"Who goes where and how many?" Topic

Okay well Mike Snorbens just answered my main question on British Regiments:
TMP link

My only other questions would be where did the Rifle Battalions fit in and were Highlander Regiments organized the same? i.e. are there Guard Highlanders? Are there Light Infantry Highlanders?

The French are like a foreign language to me.
What is the difference between Ligne and Legere?
How do Fusiliers, Grenadiers, Voltigeurs, Chasseurs, Carabiniers, and Tiralleurs all work? What is the difference between A Pied and A Cheval?

The Prussians seem to be easier. With them we have Musketeers, Fusiliers, Grenadiers, and Jagers,(sorry my keyboard does not have an Umlaut option). Who goes where and how many? Oh, and are Landwehr a separate entity or do they get put into the mix as well?

The Austrians and Russians seem very similar. Except for the Hungarians. Where do they fit in?

Should I know this stuff? Do I need to know this stuff? Is there a tell all book that I should own?

Oh Lord why am I being sucked into the vortex that is Napoleonic miniatures wargaming? Help me Mr. Wizard!!!

Hello Grunt:

First, take it one army at a time. Don't try to learn it all in one gulp. You'll probably want to know most of this but it's honestly not that hard.

First pick a campaign or battle to tackle. Armies changed so fixing a time period makes sense. Then just start with two.

For example, a lot of the french terminology can be translated as "light company" "heavy company" and "center company" so for each basic type (line infantry, light infantry) there are three sub-classes. This is nto perfect but it will get you oriented until you can get the shades of gray.

But I'll answer a few questions…

The Austrian infantry came in two varieties: German and Hungarian. They were organized the same way but had different uniforms (mainly the head gear – helmet vs, shako).

For a lot of the war French units had six companies – four center, one light (voltigeurs) and one heavy (grenadiers).

There are several books that will give you all of this in rough outline – I learned it all from the Ospreys which for this work just fine.

Oh yes.

The rifle battalions were typically broken up into companies and spread arounf the battelfield.

"A pied" means on foot and "a cheval" means on a horse – so you;ve got a type of soldier either a "foot" or "cavalry" type.

Ligne are of the line, legere are light infantry regiments.

Ligne battalions are composed (for most of the Empire) of a company of voltigeurs (lights), four fusilier companies (centre coys), and a grenadier company.

Legere battalions had a company of tirailleurs (Lights), four of chasseurs (centre coys), and one of carabiniers (grenadiers).

Cavalry has Chasseurs (hunters) a' Cheval (on horse), Hussars (flashy light cav), Dragoons (usually called "medium" cav), and heavy regiments of cuirassiers and carabiniers. The former were alwasy armored while the latter adopted breast and back plates after the 1809 campaign.

Prussian line battalions had four companies of musketeers, fusilier battalions appeared in line regiments alongside the musketeers at a ratio of 1:2 (after the reforms). Jagers are specialized light infantry typically armed at least in part with rifles. Grenadiers are the traditional elite battalions of song and legend. Some standing battalions and others of converged companies from the line regiments.

Try this link: link

Thank you Gentlemen,

Very helpful information. I have decided that there is no hope for me and I am "Tout Compris",(pretty sure that is French for All In). I just purchased all of the below.

An Illustrated Encyclopedia: Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars:
Digby Smith

French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815 (Elite)
Paddy Griffith

British Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815 (Elite)
Philip Haythornthwaite

Fighting Techniques of the Napoleonic Age 1792 – 1815
Robert B. Bruce

Armies of the Napoleonic Wars: An illustrated history
Chris McNab

Those will get you set up right. Sadly my own lexicon project has fallen by the way side….

I thought that was the reason you bought Sam's rules Mark.
BTW, he is the reason I've fallen into this labyrinth. His upcoming Honour rules have infected my clear thinking.

Try this one it has ton's of good info:

link

The French are like a foreign language to me.

There's a reason for that…

English/French translations of equipment and uniform

link

be aware that some of the translations are a bit…literal

How do Fusiliers, Grenadiers, Voltigeurs, Chasseurs, Carabiniers, and Tiralleurs all work?

Grenadiers and voltigeurs are the flank companies of line (ligne) battalions. The centre companies are fusiliers.

Carabiniers and voltiguers are the flank companies of light (legere) battalions (period specific). The centre companies are chasseurs.

Tirailleurs were Young Guard battalions. There's a 5 page article here

link

est-ce que j'me fais bien comprendre?

je ne sais que rien

Chasseurs are the center companies in the light infantry, carabiners are the original elite company (compared to grenadiers in the line) and later the voltigeurs come up as well (identical to line and light infantry)

que je suis idiot!

Changed

There were no British Guard Highlanders. The 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards later became known as the Scots Guards, but back then wore normal guard uniform, with their own distinct arrangement of lace and buttons.

The was one Highland Light Infantry Regiment, the 71st Regiment, but in the process of changing (c.1809)from Highland to Light they lost their kilts and feathers from their bonnets, and dressed like normal light infantry, except for their headgear, which was the blue bonnet, stiffened to look like a shako, with the red white and green diced band at the bottom retained, and a tuft on top instead of a plume.

This is a level of detail you probably won't need just yet!

Terminology changes across nationalities in this period.
In France, "Fusilier" was a bog-standard line infantry centre company soldier.
In Prussia, a three-battalion Line regiment had two Musketeer battalions and the Fusilier battalion was the regimental light infantry.
In Britain, the handful of Fusilier regiments fought like ordinary Line infantry but had some uniform distinctions.

Austrians and Hungarians? The Austrian army had about 64 Line infantry regiments, and a proportion of those were Hungarian. The rest were called "German". They were all uniformed and equipped the same, with almost identical organisations, but the Hungarians regiments got to wear pretty blue trousers instead of white breeches and black gaiters.

Among the Austrian cavalry, the Kurassiers, Dragoons and Light Horse were "German" and the Hungarians provided the Hussar regiments.

Your brain will fry at some point. All the best.

Grunt,

Excellent question and answers from all.

I only wish to comment on the title of this thread.

Excellent,succinct, and to the point, it is a thought that must have crossed many of our minds at some point :)

"There was one Highland Light Infantry Regiment, the 71st Regiment, but in the process of changing (c.1809)from Highland to Light they lost their kilts and feathers from their bonnets, and dressed like normal light infantry, except for their headgear, which was the blue bonnet, stiffened to look like a shako, with the red white and green diced band at the bottom retained, and a tuft on top instead of a plume."

You mean like these Blokes?
auction

I almost spit coffee all over my monitor. This is my auction. Thanks for turning on the light for me.

Yeah, like those blokes, but I couldn't make out the collar and cuff colour for that officer on the left. For the 71st, they should be buff, like the piper.

For more, see

link

and click on "uniformes"

Because of the other subjects on the board today, I note that the 71st wore "trews" (spelling?) – tartan overalls – and the feather bonnet as other Highland regiments – in Spain before their conversion to light infantry. Willie did a figure of them firing, probably still available from Tradition. Folks doing Peninsular British in plastic – Perrys? – might do this battalion, but using Highlander heads! The piper may have stayed kilted. Could be a "one-of-a-kind" unit!

Also, the 74th was first listed as a Highland regiment, and later in the 1880's became the second battalion of the Highland Light Infantry. If did not serve in Spain kilted, as I recall. Does anyone know about how they were uniformed in Spain?

GedP

Tirailleurs were Young Guard battalions.

And also a generic French term for skirmishers.

The Austrians and Russians seem very similar.

Except for the fact that the former come in rather large six-company battalions, and the latter in rather smallish four-company battaliions.