Many rule sets provide evaluations for the armies of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, identifying elite units and declaring others to be inferior. This is always a ticklish question, but it deserves serious evaluation and consideration. Since Empire III is the most commonly used set of miniatures rules, this article will use their rating system for evaluating the principal units of the French Army between 1790 and 1815.
The first point to consider is that the armies of this period varied considerably. This is principally because the period involved is 23 years long. That is more than sufficient time for several turnovers in the numbers of men fighting in those armies. Indeed, a five year veteran at Waterloo probably wasn't born when the War of the First Coalition began. If he was assigned to a unit which performed miserably in 1792 does that mean the unit will still be miserable in 1815? I think no one would believe that to be the case.
Because of this and general combat attrition it is not justified that any unit, save a few exceptional unitslikethe variousGuard regiments, should be assumed to be either an outstanding or abyssmal unit throughout this 23 year period.
There are other factors that impact the armies of this period that need to be considered. One is the composition of the unit's manpower. Was the unit filled with patriotic volunteers, press ganged conscripts, or professional volunteers? Was the unit an old unit filled with combathardened veterans? Was it just wiped out and rebuilt from conscripts? In addition, unitsare sensitive to leadership and as it varied, so too would the unit's performance. As commanding generals and regimental officers changed, as veteran NCO's and soldiers died or were pensioned off they were replaced by men of different quality and varied experience. The performance of the unit would have to vary as a result of all these factors.
Another consideration is the level of training in the unit. Is there a rigorous training program and do the regimental officers exercise it regularly? This, however, has to be considered on an army-wide basis. Precise data by regiment would be a lifetime research project.
Two further considerations are the level of logistical support expected/delivered and the unit's physical health. Does the army's logistical system provide the men with what they expect and need, when the expect or need it? Is the unit suffering from climate and disease? How many of the men are suffering from various ailments that are insufficient to put them into the hospital, but sufficient to make them inefficient in the field? These are probably the hardest points to evaluate when considering the performance of any unit, unless one is lucky enough to find the correspondence of a commanding general that goes into that detail.
With one eye on these variables and the other on the vagueries of the history of the French Army between 1792 and 1815, let us attempt to provide a general rating for the French Army. This study attempts to pick up the significant changes that would have effected the regimental rating, i.e., new equipment or being reorganized, raised, or transferred into French service. It may not catch every significant change, but hopefully it does catch most of them.
If a unit is not mentioned specifically in the list of exceptions it should be interpreted as being in the generic listing. In the case of new units, notations are made only if the unit was raised completelyfrorn new drafts. If an existing, trained,veteran unit wasconverted to another type of unit it was assumed to be no better or no worse than the others of the category. The cavalry is followed by the "Final ACE" and (BC) if it is "battle cavalry".
When the Revolution occurred the French Army consisted of 79 line infantry regiments, 23 foreign (Swiss/Irish/German) line regiments, 12 light infantry battalions, 23 cavalry regiments, 18 dragoon regiments, 5 hussar regiments, and 12 chasseur a cheval regiments. These forces were professionals with years of service and exercise. Their deficiencies of the Seven Years War had been addressed and corrected. The infantry was skilled in the useof their new drill regulation, the Reglement de 1791, and they were the match for any continental army.
Their artillery was reputedly the best in Europe, bar none. Their cavalry was certainly the equal, and probably better than most.
The French Army had been in garrison for several years. As a result, they spent hours on the parade ground exercising and training. The numbers of combat veterans had diminished to a uniform level where they were only the officer cadre and the senior NCO's. It is true that there was a trickle of officers emmigrating to escape the Revolution, but this had not yet reached any serious levels.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY PRIOR TO 1789
- FORMATION : RATING
Guards Grenadiers
Line Infantry Crack Line
Swiss Line Elites
Other Foreign Line Crack Line
Light Infantry Crack Line
National Guard Conscript Line
Converged Grenadiers Elites
Maison du Roi Guards (prior to 1789)
Carabiniers Grenadiers (27) (BC)
Cuirassiers Grenadiers (24) (BC)
Heavy Cavalry Grenadiers (24) (BC)
Dragoons Elites (20) (BC)
Hussars Elites (20)
Chasseurs Crack Line (16)
There were serious problems that occurred during the Revolution. There were massive resignations and emmigrations of officers. Though they were not necessarily the best officers the French ever had in their army, this turnover in personnel hurt the fabric of the French Army seriously. Mutinies and insubordination were rampant. Units regularly refused to follow orders. As a result, the army is rated as follows:
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY 1789 TO 1792
- FORMATION : RATING
Guards Conscript Line
Line Infantry Conscript Line
Swiss Line Crack Line
Other Foreign Line Crack Line
Light Infantry Crack Line
National Guard Conscript Line
Converged Grenadiers Conscript Line
Carabiniers Crack Line (16) (BC)
Cuirassiers Crack Line (16) (BC)
Heavy Cavalry Crack Line (16) (BC)
Dragoons Crack Line (16) (BC)
Hussars Elites (20)
Chasseurs Crack Line (16)
The notable exceptions to these generalizations were the German speaking regiments. They did not empathize with the Revolution and continued to act as cohesive units. The Chasseurs (a pied) and Hussars seemed also to continue to support their officers. Surprisingly, some of the Swiss regimentswere notimmunetothe lure of thelacobin Clubsand the Chateauvieux Regiment (which should be rated with the French line) was an active participant in the mutiny of Nancy.
In 1792 the wars of the Revolution began. The French called for volunteers to fill out the ranks. Those national guard units raised in 1792 were patriotic volunteers, inspired by the spirit of the Revolution. They tended to be more intelligent and better educated. The numbers of bourgoisie in these units was very high. Though they lacked experience, they made up for that with an elan that was remarkable. Another new formation known as the Federes was also raised. Their discipline was terrible and the ability of their officers to control them was minimal. They were Jacobins known to denounce unpopular officers, sending them to the guillotine, and lynching the truly unpopular officers on the spot.
