"Skirmisher Question" Topic

All –

I am looking for examples of battalions detaching skirmishers and then having those skirmisher rejoin the parent unit during a battle. Any specific examples would be appreciated.

Do you mean detached for a separate task or to carry out the normal skirmishers' duties supporting the parent battalion? If the latter then this was such a standard drill it may not be mentioned specifically in the histories of the nations who carried out such methods. You may find specific reference in memoires rather than histories. Look at the memoires of those such as 'The Recollections of Rifleman Harris' etc.

The 33rd at Geldermalsen on January 5th 1795 had detached a wing to form an outpost at the hamlet of Meteren one mile in advance. These men were then forced to withdraw in the face of a mixed force of French light cavalry and infantry that threatened to envelop them. "Hard pressed" by the enemy cavalry, the outpost fell down the road from Meteren to where the rear wing of the regiment covered their line of retreat, supported by two howitzers.

The 33rd had a tradition of light infantry training first instilled in the 1770s by Lord Cornwallis, who remained their Colonel. Their actual light company had been detached and sent to the West Indies). Their commander in the field was one Lieut Col Hon. Arthur Wesley (later Marquis Wellesley, etc., etc.)

Farther back towards Geldermalsen the light companies of the 78th and 42nd had also been detached to cover the line of the road into the village. The rest of the 78th formed the main line of resistance. The 42nd were in reserve.

Ironically, the force commander was Maj. Gen. David Dundas who has gained the reputation, unfairly perhaps, of being hostile to the notion of line infantry operating in this dispersed fashion. Given the depleted state of the British contingent, facing a French army superior in numbers and morale, with fast moving infantry demonstrating growing skill as skirmishers, General Dundas was more realistic than he is given credit for.

From 1808 onwards such a tactic should not have taken place in Wellington's armies, since he issued orders that all of the light companies in the Brigade should form temporary light battalions whenever on the march or facing an enemy.

Rod

True regarding Wellington, but my understanding is skirmishing quickly became not just the province of the lights. Certainly by the latter years of the war every company was capable of skimishing.

Extra Crispy,

Yes, I see what you mean. Certainly John Akeman of the 3rd (Scots) Guards mentioned in his memoirs that they formed a second light company within the battalion, and he was in that company. He said he could have worn "light" accoutrements, but chose not to do so. I will have a look at what he says about skirmishing.

Rod

And by Waterloo entire battalions were being deployed in a skirmish screen…

I am looking for examples of battalions detaching skirmishers and then having those skirmisher rejoin the parent unit during a battle. Any specific examples would be appreciated.

Hey There Bagrat:

I'm not sure what you're asking here.

Are you simply looking for light infantry returning to their 'parent' unit, like a division or such?

First of all, all nations practiced this 'recall' and had bugle or drum signals for that action.

For instance, at the maneuvers of troops of the Finland Inspection in Gatchina in August of 1800, jagers covered deployments of musketeers and grenadiers from columns into line, then retreated through the intervals of the infantry line and formed the second line. [p. 18 Tactics of the Russian Army in the Napoleonic Wars, vol. I]

Now are we talking about skirmish lines returning as a disengaged group? The 7th Jagers at Austerlitz were thrown far a head of Bagration's Column, skirmished as far as the Stanton and then were recalled to the corps. You see this kind of 'rejoining' all the time. The 17th Leger is skirmishing at Saalfeld and is recalled when the battalions run out of ammo.

Another specific example:

"(…) I ordered the grenadier battalions Tegethoff and Bojakowsky to advance against the enemy with their music playing. Because I met enemy skirmishers immediately on the first heigth, I ordered a half company to deploy in skirmisher order, followed by the remainder of the Tegethoff battalion in close order. They dislodged the enemy out of the woods; this battalion advanced bravely and energetic…before being recalled."
Österreichisches Staatsarchiv – Kriegsarchiv, Vienna; Alte Feldakten – Deutschland 1799/3/179

Then there is the recall of companies of skirmishers. Here is an example of how that worked for most armies:

At Talavera, on the morning of the 28th July 1809, the light companies of Hill's division were retreating before Victor's second attack. They fell back slowly and reluctantely, often turning to fire at the French and keeping their order 'with the regularity of a field day'/ But far from inspiring offical praise, their coolness dorve Hill--normally the mildest of generals--to furious impatience. He wanted to get his front clear and sounded the bugles to hasten the retreat, swearing (on only one of the two recorded occasions during the whole war)' D--n their filing, let them come in anyhow.' (p. 63 Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon.)

Then there are the times that one line of skirmishers is replaced by another. So it is a recall, but because of supports and the regiment/brigade they are screening, the entire skirmish formation isn't recalled at once.

An example:
From Wheeler, 51st Foot, in 7th Division. Journal entry dated 2 Sep 1813, referring to the French attack across the Bidassoa in late August to relieve San Sebastian.[p.125 Muir]

They outnumbered us greatly, the nature of the ground prevented us from bringing many men into action, only a few companies could engage. I was in reserve the first two hours and witness to many noble achievements performed by private soldiers….. [p.126] The enemy kept reinforcing their skirmishers, so that the fire that was at first slack now began to be very brisk, and in a short time they began to advance on our line, but not with that firmness one should expect from their superiority of numbers. Our skirmishers stood firm, but the fire being too hot for their liking they rushed forward on the enemy, who gave way—and in a few minutes our line had possession of their ground. This charge drove the enemy into a forest on their reserve.

So, I have a lot more examples, but what kind of examples are you looking for?

Best Regards, Bill

I am looking for examples of battalions detaching skirmishers and then having those skirmisher rejoin the parent unit during a battle.

