The Royal Saxon Army () was the military force of the

Electorate Electorate may refer to: * The people who are eligible to vote in an election, especially their number e.g. the term ''size of (the) electorate'' * The dominion of a prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire until 1806 * An electoral district ...

(1682–1807) and later the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony () was a German monarchy in Central Europe between 1806 and 1918, the successor of the Electorate of Saxony. It joined the Confederation of the Rhine after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, later joining the German ...

(1807–1918). A regular Saxon army was first established in 1682 and it continued to exist until the abolition of the German monarchies in 1918. With the formation of the

Confederation of the Rhine The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine or Rhine Confederation, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austrian Empire, Austria ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

the Royal Saxon Army joined the French "

Grande Armée The (; ) was the primary field army of the French Imperial Army (1804–1815), French Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Commanded by Napoleon, from 1804 to 1808 it won a series of military victories that allowed the First French Empi ...

" along with 37 other German states.

History

During the Electorate of Saxony (1682–1807)

The founder of the standing army in Saxony was Elector Johann Georg III. He convinced the Saxon Estates in 1681 that the established practice of in case of war hiring

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

and dismissing them in peace, was as costly as the formation of a standing army. In 1682 the hitherto existing

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

troops and Guard and other small units were consolidated in

line regiment The line regiments formed the majority of the regiments in European standing armies in the early 20th century. These were all the regiments that did not have a specialist role - such as guards regiments. They are also often referred to as regiment ...

s. The army consisted of six

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiments of eight companies and five

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

regiments. The

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

consisted out of 24 guns. The Northern War proved the combat power of the Saxon army to be very low, so that after the war a military reform was enacted which aimed to increase their military efficiency. As part of this reform, the Saxon army was brought to a strength of 30,000, which consisted almost exclusively of Saxons. Thus it differed from the armies of other European states, which supplemented their staff frequently with foreigners. Following the reform, the army consisted of Guard Infantry, line infantry, and cavalry regiments ( Chevau-légers,

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s and

cuirassier A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as man-at-arms, men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their ...

s) together. The artillery as a third independent branch of service and was made up of field artillery and in-house. Also belonging to the artillery, were Mineurs and pontoniers established companies. The army was divided into four General Houses and classified according to the state of Saxony into four military divisions. For the first time for the accommodation of the troops barracks were built. During the Second Silesian War, Saxony allied with Austria. The Saxon army suffered heavily under Friedrich August Graf Rutowski in the battle of Kesselsdorf against Prussia. The growing crisis bankrupted the state and forced the Saxon Prime Minister Graf Brühl in 1749 to reduce the army to 17,000 men. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

Saxony was again invaded by Prussia and the Saxon army was invested by the Prussian army in the

Siege of Pirna The siege of Pirna (or Investment of Pirna) took place in 1756 as part of the Prussian invasion of Saxony during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War). Following the occupation of the capital Dresden by Frederick the Great on ...

where they had to capitulate on 16 October 1756. Only four cavalry regiments and two Lancers formations, which were located in Poland, escaped the surrender.

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself '' King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prus ...

forced the Saxon regiments to swear an oath of allegiance to Prussia, which at least most of the officers refused. Ten infantry regiments and one battalion of Chevau-légers were provided with Prussian uniforms and placed in the hostile army. However, this was not successful because the majority of the troops deserted. From 1757, most of the "booty-regiments" dissolved, only three of which remained at war's end. The same year a Saxon corps under Prince

Prince Francis Xavier of Saxony Franz Xavier of Saxony () (25 August 1730 – 21 June 1806) was a Saxon prince and member of the House of Wettin. He was the fourth but second surviving son of Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and Maria Josepha of Austria. Li ...

was raised in Hungary. After the war, Prince Francis Xavier as regent for the underage Elector Friedrich August III sought to reform the army to Prussian model, but failed because of the resistance of the estates because of high costs. Saxony fought in the

War of the Fourth Coalition The War of the Fourth Coalition () was a war spanning 1806–1807 that saw a multinational coalition fight against Napoleon's First French Empire, French Empire, subsequently being defeated. The main coalition partners were Kingdom of Prussia, ...

in 1806 initially on the side of Prussia. In the battles of

Saalfeld Saalfeld () is a town in Germany, capital of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia. It is best known internationally as the ancestral seat of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha branch of the Saxon House of Wettin. Geography The town is situated ...

and Jena–Auerstedt, the Saxon and Prussian armies were heavily defeated. After these defeats the French occupied Saxony.

