"Battle of Haslach-Jundingen October 11, 1805 " Topic

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Greetings all. A simple question, I hope. in 1794, would a battalions of chasseurs-tirailleurs, or ditto chasseurs francs have employed drummers at all?

If not, did they employ cors de chasse or similar to communicate orders?

link

This looks like an Osprey book, and states that there were 2 drummers per company of light infantry. It does not mention cor de chasse men or cornetists.

I rather suspect that they may have always kept the drummers. Later the light infantry had one horn, one drum, but the horn was not satisfactory in the sound reaching all the skirmishers.

Hope others can chime in here with more ideas.

GdeP

As the 5 battalions of chasseurs-tirailleurs were formed from the Belgians, Liegeios, & Batavians (plus some French – see La Belgique sous la domination française (1792-1815). Dumouriez dans les ci-devant Pays-Bas autrichiens. Tome 2 / link I would expect them to retain the musicians they had previously. Will need to dig out the composition of the various Legions.

From page 133 (160 from a pdf version) of Tome 1 of the above works – in December 1793 a company normally comprised
1 captain, 1 lieutenant, 1 sous-lieutenant, 1 sergeant-major, 3 sergeants, 1 corporal-fourrier, 3 corporals, 1 drummer and 88 soldiers plus appointees (the latter the equivalent of privates 1st class ).

The Legions were originally to consist of 14 companies (7 fusilier & 7 carabinier), demi-regiment of light cavalry (also called like the Prussian's a "battalion"), plus a company of artillery. The Belgian Legion was certainly organised this way, though by the time of Jemappes it had 4 battalions of chasseurs, a cavalry detachment (unmounted) and an artillery company.

G de P and PdeE, many thanks for these. The biographies from the tirailleurs battalions in 'Dumouriez…' are very interesting.

So the French didn't find the horn effective for communicating with troops when dispersed, which is interesting, given its continued use in one form or another, for the next century or so.

Drums, of course, had their own limitations for Light Infantry soldiers. Two per company, as provided in pre-1789 chassuers regiments was a fairly standard provision. I wonder- would drummers have been a feature- aurally speaking- of a tirailleur battalion advancing, or were they used more for calls in camp?

As I recall, particularly with later French voltigeur companies – of both light and line infantry – part of the company stayed formed in the rear while others spread forward to skirmish. This "base" would be a rally point if the skirmishers were pushed back, or additional skirmishers if they put the enemy on the run. At one point in the Napoleonic wars there were two hornists to the company, no drum. Later the hornist was probably among the skirmishers, the drummer with the supports. The drums would be used in formed advance, on the march, or in camp messages.

GdeP

Yes, that would all make sense.

Can't wait to earn about the Battle of Haslach-Jundingen October 11, 1805.