Voltigeur: Difference between revisions
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With the reorganization of [[1807]] the voltigeur company was enlarged to 120 men. When the battalion was formed up in line formation, the voltigeurs took their place on the left of the line, the second most prestigious position. The top position, the right, was occupied by the battalion's [[grenadier]] company. |
With the reorganization of [[1807]] the voltigeur company was enlarged to 120 men. When the battalion was formed up in line formation, the voltigeurs took their place on the left of the line, the second most prestigious position. The top position, the right, was occupied by the battalion's [[grenadier]] company. |
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Several Napoleonic French allies based their battalion formation on that of the French. These allies also had voltigeur companies in their battalions. The allies using the French battlion system included: |
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* The [[Duchy of Warsaw]] |
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* The [[Kingdom of Italy]] |
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* The [[Kingdom of Naples]] |
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* The [[Kingdom of Bavaria]] (After 1810) |
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* Several [[Rheinbund]] states |
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==Voltigeurs of the Guard== |
==Voltigeurs of the Guard== |
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Revision as of 04:27, 16 February 2009
The Voltigeurs (lit. Vaulters) were French military skirmish units created in 1804 by Napoleon.
Line and Light Infantry Voltigeurs
In 1804, each French Line (Ligne) and Light (Légeré) infantry battalion was ordered to create one company of 90 men who would serve as light infantry. This company would frequently be detached from the battalion to perform light infantry tasks, forming the skirmish line and screening the battalion from the enemy. Theoretically, the voltigeurs were more capable of sharpshooting, having received specific training in marksmanship. In practice, the quality of the french voltigeurs declined as the Napoleonic wars progressed, and after the 1812 Russian Campaign the voltigeurs were almost identical to their compatriots in the fusilier companies in both quality and role.
While the regulations of 1804 were the first that officially recognised the voltigeur company, it was extremely common for Revolutionary infantry battalions to select units of men to act in the light infanty role.
With the reorganization of 1807 the voltigeur company was enlarged to 120 men. When the battalion was formed up in line formation, the voltigeurs took their place on the left of the line, the second most prestigious position. The top position, the right, was occupied by the battalion's grenadier company.
Several Napoleonic French allies based their battalion formation on that of the French. These allies also had voltigeur companies in their battalions. The allies using the French battlion system included:
- The Duchy of Warsaw
- The Kingdom of Italy
- The Kingdom of Naples
- The Kingdom of Bavaria (After 1810)
- Several Rheinbund states
Voltigeurs of the Guard
In 1809, the Imperial Guard's corps of Chasseurs formed the Tirailleurs-Chasseurs and Conscrit-Chasseurs regiments, part of the Young Guard. In 1811, these units were renamed Voltigeurs, forming the 1-4th regiments. The Voltigeurs of the Guard, alond with their sister regiments the Tirailleurs, provided the skirmish screen for the Chasseurs and Grenadiers of Napoleon's Old Guard. The Voltigeurs suffered greatly in 1812, with only the 3rd Regiment emerging relatively unscathed. The hastily reformed regiments of 1813, numbering up to 19, were greatly removed from the elite units which the Voltigeurs had been. Consequently, the Voltigeurs were much more likely to operate as formed troops than deployed in skirmish formation. Despite this, the Voltigeurs of the Guard performed admirably in the 1813-14 campaigns, and in the 1815 Belgian campaign, where, despite being heavily outnumbered, they held the Prussian flank attack at Plancenoit until the defeat of the Middle Guard caused the army to collapse.
Appearances in modern media
Voltigeurs appear in Ensemble Studio's Age of Empires III as French skirmisher units.
Voltigeurs also appear in GSC Game World's Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars as French, Polish and Rheinbund light Infantry units.
See also
References and notes
Elting - Swords Around the Throne Nafziger - Imperial Bayonets Nafziger - Imperial Bayonets Haythornthwaite - Napoleon's Light Infantry Haythornthwaite - Napoleon's Line Infantry Blonde - La Grande Armee
Further reading
External links
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