men, with the collar and cuffs white edged.

Officers
Same uniforms as the men with gold instead of yellow, and gold shoulder belt.

Horse equipment and furniture
All cavalry had a red, pointed saddlecloth with Imperial ciphers on the tails and yellow-black-yellow braid on the edge; a black or dark brown fur was put over the saddle cloth. When on campaign the saddle cloth was covered with a protective grey-white cloth or had its tails turned up to protect the embroidery .The cloak was rolled on the back in a grey-white cover. Straps were white. All horse furniture was black leather.

Artillery
Shako same as infantry. Double-breasted, "coffee"-brown tunic with red collar , epaulettes, round cuffs and piping. Buttons were yellow metal. Light blue trousers with red piping. Iron-grey greatcoat, rolled around the left shoulder; black belt on the right side; white belt on the right shoulder with yellow metal fittings. Possibly armament consisted of the rifled Kammerbüchse Ml842 (Delvigne system) or of the Jägerstutzen M1854, and a straight sword-bayonet with black scabbard and yellow metal fittings.
Guns were painted with the traditional yellow ochre colour.

Train
Uniform was same as artillery but with light blue distinctions. Black shoulder belt and cartridge box. Trousers were madder red. The service uniform was bluish-grey with light blue distinctions.

Sappers
Style of uniforms was the same as the infantry .Tunic was dark blue with dark red collar, epaulettes, round cuffs and piping. Buttons were yellow. Trousers were light blue with dark red piping. All leather was black.

Pioneers
Style of uniforms was the same as sappers. Tunic was grey with green collar, epaulettes, round cuffs and piping; trousers were grey too, with green piping. All leather equipment was black. Buttons were white metal.

General Officers
Black kepi or low shako with gold and black tassel. Tunic was light blue with gold laced red collar and cuffs. Buttons were gold; gold cloth waist sash with two horizontal black stripes. Trousers were dark blue with a red band. Saddle cloth was red with broad gold-black-gold edge. Adjutants wore the gold sash over the left shoulder. General staff officers wore on the collar of the service tunic black velvet patches with red piping and a broad gold lace at the outer ends.

Flags
Each battalion had one rectangular flag; this bore the well-known black, double-headed, crowned eagle on a yellow field; the eagle had the Habsburg device on the centre and devices of Austrian Dominions all around the wings. The yellow field was edged on three sides with alternated and reversed black, white, red and yellow triangular flames. Double red ties.; pole was black, red, yellow and white spiral striped; point was gilt. Flags were carried by NCOs.

Facings of Austro-Hungarian Line Infantry regiments which participated in the Italian campaign in 1859.

No	Title	Facing	Button	Notes
1	Kaiser Franz Joseph	deep red	y	-
3	E.H. Karl-Ludwig	sky blue	w	-
4	Hoch and Deutschmeister	sky blue	y	-
5	Liechtenstein	pink	y	Hung.
6	Coronini	pink	w	Hung.
7	Prohaska	deep brown	w	-
8	E. Ludwig Joseph	grass green	y	-
9	Hartmann	apple green	y	-
11	Kronprinz v. Sachsen	deep blue	y	-
12	E.H. Wilhelm	deep brown	y	-
14	G.H. v. Hessen	black	y	-
15	Herzog v. Nassau	wine red	y	-
16	Wernhardt	yellow	y	-
17	Prinz Hohenlohe	brick red	w	-
18	Grossf. Constantin	deep red	w	-
19	Kronprinz Rudolf	light blue	w	-
21	Reischach	sea green	y	-
22	Wimpfen	imperial yellow	w	-
27	Komg der Belgier	imperial yellow	y	-
29	Thun-Hohenstein	light blue	w	-
31	Culoz	imperial yellow	w	Hung.
32	E.H. d'Este	light blue	y	Hung.
33	Gyulai	blue	w	Hung.
34	Prinz v. Preussen	wine red	w	Hung.
35	Khevenhilller	red	y	-
37	E.H. Joseph	scarlet	y	Hung.
39	Don Miguel	scarlet	w	-
40	Rossbach	light blue	y	-
41	Kellner	yellow	w	-
42	Komg v. Hannover	orange	w	-
45	E.H. Sigismond	scarlet	y	-
46	Jellacic (later Prinz of Hesse)	grey	w	-
47	Kinsky	green	w	-
48	E.H. Ernst Karl	green	y	Hung.
49	Hess	grey	w	-
52	E.H. Franz Carl	deep red	y	Hung.
53	E.H. Leopold	deep red	w	Hung.
54	Griiber	apple green	w	-
56	Gorizzutti	green	y	-
57	G.H. Mecklenburg	pale red	y	-
58	E.H. Stefan	black	w	-
59	E.H. RaiDer	orange yellow	y	-
60	Prinz Wasa	green	w	Hung.
61	Zobel	grass green	y	Hung.
E.H. = Archduke; G.H. = Grand Duke

Selected Bibliography
Arrigoni, E. , 'La Campagna de11859' , in the Gazzettino Lombardo Veneto, newsletter of the Societ!i. Lombardo Veneta del Tiro ad A vancarica
Austrian General Staff, Der Krieg in Italien1859, 2 vols, Wien 1892. Cenni, Q., Album della Campagna de11859 (Album of the 1859 Campaign), Turin, 1909
Dotto, B., 'L'lnfanterie Autrichienne a Solferino, 1859', in Uniformes, No.85
Funcken, L.& F., L 'Uniforme et les Armes des Soldats du xrxo Siecle, 2nd Vol
Italian General Staff, La GuelTa de11859, lst Vol., Rome, 1909. Kannik, P., Military Uniforms in Colour, 1968
Knotel, R. , Der Grosse Uniformkunde, V ol.IV , plates No.18 and 50. Knotel-Sieg, Uniforms of the World, N.V., 1980
Rothenberg, G., The Army of Francis Joseph, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1976
Teuber-Ottenfeld, Die OstelTeichische Armee von 1700 bis 1867., 2nd Vol., Vienna, 1895

by Luigi Casali, Miniature Wargames No 47, April 1987