During the Kingdom of Saxony (1807–1918)

Napoleonic wars

Saxony became a member state of the

and on 20 December 1806, the Electorate was created a kingdom by the graces of

. During the

Battle of Friedland The Battle of Friedland (14 June 1807) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire commanded by Napoleon I and the armies of the Russian Empire led by General Levin August von Bennigsen. Napoleon and t ...

, a small division of two brigades, two cavalry regiments, and two foot batteries served in the French Reserve Corps under

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

Jean Lannes Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, Prince of Siewierz (; 10 April 1769 – 31 May 1809), was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of Napol ...

. The Saxon troops participated in

War of the Fifth Coalition The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in Central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis I and Napoleon's French Emp ...

in 1809 against the

Empire of Austria The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

which made clear that the army needed to be reformed in order to build a modern and organized army in the French style. The 1810 reform was based on the 1804 drill book – which increased the rapid march to 90 steps from the previous 75 – and the 1808 French infantry regulations and led by General Lecoq, the Major-Generals , and Johann von Thielmann and Colonel Friedrich von Langenau. Further changes in the Saxon military reforms: # Rejuvenation of the officer corps # Reduction of the surgical staff at the same time improving the Military Medicine # Discontinuation of muskets for officers – instead, service with a drawn

sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

# Creation of Battalion Staff in 1809 # Improvement of the military administration of justice with a ban on corporal punishment as a punishment measure # Changing the uniform to the French model and the introduction of new muskets, bayonets and side arms # Training in new combat methods: columns with skirmishers instead of the old, rigid form of Linear Tactics # Launching of a first drill regulations for the artillery # Instead of advertising in Germany using

recruitment Recruitment is #Process, the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for Job (role), jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the process involved in ...

, a nationwide recruiting circuit with commissions was established. Soldiers were enlisted for fixed period of service of eight to ten years. The new army administration brought totally different conditions, especially in relation to food, clothing and equipment of the troops. The command of the renewed army was nominally the King. In 1810, Major General was Minister of War and General von Gersdorff chief of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

. As a result of military reform, the Royal Saxon Army was formed along the following structure: * The first Cavalry Division with three brigades, one regiment of Hussars and the Garde du Corps. * The first Infantry division with two brigades and a regiment of Grenadier Guards, * The second Infantry division with two brigades and one light infantry brigade. To these were added: * Artillery units (horse and foot artillery) and * Special corps, which were subordinated to the chief of staff. These were: ** an engineer corps of sappers and pontoniers (later the engineer units) ** garrison companies such as the semi-invalids from companies not fit for field service, Cadet Corps and the Royal Swiss Guard. After the reforms of 1810 the army consisted of 31 infantry battalions and artillery brigades (24,937 men), 36 squadrons of

(6,577 men) and an engineering corps (266 men); all in all 31,780 men. On 15 February 1812 the army was mobilized for the upcoming

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the Continenta ...

. The Saxon contingent was formed as the 21st and 22nd Division of the VII Army Corps of

under the command of the French General of Division

Jean Reynier Divisional general, Divisional-General Jean Louis Ébénézer Reynier (14 January 1771 – 27 February 1814) was a French Army officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He rose in rank to become a general officer during ...

. The Saxons fielded 18 infantry

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

s, 28 Cavalry squadrons, 56 (six and four-pounder) guns, together 200 men and 7,000 horses. The Saxons fought in the battles of Kobrin and Gorodechno before joining the Grande Armée in its retreat. A detachment of cuirassiers was separated from the main army and placed in a different corps and participated in the Battle of Borodino. After the failure of the invasion, the campaign of 1813 mainly centered around Saxon territory. When the Russo-Prussian armies invaded Saxony, King Frederick Augustus fled to

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. The Saxon army was then invested in the fortress of

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies first met near ...

. After the defeat of the Allies at Lützen and

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin (), until 1868 ''Budissin'' in German, is a town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the Bautzen (district), district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree (river), Spree river, is the eighth most ...

and due to the hesitant attitude of Austria, Frederick Augustus had no choice but to support Napoleon. Thus the Saxon army fought during the 1813 Autumn campaign on the French side. In the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

on the third day of battle a major part of the Saxon contingent defected to the Allies and Frederick Augustus was taken prisoner. The Saxon army was reorganized in 1813 at Merseburg then at 1814 at Flanders by Johann von Thielmann and participated in the occupation of the Netherlands. The

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

decided in favor of dividing Saxony by giving Prussia a large portion of its population and parts of his army. Protests of the Saxon troops handed over to and integrated in the Prussian army were violently suppressed by the Prussians. The scaled down Saxon Corps took part in the 1815 campaign under Seventh Coalition command in the Upper Rhine. The Saxons continued to occupy France with the allies until 1818.

