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Birth Name: Olofsson, Torsten, 1704 –1766
Unit: Närke-Värmland regementet, Överstelöjtnantens kompani [Närke-Värmland Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel’s Company]
Served: ca. 1728 – 1763
Torsten Olufsson enlisted on May 28, 1728 as soldier No. 179 for the Maggeby rota in Sunne Parish, Värmland. He appears in the 1732, 1737, 1744 and 1753 general musters of the regiment. He could not be located in the 1759 muster on Maggeby, but the rota allotments beyond 172 are not listed in that muster, due to being in the field on active duty. Sunne parish Household Examination Records for the period 1757-1764 and 1765-1771 show Torsten’s family living on the Åleby farm, and he is given the designation soldat. He must have served as soldier for that rota until just before he died in 1766. He is therefore not listed in the next general muster in 1767. The 1767 general muster shows the Maggeby allotment vacant as of 1763.
Torsten was too young to see service in the Great Northern War, which had ended some seven years prior to his enlistment. During his thirty-five years in the Regiment, there would only be two major campaigns, the Russo-Swedish War [Hattarnas ryska krig] (1741–1743) and the Seven-Years War [Sjuårskriget] (1756–1763). It is noteworthy that the move to Åleby occurred during the period of the Seven-Years War, and this is also the time when many of the rota listings for the Överstelöjtnantens kompani are missing—this may be evidence that Torsten was one of the 1,100 men in the regiment (1 battalion and three companies) sent into the field in Pomerania against the Prussians.[1]
The sketch by Einar von Strokirch below shows what the Regiment might have looked like in action against the Prussians.
The Närke-Värmland Regiment was established in 1624 and integrated into the Swedish military allotment system on May 11th 1686 (for Närke) and June 25th 1688 (for Värmland). In 1812 the Regiment was divided into two new units, the Närke Regiment (I21) and the Värmland Regiment (I22).
The Närke-Värmland Regiment was based on the fänikor[2] raised in Värmland and Dalsland in the 16th century. In 1614 Gustav II Adolf formed a landsregemente [grand regiment] of 3,600 soldiers from the Värmland, Närke and Södermanland fänikor. In 1624 the Grand Regiment was separated into the Södermanland Regiment and the Närke-Värmland Regiment. With the 1634 constitutional reorganization of the Swedish Army, the Närke-Värmland regiment became the 19th Regiment. At that time, the regiment was allotted a total of 1,674 rotar (allotment soldiers) organized into ten companies, all from the provinces of Närke and Värmland; 474 rotar formed three companies in Närke and 1,200 rotar formed seven companies in Värmland.
The seven Värmland companies were: Överstelöjtnantens kompani [the Lieutenant Colonel’s Company], Kristinehamns kompani [Kristinehamn Company], Älvdals kompani [Älvdal Company], Karlstads kompani [Karlstad Company] Jösse härads kompani [Jösse District Company], Näs härads kompani [Näs District Company] and the Nordmarks kompani [Nordmark Company]. The three Närke companies were added: Livkompaniet [First (or Life) Company], Örebro kompani [Örebro Company] and Majorens kompani [the Major’s Company]. The Överstelöjtnantens kompani was comprised of rotar from parishes within the Fryksdal and Grums härader [districts], including the parish of Sunne in Fryksdal where the Maggeby rota allotment was located
During Torsten’s period of service the Regimental commanders were Carl Knutsson Posse (1728–1737); Gustaf Gadde 1737–1738; Henric Magnus von Buddenbrock 1738–1743; Carl Henrik Wrangel 1743–1748; and Pehr Kalling 1748–1765.
For most of his time in service, Torsten would have worn the standard pre-1756 Carolean infantry uniform of the time (see the uniform description for Sven Akerblöm published previously). Prior to 1756 several units had variations on the standard uniform (primarily trim and lining colors). These variations were gradually phased out:
The Västerbotten regiment was in 1748 assigned the standard colors of their uniforms. Previously their coats were blue with white details. Now these details became yellow like the majority of the regiments. In 1753 the red details of the Jönköping and Värmland regiments was reduced to only collars, cuffs and linings. Trousers and waistcoats now received the standard yellow color.
Then, in 1756, about the time the Regiment would have participated in the Seven-Years War, a new uniform standard was issued:
Long-coat and cloak were to be made of blue Swedish broadcloth. Collars of coat and cloak were to be made of yellow broadcloth. The lining was to be yellow smooth serge. The cloak was to be equipped with two smaller brass buckles. The cloak was, like earlier, circular and made in three different sizes. The long coat was equipped with 19 large tin buttons, of which 10 were in front down to the waistline. The remaining buttons were on pocket flaps, on either side of the coat and one on the left shoulder to keep the bandoleer to the cartridge pouch in place. The vest (waistcoat) was provided with sleeves and made of yellow Swedish broadcloth. Also the knee-short trousers (breeches) were made of yellow broadcloth and had a square opening with a cover in front, an attached fall-front, (flies didn’t exist at the time).The headgear was the three-cornered hat, or tricorne, and was equipped with a tin button and had at the time a high brim. The scarf was black and made of wool crepon. Crepon is a thin fabric made from silk or fine wool. Footwear was shoes with a brass buckle. The stockings were white and made of wool. The hair was to be piled up in a queue [stångpiska], also known as pigtail. The 1756 regulation was foremost an establishment and clarification of the already existing conditions of the clothing. In the 1760s there was an increasing criticism of the homogeneous colors of the army uniform. The homogeneous colors made it difficult for the generals to manage the different regiments in battle since the homogeneous colors made it impossible to identify single regiments of the Swedish army
[1] In 1757, a battalion of the regiment (4 companies of about 600 men) was part of the expeditionary force sent to Pomerania under Field Marshal Mathias Alexander von Ungern Sternberg. The regiment remained in Pomerania until 1761. In 1758, 3 additional companies (500 men) of the regiment were sent to Pomerania to reinforce the Swedish expeditionary force operating against Prussia. See: Project Seven Years War. 2019. Närke-Värmlands Infantry.. https://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=N%C3%A4rke-V%C3%A4rmlands_Infantry.
[2] Fänika: An infantry unit approximately equivalent to the company or battalion which was used in parts of Europe during the Middle Ages. The size of the unit varied and could consist of as many as 1,000 soldiers, but numbers were generally less, around 500. See: Wikipedia. Fähnlein. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A4hnlein
[3] Hogman, Hans. 2019. Military. Uniforms of the Swedish Army–1700s, http://www.hhogman.se/uniforms-army-sweden-1800s-cavalry1.htm
[4] Hogman, Hans. 2019. Military: Uniforms of the Swedish Army– Uniform m/1756. http://www.hhogman.se/uniforms-army-sweden-1700s.htm