This question dates from FE5 and was asked by Michael Jones of Grangemouth, UK. It was answered in part in subsequent issues by a number of other correspondents. What follows is a brief account of all the changes during the reign of Alexander I.

The Life-Guards Infantry Regiments

His Imperial Majesty's Regiment consisted of four grenadier battalions each comprising five companies and two flank companies (fligel-roty [1]) The other two Life-Guards regiments, Alexander Pavlovich's and Nicholas Pavlovich's, each consisted of three grenadier battalions each of five companies and one flank company. The Life-Guards Jager battalion consisted of four companies, increased to two battalions when it became the Life-Guards Jager Regiment on 10 May 1806.

The Grenadier Regiments

The Leib-Grenadier Regiment had a unique organisation consisting of four grenadier battalions of five companies each. The other grenadier regiments consisted of two fusilier battalions and two grenadier companies. Each fusilier battalion comprised five companies.

The Musketeer Regiments

Musketeer regiments were organised like the grenadier regiments except that they consisted of two musketeer battalions and two grenadier companies. Each battalion had five companies.

The Jager Regiments

Jager regiments had a four battalion structure, each battalion of five companies.

The 1802 Reorganisation

On 30 April 1802 the grenadier and musketeer regiments were all rationalised at three battalions of four companies each. Grenadier regiments had one grenadier and two fusilier battalions, musketeer regiments, a grenadier battalion and two musketeer battalions, the Jager regiments, three Jager battalions. The Leib-Grenadier Regiment, uniquely, consisted of three grenadier battalions.

The 1810 Reorganisation

On 12 October 1810 the final reorganisation of the Napoleonic period was initiated. The grenadier regiments, except the Leib-Grenadier Regiment which was unchanged, now consisted of three fusilier battalions comprising one grenadier company and three fusilier companies each. The musketeer regiments, now termed infantry regiments, consisted of three musketeer battalions each comprising one grenadier company and three musketeer companies. The Jager regiments also consisted of three battalions, each comprising a grenadier [2] company and three Jager companies.

The grenadier companies were divided into two platoons, the first platoon of grenadiers, the second platoon of marksmen (strelki [3]). The first platoon always took the right of the battalion line, the second platoon took the left.

Regiments were ordered to campaign with only the first and third battalions, the centre companies of the second battalion forming a source of replacements. In the event, these battalions, less their grenadier companies, were used in 1812, together with the fourth, or Reserve, battalions formed in 1811, to provide 18 additional infantry divisions.

The grenadier company of the second battalion accompanied the first and third battalions of the regiment on campaign and when the six regiments of a Division were together, it was ordered that the grenadier companies of the second battalions were to be used to form two Combined Grenadier Battalions each of three companies, which were grouped in a Combined Grenadier Division forming the Corps reserve.

On 31 October 1810, the Leib Grenadier Regiment conformed to the organisation of the other grenadier regiments, except that all its sub-units were called grenadier companies.

Footnotes

[1] MC.
[2] MC. Other sources refer to jager-grenadier.
[3] MC. Other sources consulted refer to carabiniers in the Jager regiments, and tirailleurs generally.

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