German Confederation

In the Armed Forces of the

German Confederation The German Confederation ( ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, which had been dissolved ...

Saxony provided the fourth largest contingent, after Austria, Prussia and Bavaria. The Saxon troops, together with the quotas from

Hesse-Kassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, also known as the Hessian Palatinate (), was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. The state was created in 1567 when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided upon t ...

and Nassau, formed the mixed IX. Army Corps. Royal Saxon Army 20 June 1866

When the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

in 1866 began, Saxony supported Austria and mobilized its 32,000-strong army around

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

under the command of Crown Prince Albert. After the declaration of war the Prussian Army crossed the border on 16 July 1866 near

Strehla Strehla (; , ) is a small town in the district of Meißen, Saxony, Germany. It is located on the river Elbe, north of Riesa. This place name means ''arrow'' in Sorbian. Strehla includes the following subdivisions: *Forberge *Görzig/Trebnitz ...

and

Löbau Löbau (; , ) is a city in the east of Saxony, Germany, in the traditional region of Upper Lusatia. It is situated between the slopes of the Löbauer Berg and the fertile hilly area of the Upper Lusatian Mountains. It is the gateway to this volca ...

. Saxony unsuccessfully called for the support of the army of the Confederation and of Austria but the Saxon army was forced to pull back because of the military situation into Bohemia and effected a junction with the

Austrians Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...

. The Saxon army took a prominent part in the battles by which the Prussians forced the line of the Jizera and in the Battle of Jičín. The Crown Prince, however, succeeded in effecting the retreat in good order, and with his troops took part in the decisive Battle of Königgrätz (3 July 1866) where the Saxons held the extreme left of the Austrian position. The Saxons maintained their post with great tenacity, but were involved in the disastrous defeat of their allies.

North German Confederation

After the peace Saxony was forced to join the

North German Confederation The North German Confederation () was initially a German military alliance established in August 1866 under the leadership of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was transformed in the subsequent year into a confederated state (a ''de facto'' feder ...

. According to the Military Convention of 7 February 1867 its army formed the XII Corps, which was placed under Prussian command. Saxony had to hand over the Fortress Königstein to Prussia. The Kingdom of Saxony took part in the 1870

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

on the side of Prussia. On the outbreak of the war Prince Albert again commanded the Saxons, who were included in the 2nd army under Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia, his old opponent. At the

Battle of Gravelotte The Battle of Gravelotte (or Battle of Gravelotte–St. Privat) on 18 August 1870 was the largest battle of the Franco-Prussian War. Named after Gravelotte, a village in Lorraine, it was fought about west of Metz, where on the previous day, ha ...

, they formed the extreme left of the German army, and with the Prussian Guard carried out the attack on St Privat, the final and decisive action in the battle. In the re-organisation of the army which accompanied the march towards Paris the Crown Prince gained a separate command over the 4th army (''Army of the Meuse'') consisting of the Saxons, the Prussian Guard corps, and the IV ( Prussian Saxony) corps. Albert was succeeded in command of the XII Corps by his brother Prince George. Albert and the Saxons took a leading part in the operations which preceded the battle of Sedan, the 4th army being the pivot on which the whole army wheeled round in pursuit of Mac-Mahon; and the actions of Buzancy and Beaumont on 29 and 30 August 1870 were fought under his direction; in the

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Napoleon III, Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and ...

itself (1 September 1870), with the troops under his orders, Albert carried out the envelopment of the French on the east and north. Albert's conduct in these engagements won for him the complete confidence of the army, and during the Siege of Paris his troops formed the north-east section of the investing force. After the conclusion of the

Treaty of Frankfurt (1871) The Treaty of Frankfurt (; ) was a peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on 10 May 1871, at the end of the Franco-Prussian War. Summary The treaty did the following: * Established the frontier between the French Third Republic and the German Empire ...

, he was left in command of the German army of occupation, a position which he held till the fall of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

. On the conclusion of peace he was made an inspector-general of the army and a ''

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (; from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire, (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarsch ...

