Saxony is and was a large land-locked state at the conjunction of many trade routes through central Europe. Consequently it had a large army, and military conscription of its young men. Every young man had to register for military service, and, if he had not yet served, had to get special permission to emigrate.
Until 1872, when Saxony was incorporated into the German Union by Prussia, it had its own army. After that the army was absorbed by Prussia into an all-German army. This take-over and the fiercesome reputation of the Prussian army induced many young men to emigrate unlawfully. Warrants were issued, and guards stationed at the quayside to catch these emigrating draft-dodgers.
Evidence that an ancestor actually served in the military can sometimes be found in family records, biographies, photographs, emigration papers, medals, probate records, civil registration records and church records. These need to be consulted in order to determine his regiment or commanding officer. Commanding officers can usually be matched against their units quite easily. Photographs sometimes show insignia that identify the regiment. Identification of the regiment is the key to accessing military records.
The earliest Saxson military records date from around 1485, and usually only list the names of officers. Records from the middle 19th century often give information about promotions, places served, pensions, conduct etc. They may also include details about their age, birthplace, residence, occupation and physical description. However many provide these details only about officers.
There are seven major types of records:
Pre-1872 Saxon military records are stored in the various Saxon State Archives, which have been detailed in:
Post-1872 Prussian military records, which now included Saxons, were almost completely destroyed in 1945 by the invading Soviet armies. However if you can identify the town where the regiment was garrisoned, the records of that town should provide some details on the units stationed there. There were books published before WWII which might help, but unfortunately the ones I know only cover the period from 1714-1867, which was before the Saxon army was incorporated into that of Prussia.
Saxons frequently served with or in the armies of other countries.
Before 1772, the Danish army was made up mostly of German soldiers and officers. The army began to recruit more Danes, and by 1803 was entirely Danish. Consequently Dannish miltary records should not be ignored.
Saxons served on both sides of the American Revolution, so both British and US records should be consulted. It is commonly thought that the 25,000 mercenary troops recruited by the British were exclusively Hessians. They may have been called that, but they came from most parts of Germany including Saxony. You should consult:
About 10% or 200,000 Union soldiers in the American Civil War were born in Germany. Many were recruited off the boat and others were drafted. Some also served in the Confederate Army. Their records may also be consulted.
The Thirty Years' War was fought throughout central Europe from 1618-1648, between "Protestant" and "Catholic" factions. Saxony was Lutheran, and hence on the "Protestant" side, as were the armies of the king of Norway and Denmark and the king of Sweden. Saxon men were recruited into these armies, and their families became camp followers. When the armies eventually retreated or retired to their home countries, many of these Saxons followed for one reason or another. Hence Swedish and Norwegian records should be consulted. They may solve the riddle of that missing ancestor.
If you can provide more specific details of military records in Saxony, I would be pleased to hear from you, and will include your information on this page for the benefit of others.
Saxon Genealogy
Copyright: ©2001 Jon Kehrer, Canberra