Last Update 13th January 2003
The combined branches of artillery for this period totaled 64 batteries, being 4 regiments of 16 companies. Their composition of foot/horse/reserve is not known. Unfortunately alot of cannon were lost in the invasion of Bavaria and the retreat through Austria, Austrian cannons often bolstering French formations throughout the Napoleonic wars.
The artillery started the war under strength without enough draft horses for the teams and with too few trained artillerists. The transport companies and drafts from the foot soldiers supplemented the lack of men. Throughout the whole campaign the foot artillery was dispersed as battalion guns, as either one or two 6lb or 3lb cannon, though there were a number of battalions without cannon at all. There were no foot artillery batteries as such in 1805.
The use of artillery by the Austrians was outdated for Napoleon's swarm method of warfare. They were never sufficiently concentrated, and even in batteries were often aimed at different targets rather than concentrating fire. This, along with their lack of draught horses, weakened and slowed the army as a whole.
While the foot batteries were distributed to the infantry battalions, the horse artillery retained their formation.
A Horse Artillery battery consists of
Reserve batteries retained their formation in this campaign, and provided the only artillery battery available to the infantry corps commander. A Reserve Artillery battery consists of
All Austrian figures (foot/cavalry/artillery/officers) have a sprig tucked into their pom pom. Paint it plant green if your figures show it.
Cannon/Howitzers/Limbers - The cannon carriages and limbers were painted yellow ochre with black metal fittings. The bronze barrel was blackened also. The wheel running surface is bare metal.
General Crew Infantry Battalion/Horse/Reserve - Excluding Grenz artillery crew described in the Grenz section, all artillery crews wore a fawn brown jacket, with white breeches and black boots. The head wear consisted of a bicorne with black over yellow plume, and black and yellow cockade for gunners. Facings and buttons to coats were red, the epaulettes brown piped red. Shoulder straps white, sword scabbards black with iron trim.
Artillery Officer - The artillery officer wore a fawn brown jacket, with white breeches and black boots. The head wear consisted of a bicorne with a green plume, and black and yellow cockade with gold lace trim. It may have had a gold trim, but I cannot confirm this. Facings and buttons to coats were red, the epaulettes brown piped red. Shoulder straps white, sword scabbards black with iron trim. Officers also wore a yellow waist sash and white gloves. Some officer figures are sculpted with an overcoat, in which case it is grey with yellow buttons.
Soldiers/Guards/Limber Drivers & Wagon Drivers - Artillery units also had attached guard soldiers and general artillery train crew who also helped man the guns. They do not make an appearance separately on the wargame table attached to the guns, and are found only manning the limber figure. The artillery train drivers were permitted to wear the artillery brown jacket, but generally tended to wear cheaper white tunics and breeches. Their facings were yellow, with black leatherwork, except a white strap to the water bottle. I am not certain of their headwear, and assume they wore either the bicorne or German helmet. Officers wore a dark grey uniform, similar to the Jagers, with gold facings.
Photographed here
we have an officer [Elite miniatures], 2 gunners and another officer [Old Glory
miniatures] attending their guns which are a 7lb howitzer, 6lb cannon and 3lb
cannon [Elite miniatures.] [Pick the mistakes? Officers should have green plumes
to their bicorne and the righ thand one has taken his gloves off. The artillery
men should have black sword scabbards, not brown.]
The first officer wears the regular brown coat with his yellow waist sash and gold braiding to the bicorne. The right hand officer wears an unusually light over coat, the colour tending dark grey to black usually. The cannon are in the usual yellow ochre colour with black metal fixings.