''. Saxony also financially benefited from the campaign: its share of the French reparations flowed in part in the construction of Albertstadt, a modern complex of barracks in Dresden, which contains nowadays the Bundeswehr Military History Museum and the Army Officer Training School as only military units left.

German Empire

After the founding of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

on 18 January 1871, the Kingdom of Saxony kept the limited autonomy in military matters which it had under the Convention of 1867. It retained, despite certain jurisdictional disputes in the postwar period, a separate Ministry of War, general staff and military academy. The Saxon army continued in the

Imperial German army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...

as the XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, based in Dresden. The Corps consisted out of the

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and 2nd Division. In 1889, the Saxon Corps raised a 3rd Division, and in 1899 a 4th Division. In 1899, the creation of the two new divisions caused a reorganization of the Saxon army in two army corps, the existing XII, based in Dresden, and the newly formed

XIX (2nd Royal Saxon) Corps The XIX (2nd Royal Saxon) Army Corps / XIX AK () was a Saxon corps level command of the German Army, before and during World War I. As the German Army expanded in the latter part of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century, the XIX Arm ...

to be based in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. Saxon troops also provided a share of the occupation forces in Alsace-Lorraine ( XV Corps). Of technical troops until the First World War the Saxon Army consisted of: * 2 Königl. Battalion of the Royal Saxon. Prussian Railway Regiment 1 * Royal. Saxon fortress Telephonic Company No. 7 * 3 Königl. Saxon Airship Company of the Battalion 2 * 3 Königl. Saxon Company of Battalion No. 1 Flyer * Royal. Saxon Detachment of the 2nd Company of the battalion motor vehicles * Royal. Detachment at the Royal Prussian Saxony Traffic Technical Examination

World War I

When the First World War started, the two Saxon Army Corps, and the XII (Royal Saxon) Reserve Corps were mobilized as part of the 3rd Army under command of the former Saxon War Minister,

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German '' Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank w ...

Max von Hausen. The 3rd Army fought in the

battle of the Frontiers The Battle of the Frontiers (; ; ) comprised battles fought along the eastern frontier of French Third Republic, France and in southern Belgium, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The battles resolved the military strategy, milita ...

, mainly in the battles of

Dinant Dinant () is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Namur Province, province of Namur, Belgium. On the shores of river Meuse, in the Ardennes, it lies south-east of Brussels, south ...

and

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

. After the Second Army's retreat after the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...

, Hausen saw his own flank exposed and ordered a retreat. After the stabilization of the front on the Aisne River, on September 9, 1914, Hausen was relieved of his command due to illness and replaced by General Karl von Einem. The Saxon troops were used mostly at the Western Front. As the war progressed, through the necessary additions the units becoming increasingly mixed with troops from the other German states. During the war Saxony mobilized a total of about 750,000 soldiers, of whom about 229,000 did not return.

Army Organization

During the Napoleonic Wars

Ranks of the Royal Saxon Army in 1810 The General of the Infantry, General of the Cavalry, and General of the Artillery did not have much involvement on the actual battlefields during the Napoleonic Wars, command was mainly done by the Lieutenant and Major Generals.

Organization of the Royal Saxon Army in 1810

A common misconception about the Saxon infantry regiments is that they were numbered, there is no evidence of any of the line infantry regiments being numbered, however the light infantry regiments were assigned numbers. Additionally, there were also garrison companies for fortresses and other defensive structures. In Dresden, there was a Swiss Guard, Cadet Corps, and an artillery academy. These units were divided into brigades and divisions, being organized as follows: * 1st Infantry Division - Lieutenant General von Zeschau ** Life Grenadier Guard Regiment ** 1st Brigade - Major General von Dryherrn *** Infantry Regiments "König" and "von Niesemeuschel" *** Grenadier-Battalion "von Brause" ** 2nd Brigade - Major General von Nostitz *** Infantry Regiments "Prinz Anton" and "von Low" *** Grenadier-Battalion "von Anger" * 2nd Infantry Division - Lieutenant General Edler von Le Coq **1st Brigade - Major General von Klengel *** Infantry Regiments "Prinz Maximilian" and "von Rechten" *** Grenadier-Battalion "von Spiegel" ** 2nd Brigade - Major General von Steindel *** Infantry Regiments "Prinz Friedrich August" and "Prinz Clemens" *** Grenadier-Battalion "von Liebenau" * Light Infantry Brigade - Major General Saher von Sahr ** Light Infantry Regiments "von Le Coq" and "von Sahr" ** Rifle Corps * Cavalry Division - Lieutenant General Freiherr von Gutschmidt ** Garde du Corps Regiment ** 1st Brigade - Lieutenant General von Funck *** Chevauxleger Regiments "Prinz Clemens" and "von Polenz" *** Hussar Regiment ** 2nd Brigade - Lieutenant General von Thielemann *** Life Cuirassier Guard *** Cuirassier Regiment "von Zastrow" ** 3rd Brigade - Major General von Barner *** Chevauxleger Regiments "Prinz Johann" and "Prinz Albrecht" *** Reitende-Artillerie-Brigade Some units were also maintained in Dresden and subordinate to the General staff members present in the city. These were the following: * Foot Artillery Regiment * Cadet Corps * Royal Swiss Guard * Engineer Corps * Sappers and Pontoniers * Garrison Companies