It seems to me that the battalion is the parent unit in the question.

The theory is in Infantry Skirmishing in the Napoleonic Wars by Peter Hofschröer.

An example is The Battle of Altenzaun in Napoleonic Skirmishing In Practice by Peter Hofschröer.

The third rifle company covered the bushy countryside between the pond and the Osterholz, throwing out its skirmish elements to the fore.
…
Yorck had the signal to retreat blown and they ran back four hundred paces to where the supports were waiting.

Druzhina
19th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Druzhina:

That is a good example of what Bagration was looking for IF he was only focused on companies detaching skirmishers. Was he? So, were the supports another part of third rifle company or did the supports make up some of the 'skirmish elelments' thrown out?

My question still holds, though I gave some specifically battalion-sized examples. A battalion detaching skirmishers could be any size group of skirmishers from a few sharpshooters from a company or two up to the entire battalion, particularly if one considers the common practice of skirmisher line comprising only a third to a half of the group committed to the task. The supports and reserve… the one or two lines not skirmishing, but able to relieve them.

And what about examples where several battalions detach skirmishers at the same time, even division-wide such as the British and French actions at Bussaco. Those were battalions detaching skirmishers… in unison. Does that count? If it does, then so do my other examples.

The problem is that skirmishing is a fairly fluid set of practices, so to ask for examples of a battalion 'detaching' skirmishers and then recalling them covers a lot of different practices and sizes of actions.

A French infantry battalion 'detaching' skirmishers during Friant's Division-sized action in the forests around Echmul is going to be quite different from Yorck's detaching a single rifle company from the Jagers… but they both involve battalions detaching and recalling skirmishers.

I was simply asking Bagration to be a little more specific.

True regarding Wellington, but my understanding is skirmishing quickly became not just the province of the lights. Certainly by the latter years of the war every company was capable of skimishing.

From the Orderly Books of the 92nd Regiment [Gordon Highlanders]

2nd Battalion, Athlone 1810.

Agreeable to general order, twelve men per company were selected as marksmen, size and appearance not to be considered in choosing them, but activity, intelligence, and quickness of sight. A subaltern and two sergeants from each wing to be selected to command them when ordered out. Only eight of each company to be ordered out at a time, the rest to remain as supernumeraries to supply casualties. The marksmen of a battalion to be employed for its protection when in line or column from the annoyance of the enemy's skirmishers.

They are to have half the practice ammunition of the battalion allotted to their use. Targets to be five feet in diameter, each shot to be pointed out so that the man may correct his fault, First practice at 100 yards, to lie increased by degrees to 200 yards. Men to fire standing and kneeling, and may use a rest ; always to bring the piece up to the object. Men to learn to load without halting, and lying on the ground. Marksmen's station in battalion to be on flanks of sub-divisions. When battalion is three deep, they are to be on flank of front and rear ranks only.

THE LIFE OF A REGIMENT.
The Gordon Highlanders (Gardyne, 1901)

True regarding Wellington, but my understanding is skirmishing quickly became not just the province of the lights. Certainly by the latter years of the war every company was capable of skimishing.

Every nation had pretty much the same M.O. from 1792 to 1815:

When available, specialists were always the first to be used for any skirmish operation, then line troops as needed. The need for and use of line troops for skirmishing increased during the latter years rather than decreased. Obviously, that meant that light infantry specialists were used regularly and often. Whether line infantry was used depended on circumstances. And of course, how good they were at skirmishing was always a question:

Brett-James, Antony, ed., Edward Costello, The Peninsular and Waterloo Campaigns, Longmans, Green and Co Ltd, UK, 1967.

[p.68] Ordered to occupy a part of Fuentes, "The section to which I belonged were posted near the banks of the River Dos Casas. The 79th Highlanders had suffered very severely here, as the place was strewn about with their bodies. Poor fellows! they had not been used to skirmishing, and instead of occupying the houses in the neighbourhood, and firing from the windows, they had, as I heard, exposed themselves, by firing in sections. The French, who still occupied part of the town, had not escaped rough handling, as their dead also evinced."

My understanding is that by 1815 it was quite common for the 8th Centre Company of British battalions to receive extra skirmish training, as the light company was often detached to cover for the whole brigade.

I'm not sure if these detached light companies (often with a rifle company), though organised into ad hoc battalions formed much in the way of close order supports though. I recollect one account of a Light Company member simply sheltering in the nearest square at Waterloo.

When a battalion deployed a company etc. to skirmish, the company etc. would form a line of pairs of skirmishers and a body in close order as supports. Although the part of the skirmishers in close order are not often mentioned it was the practice of most Napoleonic armies.

In the Altenzaun example the horn signal is for the pairs of skirmishers to fall back to the supports, the skirmishing company would join the main body after this.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

The official British practice when skirmishing was for only half of each company to be deployed into a skirmish line, whilst the other half remained in close order as supports, half way between the skirmish line and the main body.

Rod

Bagration1812:

Are you getting the kind of thing you were asking about?

Bill

Hi y'all –

Thanks for the responses. I'm pretty familiar with how skirmishers operated once detached from a formed body. I apologize for not being completely clear in my original post. I am looking for examples of detached skirmishers rejoining the formed parent unit during a battle. Not falling back on formed supports that are part of a skirmish detachment, but 'reforming' for want of a better term.

For example, a French battalion, post-1808, detaches its voltigeur company to screen its front. This leaves five formed companies in the parent battalion. (4 fusilier and 1 grenadier) Are there any specific examples of the voltigeurs rejoining the battalion so that it once again has 6 formed companies? If so, are there specific examples of this happening during the course of a battle?

I hope that clears up what I'm looking for.

Cheers!