In 2004, Museum Inspector Lene Høst-Madsen made a unique discovery during the excavation in central Copenhagen of Mærskgrunden near the Esplanade for the construction of a new office building. Under Frederik 5, the area at Kalleboderne that was under reclamation for the building of the so-called Frederiksstad was filled with trash and debris from Copenhagen. Because the area was especially damp with a low water table, many things, for example textiles, that otherwise would have fallen apart, have survived to today in surprisingly good shape. Sadly, there was not enough time to excavate the whole area, but wonderful that these items were saved.

One of the unique finds from the excavation that is of interest from a military history perspective is a front piece/plate of a grenadier cap from probably around 1700. The textile piece is decorated with embroidery, which shows the Jutland Lion with nine red hearts under it surrounded by a laurel wreath with a grenade embroidered above it. Measurements are ca. 18cm x 23cm. Based on the holes in the edges; it appears to have been fastened to something on the backside, perhaps a plate, or the bag in the back.

The cap must have belonged to a grenadier from the Jyske geworbne Infanteriregiment, and was thrown out during a cleaning of perhaps the Kastellet, which is located right next to the place of discovery. The Kastellet was the main fortress of Copenhagen at the time.

Dating the cap cannot be exact because the cap does not have any royal monogram on it, but the item must be a cap from the end of Christian 5's reign (1670-1699) and before 1709-1712. Three contemporary illustrations are known with a similar low front plate, a painting from 1701 in Norway (Frederiksten) (see right), a drawing from the same place, and an engraving from Gyldenløve's funeral in 1703 (that section where one sees his casket being carried, while a few, small grenadiers, probably from the Fodgarden, stand and present arms, see left). The typical grenadier cap from the middle of the 1700's, the so-called mitre cap, which one for example sees on the picture of Crown Prince Christian (6) ca. 1726 and the figure of the Grenadier Corps from Worgewitz in 1729, was introduced well after 1712. The high grenadier cap with gilded front plate that one sees the Grenadier Corps wearing at Gyldenløve's funeral was specially made for this regiment, and was possibly an imitation of the contemporary headgear of the janissaries.

Grenadiers, as is known, were introduced during the Scanian War, and they quickly received the characteristic headgear, caps are expressly named in the sources as a sign of distinction. One knows, however, that in 1686 the grenadiers of the Fodgarden wore a wide-brimmed hat with gold lace, not a special grenadier cap. The same is true in other countries at this point in time, so the explanation that grenadier caps were introduced in order to throw a hand grenade more easily is just a myth.

The colors of the bag and base of the cap in the illustration are pure guesswork. Likewise, the bag could be stiffer, as for example one sees in France or Sweden.

The illustrated figure is shown wearing the so-called cassock, a garment worn over the uniform coat, perhaps an item that would be called known today an overcoat. Such an over garment was introduced during the Scanian War with the designation of raincoat or pie coat (piekjole and pajkjol). The pie coat is also mentioned for the Fodgarden in 1686, but if there were different models over time is uncertain, but probable. The "pierock" were replaced by cassocks in the Garden til fods with an order of 7 February 1682, and changed to surtout (coat) on 2 August 1702. The Guard's cassocks appear to have been retained or hidden away, since they are again in use during the 1710 Campaign. Danish soldiers in cassocks are identified for example from a description of the Danish troops in Ireland. In an Irish letter the Danish troops in Ireland in 1690 are mentioned: "The Prince of Wirtemberg came hither on Tuesday, and Duke Schomberg met him with great state and ceremony. The Prince is a jolly man, much like Prince George. All the Danes are comely proper men as can be seen; the foot are everything that can be wished for by a general - lusty, healthy, rugged fellows, well disciplined, well clothed, very neat and cleanly, arms as bright as silver, all firelocks, a cuttock (cartouch ?) boxes, their colour green lined with red, blue lined with white, grey lined with blue and grey lined with green, and every man a cloak, or such a cloak as the Dutch Guards wear, and you shall not see a man with a hole in any part of his clothing; those I see of the horse are white lined with white and buff waistcoats."

The development of the cassock appears to have varied from country to country. It is thought that this garment was introduced in Northern Europe because of the little ice age that began at the end of the 1600's. The cassock disappeared completely from the army's uniforms after 1708, and field cloaks were first introduced during the Napoleonic Wars, while special watch cloaks were first introduced around 1750.

The fastening of the cassock was either by buttons, shown in the illustration, or by a hook and eye system.