The Habsburg Military - 1866
The Empire of Austria had at the beginning of the war an area of about 294,000 square miles, and a population of about 35,000,000 inhabitants, of many nationalities, such as German, Slave, Magyar, and Czech. Its annual receipts amounted to 48,850,000£, its annual expenditure to almost 52,100,000£, so that every year there was a considerable deficit. To the army and navy 11,700,000£ were annually devoted. The national debt amounted in April 1864 to 309,600,000£.
The Austrian army in 1866 consisted of
- 80 Infantry regiments of the Line (1—80)
- 1 Imperial regiment
- 32 Battalions of Feldjagers (1—32)
- 14 Border Infantry regiments 1—14)
- 1 Border Infantry battalion (Titler)
- 12 Cuirass regiments (1—12)
- 2 Regiments of Dragoons (1—2)
- 14 Regiments of Hussars (1—14)
- 13 Regiments of Uhlans (1—13)
Each regiment of Infantry of the Line consisted in peace of four battalions and a depot. The fourth battalion to which the depot was attached remained in peace in the district to which the regiment belonged, and served as a depot battalion, while the three first battalions were, as a rule, quartered in a totally different province than that from which their recruits were drawn. In time of war the depot was formed into a depot division, and the fourth battalion was sent into some fortress as a garrison battalion, while the three first battalions were sent into the field to join the army of maneuver. Each battalion mustered, or ought to have mustered, in war, 1,018 combatants, divided among six companies. Every two companies formed the so-called division: each company consisted of two sub-divisions.
The cuirass regiments, which were originally Cuirassiers, but had previously to the war of 1866 laid aside the cuirass, formed the whole of the heavy cavalry. Each cuirass regiment, with the exception of the eighth, the old Dampier Cuirassiers (which, on account of privilege derived as early as 1619, had never been reduced, and still contained six squadrons), consisted of five squadrons. Every light cavalry regiment consisted of six squadrons. At the outbreak of the war each regiment of cavalry left one of its squadrons as a depot squadron at home. The squadron contained one hundred and forty-nine mounted men. The whole cavalry mustered 29,000 sabres.
The field artillery consisted of twelve regiments, of which nine were formed to accompany the corps d'armee of infantry; the remaining three were intended to form the army artillery of reserve, and to be attached to the cavalry of reserve. The regiment of coast-artillery was divided into four battalions, of which the first and second battalion had in war each five active companies, two mountain batteries of eight guns, and one depot company. The third and fourth battalions each had six active companies and one depot company. The heavy batteries of the field artillery were armed with muzzle-loading rifled 8-poundcr guns; the light with muzzleloading rifled 4-pounder guns; the mountain batteries with rifled 3-pounders. Garrison artillery of the latest pattern consisted of rifled breach-loading guns, 6-, 12-, 24-, and 48-pounders; but there are still many smooth-bored guns and howitzers in the armaments of the fortresses.
In each year in Austria from 80,000 to 85,000 recruits were called into the army. The time of service was ten years, of which the last two were spent in the reserve. In the Infantry the recruit was kept from one to three years with the colours, in the Cavalry seven or eight years, in the Engineers and Artillery three years: he was, after his period of actual presence with his corps expired, dismissed to his home on furlough, and called out annually for military exercise till he had accomplished eight years' service, when he was transferred to the reserve. In case of war the men on furlough were called in to fill up the ranks of the army of operation, the men of the reserve to join the depot and garrison corps.
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