L’Esercito di Ansbach e Bayreuth, 1769-91

Reggimento di Fanteria von Seybothen del Margraviato di Brandeburgo-Bayreuth

Fucilieri del 2^o (Brandenburgo-Anspach) Reggimento Fanteria di Seybothen e civilian camp-followers haggle about prices at a sutler’s tent. Markgraf Christian Friedrich Carl Alexander von Anspach inherited the land of the Markgraf von Bayreuth when the Bayreuth line died out in 1769. The small armata d’Anspach-Bayreuth consisted of due battaglioni di fanteria, designated reggimenti fanteria in servizio britannico, one Jägercorps of quattro compagnie, an artiglieria detachment of quattro cannoni reggimentali, staff e medical personnel. By trattato signed on 1 febbraio 1777 the army of Anspach-Bayreuth was hired to assist the armata britannica in its struggle against the ribellione nelle colonie americane. A total of 1.285 officers e men left Anspach on 7 marzo 1777 ed arrived in New York on 3 giugno that year. In 1778 reeinforcements were sent to America which raised the number of Anspach-Bayreuth troops in servizio britannico to 1.644 officers e men. Some sources claim that as many as 2.353 men joined the cause britannico, of which 1.170 did not return to their fatherland. Many soldati dell’Anspach-Bayreuth fell in battle o died from diseases contracted in the war, but a large number of those who would not return to Franconia preferred to settle in the New World.

Army Composition

The reggimenti di fanteria were just un battaglione strong, composed of una compagnia granatiere e quattro compagnie moschettieri. The Jägercorps had quattro companies, one of which sailed con the first Anspach-Bayreuth contingent. The reggimenti di fanteria were named after their commanding officers. Colonel von Voit initially commanded the reggimento fanteria from Bayreuth e later took command of the Reggimento Fanteria d’Anspach. Major von Seybothen, company commander nel Reggimento Fanteria di Bayreuth, became its new commanding officer.

Denominazione	Coat	Facings	Turnbacks	Buttons	Vest	Breeches
Battaglione Fanteria di Pölnitz Reggimento Fanteria d’Eyb Reggimento Fanteria di Voit	blue	red	red	white	white	white
	Garrisoned at Ansbach. The reggimento was initially commanded by Colonel von Eyb who was succeeded by Colonel von Voit of the second Ansbach-Bayreuth regiment.
Battaglione Fanteria di Drais Reggimento Fanteria di Voit Reggimento Fanteria di Seybothen	blue	black	red	white	white	white
	Garrisoned at Bayreuth. Colonel von Voit was succeed in command of the reggimento by Major von Seybothen.
Anspach Jägercorps	green	red	red	yellow	green	buff
Anspach Jägercorps	Garrisoned at Anspach. The brown leather waist cartridge pouch bore the Franconian crown e royal cipher CFCA in yellow metal. One company of the Jägercorps, commanded by Capitain von Cramon, sailed to Portsmouth con the fanteria ed artiglieria contingent. The remaining tre Jäger companies followed in late marzo. In marzo of 1779 command of Capitain Cramon’s company passed to Hauptmann Freiherr von Waldenfels.
Anspach Artillerie	blue	red	red	white	white	white
Anspach Artillerie	Garrisoned at Anspach. Premierleutnant Hoffmann e 44 men served the 4 cannoni reggimentali attached alla fanteria d’Anspach-Bayreuth. Hoffmann was later promoted to Captain.

1777 Campaign History

28 Februar 1777 – The 2^o (Bayreuth) Reggimento Fanterie departs Bayreuth to join the rest of the army garrisoned at Anspach.
04 marzo – The Bayreuth reggimento fanteria arrives at Anspach.
07 marzo – The army departs Anspach in the direction of Ochsenfurt on the Main river. 1^o reggimento takes quarters at Markt Bergel, 2^o reggimento at Burkbernheim, e the Feldjäger company at Ottenhofen.
08 marzo – The army takes night quarters at Uffenhofen. The Markgraf departs his army e returns to Anspach.
09 marzo – The army arrives at Ochsenfurt in the afternoon, via Gollhofen e Oberickelsheim, ed embarks on river transports. There are not enough ships available to transport the entire formation, ed additional ships have to be ordered from Würzburg. In the meantime, the men are kept on board their crowded ships.
10 marzo – The reggimenti di fanteria rebel, because of the unacceptably crowded conditions aboard their river transports. The troops are disembarked e spend the morning in ed around the town of Ochsenfurt, drinking e getting out of control. The order to reembark is disobeyed by the 2nd reggimento which mutinies e takes to the hills above Ochsenfurt. The Jäger company is sent after them ed a brief firefight ensues which leaves one man of the reggimento Bayreuth dead e due wounded. Order is eventually restored e the reggimenti return to their ships. 40 men remain unaccounted for, some of whom have fled to the nearby Kloster Tückelhausen. A Jäger detachment of 20 men under Premierlieutenant Heinrich Karl Philipp von Freilitzsch is sent after the fugitives. I cacciatori occupy the monastery, but they are recalled to Uffenheim in the evening. The Markgraf is informed of the mutiny by a dispatch which reaches him at Anspach in the evening. Immediately the horses are saddled again ed an escort made ready which accompanies the Markgraf on his return journey to Ochsenfurt via Uffenheim.
11 marzo – The Markgraf arrives at Ochsenfurt early in the morning to rally his troops e hear their grievances. The mutineers are forgiven if they promise to sail to America without causing further trouble. The troops embark e the transports push off at 08.30 hours. The Markgraf accompanies the transports to Dortrecht, Olanda.
13 marzo – The transports arrive at Hanau on Main.
15 marzo - Lieutenant Freilitzsch e his cacciatori are ordered to march to Wertheim on Main e collect any fugitives of the 2nd Infanterie-Regiment along the way.
17 marzo - Lieutenant Freilitzsch embarks his Jäger detachment at Wertheim. Most of the fugitives had been rounded up e they are shipped out to join their regiment.
25 marzo – The convoy arrives at Nijmegen, Olanda, e the Franconian troops are sworn in to serve King Georg III of England.
26 marzo – The convoy arrives at Dortrecht, Olanda, where the troops are transferred to English ships e the Markgraf bids them farewell.
31 marzo – The ships sail to Portmouth, England
07 aprile – The fleet of nine transport ships sails from Portsmouth. Hessian cacciatori, e recruits from Waldeck ed Assia-Kassel had been taken on board as well.
03 Juni – The transport fleet drops anchor in New York Harbour.
05 Juni – The troops are landed on Staten Island.

The Franconian contingent was present at the Siege of Yorktown in ottobre of 1781. Many of the fanteria were captured there when a detachment of 400 picked men from Lafayette’s Fanteria Leggera Division under the command of Colonel Alexander Hamilton took Redoubt No.10 by night assault on 14 ottobre. The remainder of the Franconian troops went into captivity when Lieutenant-General Earl Cornwallis surrendered the Yorktown garrison cinque days later, on 19 ottobre 1781. The Franconian troops were exchanged e released from captivity in maggio 1783, to be shipped home.

The sale of the troops into foreign service, e the hardship endured by the soldiers as well as their families back home, caused a deep rift between the Markgrave e his people. On 2 dicembre 1791, during a break of journey at Bordeaux, Francia, the Markgraf sold the due counties of Anspach-Bayreuth for a yearly pension of 300,000 fl. (Florin - Guilders) to his cousin King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. Markgraf Christian Friedrich Carl Alexander settled in England, e died there on 5 gennaio 1806, aged 70.

Domande più frequenti

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Soldatini della Guerra di Indipendenza Americana