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A United Divide: Cooperation and Reform in the Military of the German Confederation R Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2015 A United Divide: Cooperation and Reform in the Military of the German Confederation R. A. Brownlee Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES A UNITED DIVIDE: COOPERATION AND REFORM IN THE MILITARY OF THE GERMAN CONFEDERATION By R. A. BROWNLEE A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2015 © 2014 R.A. BROWNLEE R.A. Brownlee defended this thesis on March 31, 2015. The members of the supervisory committee were: G. Kurt Piehler Professor Directing Thesis George Williamson Committee Member Johnathan Grant Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii To my mother and father, whose love and support made this thesis possible. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Carl von Clausewitz wrote “In the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards …. From the very start there is an interplay of possibilities, probabilities, good luck and bad that weaves its way throughout the length and breadth of the tapestry.”1 He could have also been speaking about the formulation of a master’s thesis. With any project such as this, there are many people who aided in its completion, who helped me outweigh the bad luck with their great advice and constant support. First and foremost are my graduate committee members: Dr. G. Kurt Piehler, Dr. George Williamson, and Dr. Jonathan Grant. Dr. Piehler granted me the freedom to work on a topic of my choosing, even when it did not align with his own preferred research interests, and gave me continued encouragement along the way. Dr. Williamson was an ever-present ally in my quest to search out German primary and secondary sources; his knowledge of nineteenth and twentieth century Germany was at times intimidating, and always helpful. His notes and feedback on my early drafts helped refine my ideas and arguments, which was no small task considering the requisite amount of refining. Dr. Grant joined my committee toward the end of my master’s thesis, but his teaching was an inspiration to my early graduate career and his assistance in this process was invaluable. During my time at Florida State University, I also had the privilege of working with other professors and colleagues who supported me in myriad ways. Dr. Ed Gray and Dr. Jonathan Sheppard were excellent mentors during my work as a teaching assistant. Dr. Ed Wynot and Dr. Jim Jones, who have over 100 years teaching experience between them, were outstanding 1 Carl von Clausewitz, On War, ed. Peter Paret (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1976), 86. iv motivators and lecturers during my tenure in graduate school. Dr. Andrew Frank reviewed my work at its earliest stage and gave me great research suggestions, especially from the perspective of a non-European historian. I am greatly in his debt for the questions he forced me to ask about my work. While my professors were great source of knowledge and feedback, my other colleagues in graduate school were just as critical to the completion of this project. Shawn Bergstrom, Kyle Bracken, Hillary Sebeny, Chris Sherwood, Sean Klimek, and Richard Davis all contributed in a number of ways, whether reading and editing drafts or providing encouragement along the way; no one knows the fire like the other embers. I would like to especially thank Shawn Bergstrom for always keeping me honest and on task, as only another Army veteran could, and becoming one of my best friends in the process. Of course, no historical research is conducted alone. I am grateful for all of the library, archival, and scholarly staff that aided me on this journey. The Strozier Library at Florida State University is an amazing resource on par with any library in the world. Their staff and interlibrary loan experts were able to provide me with material I did not think possible without going abroad. Dennoch, ein deutscher Historiker muss an die Quelle gehen. At each of the four German state archives I visited, I encountered friendly faces and motivated people. I would specifically like to thank Dr. Wolfgang Mährle, Andrea Hede, and Irene Kremser at the Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart, Dr. Rainer Brüning and Frank Poller at the Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe, Dr. Lother Saupe, Herr Hutek, and Herr Kirner at the Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Abteilung IV Kriegsarchiv, and Andrea Tonert at the Hauptstaatsarchiv Dresden. I found the same dedication and encouragement from the staff at the Bundesarchiv-Berlin-Lichterfelde, and am very grateful for all the help I received there. v Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for all their support. My parents, Richard and Gloria Brownlee, never failed to support me in any way they could; their love and support has meant the world to me. My sister, Alanna, always relayed her pride in my venture and I am forever appreciative for her love as well. I hope that this thesis provides some measure of scholarly worth to those who read it. Much of its merit will have come from the assistance and guidance of the aforementioned people, but all of the mistakes and errors are my own. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................................x INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1 THE GENESIS OF THE MILITARY OF THE GERMAN CONFEDERATION ..8 The German Question at Vienna, 1814-1820 ................................................................................10 The Formation of the Federal Army, 1817-1822 ...........................................................................17 CHAPTER 2 MILITARY REFORM IN THE VORMÄRZ .........................................................36 The Grasp for Germany, Dualism, Trias, and the Zollverein ........................................................37 The German States and Their Militaries, 1815-1840.....................................................................43 Military Reform in the German Confederation, 1830-1848 ..........................................................56 CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................................................70 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................................................72 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .........................................................................................................79 vii LIST OF FIGURES 1. Steigentesch’s Proposal for Bundesheer Contingent Sizes, 6 June 1818 ..................................22 2. Map of Austria’s Proposed Defense of Germany’s Western Border .........................................23 3. Map of Possible Operational Plan for Bundesheer, Württemberg General Staff ......................32 4. Bavarian First Army Corps, 1848 ..............................................................................................48 5. Bavarian Second Army Corps, 1848 .........................................................................................49 6. Württemberg Army Dislocation 1816, King’s Guard and Cavalry ...........................................51 7. Württemberg Army Dislocation 1816, Artillery and Infantry ...................................................52 8. Württemberg Army Dislocation 1816, Infantry and Reserves ..................................................53 9. Accuracy Test for Saxon Rifle Reform .....................................................................................55 viii ABBREVIATIONS BA-BL Bundesarchiv, Berlin-Lichterfelde Bayer. HStA KA Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Abteilung IV Kriegsarchiv B.W. HStA Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart GLA Karlsruhe Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe Sächs. HStA Sächsisches Hauptstaatsarchiv ix ABSTRACT This thesis examines the role of the German Confederation in the military affairs of pre- 1848 Germany, specifically the Bundesheer, or Federal Army, of the Confederation. By observing the creation of the Federal Army, the military crises of the 1830s and 1840s, and the federal and state military reforms of the Vormärz period, this thesis demonstrates that a number of military reforms and advances occurred at both the federal and state levels and that these reforms were only made possible through the framework and institutions of the German Confederation. x INTRODUCTION In the early nineteenth century, Germany, or more accurately the myriad German states in Central Europe, faced a period of transition. Napoleon had dissolved the moribund Holy Roman Empire in 1806, which left Germany without the imperial body it had known for almost a thousand years. After Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo, the German states had the chance to form a new political union. However, the political entity established within
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