La Grande Armée (Episode 2) - The Infantry & Officer Corps [81:42-86:44]

It's worth noting that in the French system, there were a few duplicate positions. So for instance, same major en secant or colonel en secant, have no modern equivalence, but are best understood as co or vice positions in context. Worth things so easy for staff ranks. You've already seen most of the permanent and temporary staff rankings in our look at companies through to regiments. As Joie, Asjutant, and Major were prefixes attached to various offers of ranks, which denote its specific functions within the staff. As Joie meant junior, and applied to captain and lieutenant ranks. Asjutant, denoted seniority, but in context something closer to Poe or deputy, as they were seconded to a major position at General's rank. It's all very confusing, so don't worry about it, especially since we've covered it already. It's enough to know that staff officer ranks preceded regular officer ranks. There are a few of the ranks worth mentioning which have no modern equivalent. A colonel generale served in all cases as a senior inspector in all branches. Non-emotional core commanders had no official rank, no commandant du Cour. They were either a general du division, simply an overall core command, or a lieutenant general in charge of a core-sized reserve. A commandant was a garrison commander in charge of a fortification. Given a town or city was a military governor, a gouverneur. And finally we have the most famous of all French ranks, Malchial, Marshal of the Empire. Given the importance of the Marshal extending well beyond just its military matters, it'll get its own treatment in a separate episode. The quality of life as an officer depended on two things, seniority and personal wealth. An officer of any rank who with some independent wealth could live comfortably off campaign. Officers of mega means might be more dependent on their wages or regimental allowances to live with the dignity befitting an officer. A major expense was the uniform, always more elaborate than those of the enlisted ranks. All infantry officers required distinctive coats topped with their badge of office, golden epolets. Around their necks hung a gilje of polished metal, and at the side a sabbure briquet or an epée. Depending on the unit, an officer's chaco, their skin or micon had to be worn too. The initial expense of buying all this kit was excessive. A promotion from the ranks brought with it a gratuity, usually enough to cover the basics of the uniform, but in all other cases an officer had to pay their own way. The most to this was tough, an officer might be a gentleman, but he was rarely flush. Pay was mega, and food, clothing and accommodation took the lion's share. Daily duties would invariably keep a diligent officer occupied, and so he relied upon a servant. The poorest officers pulled their money to pay for a shared domestic, while the richest had a small household of half a dozen literary dog's bodies. An officer of typical means, usually at a senior rank, could afford a personal servant in a basic uniform. The life of a servant was dull, but cooking, cleaning and porting were only their official duties. By hook or by crook, servants did whatever they needed to serve their officers, up to stealing, extortion and assault. Come the occasion he might also serve as a second in duels. Naturally then there was a murky story surrounding servants. Many were conditionally loyal and skived off with their master's property at the first hint of trouble. Others defected or hid when the going got tough. The best servants were invariably those who were both practical and loyal, and they tended to come from prisoners of war. The French favoured multi-lingual poles, Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs and Slovaks, who could act as interpreter. French dutch and especially Italian conscripts proved good too, as they would gladly become a servant to avoid fighting. The exceptions were regular soldiers sick-condered to an officer. This was a punishment in all but name. As fetching an officer's fire would not anyone's idea of a good time. Likely enlisted men the officers had the same vices, born as always, of boredom in long periods of nothingness, smoking, drinking, gambling and horing were common among the junior ranks. Senior officers differed in that they partook of higher brow distractions, like card games, hunting and swiries. In debtedness was the norm, as most officers hovered in and out of solvency. A good officer might find his regiment protecting him from creditors, but when those creditors were his fellow officers, things got tricky. Tricky is still a became when infidelity was thrown into the mix. Indeed the French were famous, not merely for their military conquests. A game was played to sleep with a girl in every nation and officer visited. Cavalry officers were particularly incordable in this regard, but the infantry and artillery officers had their share of hijinks too. At a certain point,