| Lützow Free Corps | |
|---|---|
 A painting of Jena students in the Free Corps byFerdinand Hodler | |
| Active | 1813–15 |
| Disbanded | 1815 |
| Country |  Prussia |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~3,600 |
| Nickname(s) | Schwarze Jäger (Black hunters) |
| Colors | Black-red-gold |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow |
Lützow Free Corps (German:Lützowsches Freikorpspronounced[ˈlʏtso:vʃəsˈfraɪˌkɔɒ̯ps]) was a volunteer force of thePrussian army during theNapoleonic Wars. It was named after its commander,Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow. The Corpsmen were also widely known as the “LützowerJäger“ or “Schwarze Jäger“ (“Black Hunters”), sometimes also "Lützower Reiter" ("Lützow Riders").
The unit was officially founded in February 1813 asKöniglich Preußisches Freikorps von Lützow (Royal Prussian Free Corps von Lützow). Lützow, who had been an officer under the ill-fatedFerdinand von Schill, obtained permission from the PrussianChief-of-StaffGerhard von Scharnhorst to organize a free corps consisting of infantry, cavalry, andTyroleanJäger (literally, “hunters” ―i.e., marksmen, snipers), for flank attacks and guerrilla warfare behind the French lines. Volunteers were to be drawn from all overGermany (includingAustria) to fight againstNapoleon I of France; it was hoped that this broadly national force would aid in rallying the smaller German governments into the ranks of theAllies.
The Corps has been alleged to have consisted mostly of students and academics; however, in reality these amounted to no more than 12% of the total force, which was actually composed mostly of craftsmen and laborers. Besides the well-knownSaxon dramatist and poetCarl Theodor Körner, the Corps also included academics, writers, and other well known figures, such asGeorg Friedrich Kersting,Friedrich Friesen,Joseph von Eichendorff, andFriedrich Ludwig Jahn. The educatorFriedrich Fröbel, who later developed the concept of theKindergarten, also belonged to the Lützowers. In addition, at least two women,Eleonore Prochaska andAnna Lühring, managed to join in disguise.
The Tyroleans, whose leaders Jakob Riedl andJoseph Ennemoser had fought withAndreas Hofer for theliberation of Tyrol since 1809, came into the Lützow Corps after the armistice of Summer 1813.
Because theKingdom of Prussia already had problems financing and equipping its regular forces, the volunteers had to equip and supply themselves by their own means. Many times civilian clothing or old uniforms ― even enemy uniforms taken as booty ― were simply dyed.Black was therefore used for theiruniforms rather than the normalPrussian blue, because this was the only color that could be used to dye the improvised clothing (if any other had been used, the clothing's original color would have shown through, resulting in an unacceptable mix of colors for the Corps as a whole). The quality of the material often left much to be desired.
For similar reasons of economy, a civilian-style trench coat, the so-calledlitewkafrock coat ― double-breasted, without a tail-slit ― was chosen for infantry and rifle detachments, and later extended to the artillery. The tunic was black, as were the trousers, with red trim chosen for the rank insignia along the collar, cuffs, epaulets, and front edge of the tunic; on officers’ uniforms, collars and cuffs were faced in velvet. On the tunic’s front, eightembossedbrass buttons were arranged in two vertical rows.
Volunteers with particular skills were allowed to transfer to special units with their own uniforms.Hussars andlancers (uhlans) woredolman jackets, often brought from their former units, dyed black (as were the hussars’pelisses). Hussars and lancers wore only black and white, the red being omitted. Officers’ uniforms carried silver cords, rather than white, and were in addition trimmed with black fur. Lützow himself wore the black hussar uniform.
The TyroleanJäger retained their previous uniform, gray with greenfacings.
Headgear
Due to its improvised nature, headgear worn by the Free Corps was varied. The infantry headgear corresponded to that ofSchill’s corps of 1809, consisting of a blackshako, with a clasp and side cordon and tassel. The cavalry wore a felt shako (though due to scarce resources, some were made even of cardboard) with a black-and-yellow braid and tassel; often a black oilcloth was worn over them as protection from the weather. For parades cavalry were accustomed to wear a black horsehair tassel and a black cordon. The Tyroleans continued to wear the turned up and plumed hats of their native region.
In addition, some volunteers sportedpeaked caps or even largeberets. Often against orders the symbol of a civilian or student society would be attached. In the early days of the Corps, Lützow and others also wore a skull on their headgear (in the same manner as theDuke of Brunswick’sSchwarze Schar), until forbidden by royal command.
