Dutch Grenadier battalions 1793 -1795

OOB's

I have published various 1793 and 1794 Order of Battles regarding the Dutch army on the specific page "Order of Battles". 

If you have any questions about them, please let me know.

I will try to find some others in the mean time.

Grenadier bearskins of the Dutch army 1790-1795

The grenadiers of the Dutch army in the French Revolution all did wear the bearskin.
In the mid 18th century both the Prussian style metal-fronted mitre and the bearskin was worn by the grenadiers but the mitres were faded out and only the bearskin as headdress remained.

Up to 1770 a lot of regiments had a plate fronted bearskin as the Hollandse Garde did wear in the picture on the underneath (picture Rijksmuseum from circa 1770).

Some other pictures of this front-plated bearskin underneath.

regiment nr 14 Nassau Usingen (1756-1775), facing purple and bag blue

But in the reglement of 1772 is stated, that line regiments need to wear the bearskin without frontplate and this bearskin should be modelled according to the bearskin of the Hollandse Garde.
Regiments who did wear the plate fronted bearskin had to adept their bearskin (eg remove the plate). This would have taken some years but in the French Revolutionary period this proces would be  finished and all regiment woud wear the same bearskin.

This would be like the pictures underneath:

Zwitserse Garde (fcings red-blue bag)

 Zwitserse Garde (facings red-blue bag)-timmerman 

Hollandse Garde (facings red-red bag) 

Hollandse Garde drummer (facingsfacings red- red-red bag)

Hollandse Garde officers (facings red-red bag)

Regiment Erfprins (facings orange-orange bag)

 

regiment Orange Nassau I or II on the left (facing and bag-red) and Garde Groningen on the right (facings and bag red) 

regiment Erfprins (facinga and bag orange) on the left and regiment Nassau Usingen (or regiment Walen) on the right (facings white but blue bag)

regiment Westerloo reg nr 21 (mariniers) with yellow bag and yellow facings

regiment 24 Dundas (1784) with red bag although facings are a light blue.
In 1789 this became regiment nr 24 Bentinck with same facing colours.

period: 1789. 

The two soldiers on the left are Hollandse garde (see above), the third is Regiment nr 12 van Bylandt (in 1789 nr 12 Bedaulx with same facings) with red facings and blue bag.
On the right the 5th battalion of Waldeck.

The two soldiers on the left are Zwitserse garde (see above) with red facings and blue bag.
The two soldiers on the right are Reg Zwitsers nr 5 May with red facings and red bag

 

Conclusion: Colouring of the bag

Regarding the colouring of the bag, it seems, that in the majority of the regiments, the bag colour was the same as the facings (ie red facings-red bag) but there are some exceptions although I don't have all the pictures so I am not totally sure.

What I found:

Zwitserse Garde: facing red - bag blue
reg 12 Bijlandt (Bedaulx); facing red - bag blue
reg 24 Dundas (Bentinck): facing blue - bag red
reg Nassau-Usingen (or reg Walen): facing white - bag blue

Bearskins of cavalry

Various plates of the first company (lijf compagnie) of the first squadron of the Garde Dragonders (Guard Dragoons) show them wearing bearskins. 

It is hinted, that maybe the first company of the other dragoon regiments (Bijlandt and Hessen-Kassel) also had the bearskin but there is no pictural evidence.

So underneath only the Garde Dragonders:

 It is strange that the officer in the first and the troopers in the 3rd and 4th picture have a red bag and the trooper on the 2nd pictue (right) a blue bag. Probably a mistake

   

Powdered hair

I don't know if you noticed but all drawings/prints of the Dutch army from this period show powdered hair. 

And it didn't end in 1795 but even in the Batavian Republic period  the Dutch/Batavian army personel powdered their hair. 

Also, it is known that King Louis reminded soldiers to powder their hair but in drawing of the years after 1807 hair is shown in it natural colour and not powdered anymore. 

OOB Dutch army in Flanders 21-9-1793