Krahmer's Dutch Horse Artillery

It's been a while since I've posted: pressure of work and moving house has necessarily limited time for other things, but I'm back with Krahmer's Horse Battery. 

Major Krahmer is a good example of the mixed origins of the Allied Army at Waterloo.  He was born in Corbach in Germany in 1787. He entered the Batavian army in January 1804 joining Horse Artillery battery No 1, part of Mortier’s VIII Corps. He took part in the campaign in Swedish Pomerania in 1807 and the battle of Friedland on 14 June 1807, where Mortier’s Corps formed the left wing of the French army. The Dutch horse artillery was in position in front of Heinrichsdorff village. Firing until 6.00 pm, the battery was taken out of the line except for a single 6-pdr cannon commanded by Krahmer, who fired another 160 shots with ammunition supplied by a nearby French battery, being decorated with the Légion d’Honneur for his efforts. He fought in Germany in 1809 during the siege of Stralsund.  He was lucky to miss the Russian campaign of 1812 and fought in Germany in 1813 as part of the garrison of Dresden and was taken prisoner.

In 1814, now with the new Dutch army, he commanded the combined 7th and 8th companies of the Horse artillery. The battery was notorious for high rates of desertion, deserters taking their horses and weapons with them. This battery was armed with six short 6-pdr bronze cannon, and two 24-pdr (iron) bronze howitzers. 

On 7 April 1815 the battery was at Brussels. A few days later, it joined Detmers Brigade of Chassé's Division and did not take part in the battle of Quatre-Bras. 

At Waterloo, d’Aubremé's Brigade guarded the flank at Braine l’Alleud, so Krahmer was attached to it.  At 3.00 pm, d’Aubremé was ordered to link up with Clinton's Division, placed in second line on the right wing of the Anglo-Allied army. The Division was placed in low ground along the chaussee from Nivelles to Mont St. Jean, about 500 metres behind the Guard brigades. Around 7.30 pm Chassé noticed that the fire of the British artillery in front of him slackened because of sustained casualties of the heavy French artillery fire and lack of ammunition.  Observing the advance of the French Guard, Chassé  took the initiative and ordered Krahmer into the firing line, relieving Cleeve’s battery. 

Upon receiving the order, the Battery galloped along chaussee with Krahmer leading, pointing with his sabre to the space where he wanted the guns deployed. Once unlimbered, the battery opened fire against the French Guard artillery batteries west of La Haye Sainte and the advancing French Guard infantry, “literally cut lanes through the column in our front”. Around 8.00 p.m. Detmers charged the French Guards; Krahmer also advanced and supported the infantry . When the French retreated, night already falling, the battery limbered and took part in the pursuit of the French army, firing grapeshot into their wavering ranks twice and contributing to its final rout. The battery bivouacked near Rossomme that night. During the battle, the battery lost 27 men dead, and 21 men wounded. 

Kramer comes into action

For his efforts during the Waterloo campaign, Krahmer was appointed to the Militaire Willemsorde. There was a sad end to Krahmer's life. During the Belgian Rising in 1830 he was killed in Brussels by a fellow countryman.

Krahmer

Gunner with Austrian shako

Dutch gunners - 15 years after Waterloo, but a nice representation.  By this period with a British style gun.

I like this officer who looks to have been drawn from life.

Horse gunners, officers left, other ranks to the right.  

Train driver.  I like the simplicity of this uniform, in keeping with the doubtless messy nature of the work.

Again a later period, but a nice representation of guns coming into action.

My figures are a mix of converted Franznap, Hagen, Art Miniaturen, Zvezda and others.

I like the red Trumpeters

Trumpeter

Setting out a battery with its caissons and limbers shows how much space it would have taken up.  I've artificially constrained the space, but clearly they would have been further away from the guns once they came into action and facing rearwards.  Sources indicate that one 6-pdr foot artillery battery was armed with six short 6-pdr bronze cannon, and two 24-pdr howitzers. It had 17 ammunition caissons, 12 for the 6-pdr ammunition, the remaining 5 for the howitzers. In addition, there were 12 caissons loaded with infantry and cavalry cartridges, three spare carriages, two baggage wagons and a mobile forge. This gave a total of 43 vehicles, which needed 232 horses for its horse teams. A 12-pdr foot artillery battery had short 12-pdr bronze cannon instead of the 6-pdr cannon. 6-pdr horse artillery batteries had more ammunition caissons but only four caissons with infantry or cavalry cartridges, giving them a total of 38 vehicles. So horse artillery batteries needed fewer train horses than the foot artillery batteries. Batteries that took the field later during the campaign however sometimes had fewer caissons with them.

A blur of squares in the background