The Von Schmalen Prussian Soldier Images: Cavalry and Freitruppen

Are we the baddies? 

Dear Reader,

Today, we are going to examine the second portion of Von Schmalen's, Accurate Vorstellung der Samtlichen Koeniglich Preussischen Armee, a series of uniform prints of the Prussian Army from the era of the Seven Years' War. Schmalen published his book in 1759.  Last week, we looked at the Infantry and Artillery uniforms. Although available elsewhere online, the copy I photographed in Washington, D.C. has distinctive features, such as the clearly marked gaiter buttons for the Jäger zu Fuss. Though certainly an imperfect source, it does give a window into the uniforming of the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War.

You can find the first section, with the uniform guide key, here. Readers of American history may recall that Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben served in Frei-Infantrie von Mayr, image number 108 in this series. It is the first of the units marked, "Frey Battalion," in this series.

The Von Schmalen Prussian Soldier Images: Infantry and Artillery

Von Schmalen's interpretation of a Prussian Fahnen-Junker

Dear Reader,

Today, I wanted to share a brief treat with you. In the first week of 2018, I had the privilege of taking a trip to research in Washington, D.C. In the course of my research, I came across a copy of von Schmalen's Accurate Vorstellung der Samtlichen Koeniglich Preussischen Armee, a uniform series published in 1759. Schmalen was an officer in the Prussian Army, and qualified to gather the information required for an accurate series of uniform plates. Although the images are available elsewhere online, I took the liberty of photographing them to share with you all. This copy of Schmalen has a number of unique characteristics, such as the clearly marked gaiter buttons on the Prussian Jäger zu Fuss. In other online copies, I have seen these distinctions are somewhat faded. Regardless of the various errors, this uniform series is one of the visual sources in our understanding of the Prussian army during this era.

Please note: The units are not depicted in standard numerical order, as on websites such as Kronoskaf. I have included the key for identifying which Chef (or colonel-proprietor) is in command of which unit. The page number is located at the lower right-hand corner of each image.

The cover is showing its age

Title Page

The key to plate numeration 

Feel free to share this post wherever you think it may be useful. I will follow the post up later this week with cavalry, Jägers, and Freitruppen.


Thanks for reading,


Alex Burns