"French Line Infantry 1815" Topic

From Waterloo 1815
1/72

"While Napoleon I was in charge, France raised something like 2.4 million soldiers of all types to fight her many wars, and brought the compulsory raising of large numbers of troops to an efficient and industrial level. The elite Guard and the cavalry captured much of the attention, but far more men experienced the wars as ordinary infantry in her armies. After the disaster of the Russian campaign, recruitment was a struggle as the need became more desperate, yet when the emperor returned to France in 1815 soldiers old and new flocked to his banner, and not just the old Guard. On the morning of Waterloo the French Army fielded around 42,000 infantry, excluding the Guard, reserve and those sent under Marshal Grouchy to keep the Prussians away, who took no part. That was more than half the total army present that day, and many of those men had known the glories of earlier campaigns, probably expecting more of the same. Instead they found themselves unable to break the Allied army they now faced, and with the arrival of significant Prussian forces their emperor's cause was lost forever…"
Full review here
link

Amicalement
Armand

No grenadiers so they missed a trick. So yet again the one army we 1/72 fans want is found wanting. Why oh why does no one make the definitive 1/72 French

Sigh..

Sounding and looking good – shame that there is no marching grenadier pose to complete the battalion…

EDIT: Beat me to it – cheers Marc!

Sorry Musket – but it makes me soooooo angry that that did not make the bl**dy grenadiers. Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh

Marc

Can't the Voltiguers be painted as grenadiers ?

From 1800 to 1815 the total men levied for the conscription was 2,646,957.

Of that number, about 1,350,000 were actually called up for active duty and saw active service.

The others were either not needed or were left at home on 'reserve status' because they had drawn high numbers in the 'lottery.'

When the heavy levies began in 1811 these men were either too old to serve or were now exempt because of family responsibilities.

Source: Henry Lachouque, Napoleon et la Garde Imperiale, 921-924.

Milhouse – yes, they can, but they are all in "action poses", rather than the marching of the fusiliers. So that is the mismatch.