Military terminology

[Karen Kelsey]

I have studied two families that were in the military, and I need some information.  Anders Fredrik Hägg, born 17-Jan. 1854 in Rök, had Lifgrenadjären in front of his name.  I assume that was a military title that inferred rank?  Also, listed was the following:  No. 63 Ombergs Kompani Kungliga 1st lifgrenadjärsregementet.  Could someone tell me how these regiments were organized, and how important this person would have been?
    The second name is Jakob Andersson Lindell, an ancestor who spent 26 years in Landskrona and Långholmen prisons for the murder of his father-in-law in 1870.  He was listed as a dragon in the Wemmenhog's (or Vemmenhog's) Squadron of the Royal Skanska Dragon Regiment. When I find military titles, where would I look for an interpretation of rank?  How were these military units organized?  Were they national army units, provincial units or county units?  Was the Wemmenhog Squadron from one area of Scåne?  If this topic has already been covered, perhaps you could point me to the answer.  Thanks in advance!

[Dean Wood]

Hello Karen,
 
Answers to your questions and much, much more are contained in Hans Högman's web page at:
 
http://www.algonet.se/~hogman/slahem.htm
 
Explore it all -- it's very informative!
 
Mvh,
      Dean Wood

[Judy Olson Baouab]

Karen,  
 
Also check out the SweGGate site and follow the pathway: Themes --> Military
 
http://www.rootsweb.com/~swewgw/
 
Judy

[Hans Högman]

Hi Karen,
Lifgrenadjären is not a military rank. However it tells you what kind of soldier he was. A “lifgrenadjär” means Life Grenadier and he served in a grenadier regiment, in your case the First Life Grenadier Regiment (Första Livgrenadjärregementet, I4).
So, a lifgrenadjär or a more modern spelling livgrenadjär, is a soldier at a Life Grenadier Regiment. He served in the Omberg Company. His “rote” number was 63 (soldier number). The First Life Grenadier Regiment was formerly Östgöta Infantry Regiment which was first established in 1636 as the Östgöta Infantry Regiment. The regiment was linked to the Allotment System in 1685.  
In 1791 the regiment was merged with the Östgöta Cavalry Regiment and the infantry part of the regiments received the name; The rotehåll division of the Life Grenadier Regiment (Livgrenadjärsregementets rotehållsdivision). The cavalry regiment was then a dismounted regiment.
In 1816 the new regiment was divided and reorganized into the two old regiments. The former infantry regiment received the name the First Life Grenadier Regiment (Första Livgrenadjärregementet, I4) and the former cavalry regiment received the name the Second Life Grenadier Regiment (Andra Livgrenadjärregementet, I5).
The location of the primary Garrison of the First Life Grenadier Regiment was from 1922 the city of Linköping, Östergötland County.
A grenadier was originally a soldier armed with hand grenades. The grenadier first fired his musket and then he would light the fuse of the grenade and throw it. The grenadiers were the first to be equipped with bayonets (beginning of the 18tn century). They were also equipped with a kind of grenade rifles.
Later when the range of fire of the muskets increased the role of the grenadier changed. In stead the best grenadiers formed an elite unit.
At the end of the 18th century the grenadier units became ordinary infantry units.  
You will find an interpretation of military ranks at  
Military Ranks
When you study the Swedish military system you have to understand the Allotment System (Indelningsverket). In 1682 the Swedish Armed forces was reorganized and a system called The Allotment System was introduced. The allotment system was the system of organizing and financing the Swedish armed forces in earlier times.
The way the soldiers were recruited to the allotted regiments differed from the enlisted regiments.
Before the New Allotment System the soldiers in the provincial regiments were recruited by an involuntary conscript system (utskrivning).
In the new system the soldiers were recruited and maintained by the farmers in each province. In the Allotment System the term “rote” is important to understand.
 
The infantry regiments normally had 1200 soldiers. Therefore each province was divided into 1200 districts (allotments) called rotar (its one “rote” but two “rotar”).  
The farmers within each rote together had to provide a soldier to the regiment of that province. In return the farmers were exempted from having to serve as a soldier (as long as they provided a soldier).
So each regiment in a province had a number of districts (rotar) providing a soldier for the regiment.
The number of farmers per rote depended of the “mantal” which was a tax return code. Normally there would be 2 - 4 farmers per rote providing a soldier.
 
