La Grande Armée (Episode 2) - The Infantry & Officer Corps [0:00-5:00]

Music Now that we're across the organisation and leadership of La Grande Armee, we can delve into the composition of its three major combat arms, the infantry, the cavalry and the artillery. And there's no better place to begin than in the thick of things with the infantry. There existed many different categories of infantry within La Grande Armee, all of which were into primer. We'll start by looking at the Fuziliye and the Grenadeye found in line regiments. Fuziliye were the bog-standard mainstay infantry. The most important objective was to form the main line of battle upon which the other combat arms could hinge. The basic tactical requirement demanded a flexible type of soldier, one who could advance with draw, attack or defend as the situation required. Drilled in the full range of maneuvers, Fuziliye could adopt specific formations like anti-cavary squares, flying columns or firing ranks. In other words, the Fuziliye were generalists, able to do a bit of everything. Grenadeye, or Grenadeyes, likewise were able to maintain the line of battle, but were also called upon to servers on call assault troops. When a position had to be seized or a vanguard sent into a breach, Grenadeye companies were usually stripped from their parent battalions and formed into a provisional Grenadeye battalion, or possibly a division-sized Grenadeye reserve. And hot Grenadeye units of all sizes played substantial roles in all of Napoleon's campaigns, as they were often placed under the care of some of his most aggressive commanders. Despite their name, Grenadeyes didn't use Grenades at all and were equipped identically to the Fuziliye. What distinguished them were bespoke uniforms, completed by a tall, baskin shackle. Another quirk of the Grenadeyes was their unusual height. To become a Grenadeye, a fuselage had to have at least two years of exemplary service and be over five foot six inches tall. Better paying privileges were also conferred on the Grenadeye, who knew that if he kept his chin up, he was well on his way to admission into the Imperial Guard. At Napoleon's behalf to the Ministry of War began to organise regiments by region. Rural or urban areas originated most of the line regiments of Grenadeyes and Fuziliye, while mountainous or forested departments provided the light regiments. Roots over five foot one inches in height went to the line regiments, while those under this limit went to the light infantry. Outside of combat, light infantry hunted, scouted, foraged and acted as centuries. In combat, all light infantry was skirmishes, who provided screening and reconnaissance for the main line of battle. These duties necessitated light infantry assume a loose formation, with several pieces between the individuals. Even adaptability were prized over outright courage, as in the line infantry. Successful light infantry had to be able to play fast and loose with malleable tactics and formations. The principal light infantry unit was the Chasseur, meaning hunter in French, the name might imply that these troops were like marksmen, meant to pick out enemy officers. Shops shooting like this would have been tarf as Chasseur were equipped with the same musket as the Fuziliye. One of their purpose was to harass the enemy in battle with a constant hail of fire. Any attempt to retaliate against the Chasseur would see them withdraw in a wake of gun smoke into a protected position, ideally behind trees or bumpy terrain. A more specialised type of light infantry were called vertigeur, vultures or leapers in French. They were integrated into line regiments as in-house light infantry. They served identically to the Chasseur, safer one key difference. Vultigeur were issued rifled carbines. In skilled hands they were deadly out to a few hundred pieces. As such, Vultigeur fulfilled a niche as marksmen, able to spot and shoot point targets like officers and musicians at longer ranges. Scirmishing with an enemy line invariably brought out enemy skirmishes and light cavalry in contest. They've charged or caught out in the open, Chasseur and Vultigeur didn't stand a chance as they couldn't form the dense defensive formations of their Fuziliye comrades. The best protection was mobility and good cover. Failing that, if enemy skirmishes pressed to close or cavalry loomed, the Carabinier API were called upon. The Carabinier API were a mix of Chasseur and Grenadier. Their job was to protect friendly skirmishes or close with and kill those of the enemy.