The backbone of the French army was formed by ‘line’ infantry regiments. This type of infantry was designed to operate in close combat formations.
Despite the glamour of the divisions of ‘Imperial Guard’ and ‘heavy cavalry’, the often overlooked fact is that the mainstay of the French army throughout the Napoleonic wars was the long-suffering, hard-marching and hard fighting line infantry regiments and battalions.
From 1808-1815 each line regiment consisted of four (sometimes 2-3) active and one reserve battalion that remained in the regimental depot.
The battalion consisted of four fusilier, one grenadier (elite) and one voltiger (light infantry) companies.
The Fusiliers formed the backbone of the regiment (“the company of the center”), the grenadiers were the best soldiers and striking force, and the Voltigeurs were selected shooters who knew how to operate in loose formation.
The combination of these types of infantry allowed the line regiment to adapt to most situations on the battlefield.
The infantry ‘half-sabre’ in fusilier companies was worn only by corporals and sergeants. The sergeant’s insignia were diagonal gold stripes on a red lining on both sleeves.
John Mills of the British Coldstream Guards had this to say regarding the French infantry…..
“Their movements compared with ours are as mail coaches to dung carts. In all weathers and at all times they are accustomed to march, when our men would fall sick by hundreds … Another peculiar excellence of the French infantry is their steadiness in manoeuvering under fire.”