The Lützow Free Corps distinguished itself from the mass of the army, in that it was a voluntary association, whose members were remarkable for superior activity, energy, and enterprise. Unlike many of theregular army, their loyalty was rather toGermany as a whole than to Prussia or theHouse of Hohenzollern; many of them made a vow to neither cut their hair nor their beards till they had driven the French entirely out of German lands. Nevertheless, it had the highest percentage of deserters in the Army of Prussia, was treated with marked coolness by theKing (who was anything but an ardent nationalist and anyway preferred his regulars), and accomplished relatively little in the way of major military success.
The average size of the Corps was 2,900infantry, 600cavalry and 120artillery, varying throughout the war. It fought in many battles, operating first independently in the rear of the French troops, later as a regular unit in the allied armies. The Lützowers displayed great gallantry throughout the remainder of the war, and proved a source of constant annoyance to the French, who regarded them with exceptional hostility,Napoleon himself referring to their chief asce brigand Lützow, chef du corps de la Vengeance" ("that bandit Lützow, head of the band of Revenge").
At the proclamation of the armistice of 4 June – 13 August 1813, the Corps, eager to gain a dashing victory against the hated emperor, had been deep behind enemy lines and were hastening back to German-held territory (supposedly under a French safe-conduct), when they were caught there in contradiction to the terms of armistice. The French generalFournier ordered an attack on the Corps, replying to a demand for explanation, "Armistice pour tout le monde, excepté pour vous!" ("truce for everyone, except for you").[1]
After thepeace of 1814 the Corps was dissolved. The infantry were converted into the 25th Infantry Regiment (from 5 November 1816 known as the 1st Rhine) as regular infantrymen, consisting of 2419 men (82 officers / 2337 troops) organized into a 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion, and 3rd Battalion, under the command of Christian Friedrich Engel von Petersdorff (who had been a major under Lützow); the cavalry were reorganized into the 6th Ulans under Lützow himself. After Napoleon’s return from Elba, both regiments fought atLigny andWaterloo during theHundred Days. The composition of their units remained unique and still bore the impress of the Lützow corps,e.g., retaining the same blacklitewka and shako.
Upon hearing that the then Major von Lützow had announced the formation of the Free Corps, on 15 March 1813 Theodor Körner abandoned a promising career as a dramatist inVienna and his engagement with the beautiful actressAntonie Adamberger. Inspired with theRomantic nationalism of the times, Körner felt himself irresistibly attracted towards a body consisting of volunteers drawn from all over the numerous German realms. On his arrival atBreslau with recommendations to the most influential men in the Prussian army, he joined the Corps on 19 March. As a member of the Corps he contributed songs and poems to celebrate and encourage his fellows, often accompanying himself on theguitar; many of these poems were later published by hisfather in the collectionLeyer und Schwerdt (modernLeier und Schwert, “Lyre and Sword”) (Berlin, 1814). On 26 August an engagement took place at the forest ofRosenow nearGadebusch, in which Körner fell. Theodor Körner died at the age of twenty-one, and was buried under an oak in the village ofWöbbelin, about a mile fromLudwigslust.
Despite its relatively small size and its lack of military success, the Corps became famous after the war, as it was the only unit in the army consisting of people from all over the German states.
Throughout the 19th century, these anti-Napoleonic Free Corps were greatly praised and glorified by German nationalists, and a heroic myth built up around their exploits. Inasmuch as many Lützow Free Corps veterans took part in the firstWartburg festival of 1817, demanding German unity and democratic reforms, the black-red-gold color scheme formed by the combination of black cloth, red trim, and brass buttons on their uniforms wouldlater become associated withrepublican and nationalist (orPan-German) ideals. During theHambacher Fest of 1832 andRevolutions of 1848 in the German states, flags with these colors were used, if even often displayed in reverse order compared to modern day'sflag of Germany. This combination, reminiscent of theHoly Roman Empire of the German Nation (whoseheraldiccoat-of-arms depicted ablackeagle on a shield ofgold, often in later times withred beak and legs), was selected as the official national colors of the German flag in 1919, and again in 1949.
In the aftermath of Germany’s defeat in theFirst World War, the legend was invoked byextremist groups with far greater emphasis on its nationalism than on republicanism. Consequently, one of the paramilitaryFreikorps active in the period of theWeimar Republic took the name “Freikorps Lützow.”[2]
The story of the Lützow Free Corps served as the basis for several historical films:
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