Organization of the Royal Saxon Army in 1812 at the Beginning of the Russian Campaign

The other regiments of the Royal Saxon Army had either stayed in Saxony or defended other garrisons and supply depots which were responsible for supplying the Grande Armée. The Garde du Corps, and Zastrow cuirassiers were sent to a different corps and participated in the charge of the Great Redoubt during the Battle of Borodino, and rescued Napoleon from the cossacks. The commanding staff of the Saxon divisions is listed as follows: * Commander: Lieutenant General Edler von Le Coq * Chief of Staff: Colonel von Langenau * Intendant: Major von Ryssel * Artillery Commander: Lieutenant Colonel von Hoyer * Senior Engineer Officer: Captain Damm

Structure in World War I

Pre and early war

The Kingdom of Saxony placed an army corps (later two army corps) at the disposal of the army of the German Empire in peacetime: * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps in

** 23rd (1st Royal Saxon) Division in Dresden ** 32nd (3rd Royal Saxon) Division in

** 24th (2nd Royal Saxon) Division in Leipzig ** 40th (4th Royal Saxon) Division in

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt (); ; ) is the third-largest city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden, and the fourth-largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East Be ...

On mobilisation, these were joined by reserve formations: * XII (Royal Saxon) Reserve Corps ** 23rd (1st Royal Saxon) Reserve Division ** 24th (2nd Royal Saxon) Reserve Division Together with the XI Corps, these formed the 3rd Army forming part of the right wing of the forces for the

Schlieffen Plan The Schlieffen Plan (, ) is a name given after the First World War to German war plans, due to the influence of Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen and his thinking on an invasion of France and Belgium, which began on 4 August 1914. Schlieffe ...

offensive in August 1914 on the Western Front. In peacetime, the Royal Saxon Army also provided : 105th (6th Royal Saxon) Infantry "King William II of Württemberg" to the XV Army Corps at

Straßburg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin department and the official seat of the European Parliament. The cit ...

: 12th (1st Royal Saxon) Foot Artillery to the XVI Army Corps at

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

Raised during World War I

Infantry Divisions: * 58th (5th Royal Saxon) Division * 96th (6th Royal Saxon) Division * 123rd (7th Royal Saxon) Division * 192nd (8th Royal Saxon) Division * 212th (9th Royal Saxon) Division * 219th (10th Royal Saxon) Division * 241st (11th Royal Saxon) Division Reserve Division: * 53rd (3rd Royal Saxon) Reserve Division Landwehr Divisions: * 45th (1st Royal Saxon) Landwehr Division * 46th (2nd Royal Saxon) Landwehr Division * 47th (3rd Royal Saxon) Landwehr Division Ersatz Division: * 19th (Royal Saxon) Ersatz Division

Uniforms and Arms

Napoleonic Wars

After the Military Reorganization in 1810

After the military reorganization of 1810, the Saxon units adopted French styles of dress, with their old Seven Years War-era uniforms becoming obsolete. The Line Infantry dressed in white coats with their facings being in regiment colors. The 1st and 2nd regiments wore red, the 3rd and 4th wore dark blue, the 5th and 6th wore yellow, and the 7th and 8th wore green. The Grenadiers had grenades on their tailcoats and a distinct plume. The hats of the infantry had a shako plate with the cipher FAR (Fridericus Augustus Rex) embedded on the metal, with a pompom for the rankers painted in a bicolor fashion, the top half being of the regiments color and the bottom half being white. Non-commissioned officers typically had a black top half for their pompom.

References

Bibliography

* {{Standing German armies in the Holy Roman Empire Military of Saxony, ! Former armies by country History of Saxony Disbanded armies German Army (German Empire)