Volz doesn't say what position Trenck held other than "Cornett"
Clarification for cahn: this is a military rank, the lowest rank of a commissioned officer in the cavalry. When a nobleman like Trenck joined the army, he would start out as a cornet (the usual English spelling) and work his way up the ranks. The next rank up was lieutenant.
Historically, the cornet, like his infantry equivalent the ensign, was responsible for carrying the flag for his unit. By the 18th century, though, there wasn't a 1-1 relationship between cornets/ensigns and standard-bearers.
Lol, I just discovered a neat thing. There's this one book I read in second grade that's what I always think of when I think of carrying a flag. It's called Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charley?, and it's about a boy who wants to be chosen to carry the flag at school. Amazon tells me the protagonist is named Charley Cornett. I can tell you that flew right past me when I was seven!
Re: Trenck discussion
Clarification for
Historically, the cornet, like his infantry equivalent the ensign, was responsible for carrying the flag for his unit. By the 18th century, though, there wasn't a 1-1 relationship between cornets/ensigns and standard-bearers.
Lol, I just discovered a neat thing. There's this one book I read in second grade that's what I always think of when I think of carrying a flag. It's called Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charley?, and it's about a boy who wants to be chosen to carry the flag at school. Amazon tells me the protagonist is named Charley Cornett. I can tell you that flew right past me when I was seven!