Along side with the allotted regiments there were also the more traditional enlisted regiments (värvade regementen).
The soldiers in the enlisted regiments were recruited in a more normal way and had cash wages paid by the Crown. This was the way soldiers were recruited in Europe.  
Those regiments were garrisoned in the cities.    
The majority of the regiments were the allotted regiments. Both the allotted regiments and the enlisted regiments were regular army units.
For more information on the Allotment system, see The Allotment System  
Hans

[Hans Högman]

Karen, I realized I didn't answer your question about the dragoon regiment.
The Scanian Dragoon Regiment (Skånska dragonregementet) was first established in 1676. The regiment was attached to the Allotment System in 1680 and then received the name the South Scanian Cavalry Regiment (Södra Skånska kavalleriregementet, K6).  
In 1822 the regiment received the name Scanian Dragoon Regiment (Skånska dragonregementet). In 1893 the regiment was reorganized into an enlisted regiment.  
The regiment was allotted with 1000 cavalrymen (1000 “rusthåll”) and formed 8 squadrons. All of the rusthåll were located in the eastern and southern parts of province of Skåne (510 in the county of Malmöhus, 490 in the county of Kristianstad).  
Vemmenhögs Squadron was the 8th squadron of the regiment.
The location of the primary Garrison of the Regiment was from 1882 the city of Ystad, southern Skåne.  
 
An infantry rote was in the cavalry called rusthåll. The cavalry “rusthåll” was organized in a bit different way than the infantry “rote”.
The farmer in a cavalry rusthåll had a personal contract with the Crown stating that he had to provide a cavalryman, horse and uniform. The contract was a voluntary agreement between the crown and the proprietor of an independent farm.
 
Dragoons were formerly mounted infantry. They traveled on horseback to the battlefield but they fought as foot soldiers. As mounted infantry they were very mobile units. It happened that dragoons fought as cavalry in battles. However, this was a type of warfare they weren't trained for and could end up in disaster.
During the 18th century the dragoons were more and more used as cavalry and therefore also trained as cavalry. Finally it was only the name that separated them from the light cavalry. During the 19th century dragoons was a term for heavy cavalry.
Hans

[Karen Kelsey]

Thanks for such a thorough answer!  I have one more question: In 1899 one of my ancestors wrote a letter saying that he was back home again, after serving his soldier duty at Kristianstad.  He was 20 years old, and returned home (Scåne) to take over his morfars farm (a tenant farmer) on the Nasbyholm estate.  When he spent two years in the Swedish military, did he fulfill the obligation of his provincial rote to provide a soldier, even though he was only a two year draftee?  When these young people did their soldier duty, did they become the soldiers who fulfilled the demands of the allotment system, or were they simply extra soldiers who helped augment the regiments - both enlisted and allotted?
  Thanks!

[Hans Högman]

Karen, Kristianstad is a city in the Skåne province.
The allotted and enlisted soldiers were employed soldiers. It was their profession. They had no obligation to serve as soldiers. They had voluntarily signed up as servicemen.  
When you mention “soldier duty” I think that it refers to the involuntary military conscript system that was introduced in 1812 and was a system of draftees in parallel with the professional soldiers. This system was called “Beväringen” in Swedish. Beväringen was an early forerunner to the National Service System introduced in 1901.  
Every male between the ages of 21 to 25 was required to serve in the military.
Initially the draftees of the “beväringen” were trained together with the soldiers from the Allotment System. Later, however, beväringen were organized into their own Battalions (beväringsbataljoner). The draftees were a kind of reinforcement troops (augment).
The length of the training period was initially only 12 days per year. First in 1856 the training was changed to 30 days over a two year period.
In 1885 the length of the training period for the beväringen increased to 42 days per year. In addition, the number of years the male population was liable for military service was increased from 5 to 6 years.
In 1892 the length of the training period for the beväringen once again was increased; 90 days per year became the required training period. Additionally, the male population was now liable for military service up to12 years.
 
Finally, in 1901 the Allotment System was abandoned. Sweden then changed to a national service / draft service (allmän värnplikt) system with a conscript army (värnpliktsarmé).
 
You mentioned that he spent two years in the military. As mentioned above, the draftees of the Beväringen did not spend that long time in the military.
This rather indicates that your ancestor was an allotted soldier provided by a “rote”. The short period of only two years as a serviceman could be explained by the fact that the Allotment System was about to be abolished (1901) and a lot of “rotar” was vacated during the last years of the Allotment System.  
So, maybe he signed up as a soldier in 1897 and left the army in 1899?
If he was a draftee, you ought to be able to find his military enrollment number (inskrivningsnummer) in the clerical Household Examination Rolls (Hfl).
In 1885 every draftee / conscript (värnpliktig)) was assigned a three-part registration number, the so-called enrollment number (inskrivningsnummer). The three parts of the number consisted of; a serial number for the individual, a number for the roll keeping area and year of enrollment and was written in the form SSS RRR/YY, for example 102 153/92.
Hans

[Karen Kelsey]

You have been very helpful!  I am not sure that Nils Gustav Ahlgren spent two years in the military, so I will re-read the letters.  I must have guessed at the length of his service, since there hadn't been letters from him for awhile.  Also, I come from a different culture, and I tend to make assumptions!  I will look into this matter more closely.  I think that you are correct, and that Gustav spent 90 days at Kristianstad.  Thanks again!