The regular French Army had begun to stabilize. Its loss of noble officers was beginning to be offset by the advancement of talented veteran NCO's. The French Army had begun to recover from damage of the Revolution.
The units' performance or other factors causing them to vary from these general ranges for this period were:
UNIT AND REASON FOR RATING : MORALE STATUS
The following units are rated as "Crack Line" because of their commanding officers. Most readers will recognize a number of the names of these men as future marshals and generals of the French Army. They rose to those ranks because of their skill and the results of their tenures in command of combat units, therefore it is reasonable to assume that the units they commanded were exceptionally effective combat formations.
UNIT : COMMANDING OFFICER
When 1793 arrived, there were some changes in the types of men entering the newly raised National Guard units. A conscription had begun and this drew heavily on the rural French population. They were not entranced with the spirit of the Revolution and were often forcibly taken from their homes.
In addition, the 1792 volunteers had begun to take heavy losses and their elan was declining. Furthermore, Jacobin activities and the emigration of nobles had begun to take a heavy toll on the regular army formations. They were losing the last of their noble officers. This affected the cavalry most of all.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY 1793 TO 1794
EXCEPTIONS FOR THE PERIOD 1793-1794
In 1794 the general trend continued. The quality of the regular line formations continued to decline. The officers fled the country and many of the veteran troops deserted the regulars so they could join the National Guard where the pay and benefits were superior. The National Guard formations were on a par with the 1792 volunteers in 1793, though their elan might not have been as good. By 1793 they all had cadres of regular veterans.
In addition, many of their officers (all of whom were elected) were usually elected because they were veterans. Despite this, I have indicated a decline in the status of the National Guard in 1794 because of their recorded reaction to the First Amalgamation. It was considered an insult and morale dropped significantly. The First Amalgamation blended regular line infantry regiments with the Revolutionary National Guard to form demi-brigades. Its goal was to even out the quality of French infantry. The First Amalgamation was not completely successful, nor was it completely carried out.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY 1794 TO 1795
In 1795 a major shuffling of the French infantry caused by the First Amalgamation was completed. As some demi-brigades were not formed with a cadre of regulars, they were not quite as good as others that were. it was also during this time that the first foreign units re-appeared and Swiss and Polish demi-brigades were re-raised.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY 1795 TO 1796
EXCEPTIONS FOR THIS PERIOD
The Second Amalgamation occurred in 1798 and all of the demi-brigades had cadres from the old royal line regiments as well as veterans who had fought since 1792. The quality of the troops involved continued to improve as the quality of the regimental officers improved. The process of replacements improved and the frequency of structural changes had reduced considerably. The promotion of officers became more a matter of seniority and experience than a question of being elected by popular acclaim, though there were still percentages of the officers and non-
commissioned officers promoted solely on the basis of elections. During this same period the quality of the French cavalry dramatically improved as a result of the efforts of the French government and the issuance of new regulations pertaining to its operations.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY 1798 TO 1805
EXCEPTIONS
There were always exceptions. Some of those exceptional units are listed below. The first group of units should be rated as landwehr. They were stationed in Santo-Domingo where they suffered from various diseases, mutinies and several reorganizations.
1. Colonial Garrisons Landwehr
2. 5th, 6th & 7th Heavy Cavalry (provided with a cuirass) Grenadiers (24) (BC) beginning 1802
In 1805 the final reorganization of the infantry occurred. By this time the French Army had taken on a very settled, structured approach to its manning and training, though the formation of the demi-brigade or regiment was still quite inconsistant in the number of battalions assigned. Elections ceased to be part of the process of promotion. The French Army from 1805 to 1808 was probably the best army Napoleon ever commanded.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY FROM 1805 TO 1808
EXCEPTIONS
2. Davout's Corps at Auerstadt Elites
3. Oudinot's Division Elites
4. Albanian Regiment (questionable quality drafts) Trained Militia
In 1808 the final reorganization of the French infantry occurred. The regimentswere now uniform. A formal structure of depots was established, but the overall quality of the men in those units had declined severely after the heavy casualties of the 1806-7 campaign. When the 1809 campaign broke out Napoleon had been rapidly expanding his army, both to accommodate the reorganization and to fill out the losses. This reduced the overall quality of his infantry.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY FROM 1808 TO 1810
EXCEPTIONS
2. Former Dutch Army units
3. Former Austrian Grenz Regiments and Croatians Crack Line
4. Units Serving in Spain:
5. Albanian Regiment (battalion deserted en masse) Trained Militia
Between 1811 and 1812 there was a massive expansion of the French Army in preparation for the invasion of Russia. With the exception of the infantry regiments in I Corps (Davout), the new recruits were organized into the 6th Battalions. Davout chose to distribute his new drafts between the original four field battalions (# 1-4). Only those units serving in Spain continued to have combat experience. However, they continued the practice of stripping the 4th Battalion of its cadre, which they sent back to France for rebuilding. The first three battalions were almost completely veterans, while the 4th Battalions would have a veteran cadre and a conscript rank and file. They should continue to be rated as between 1808 and 1810.
There were two additional infantry formations. Ile de Re, Walachern, Belle Isle and 1st and 2nd Mediterranean Penal Regiments were raised from draft evaders. Also 88 National Guard cohorts were raised from conscripts for training.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY 1811-1812
EXCEPTIONS
2. The following are rated as Crack Line because they were part of Davout's I Corps: 7th, 13th, 15th & 33rd Legere, 12th, 17th, 21st, 25th, 30th, 33rd, 48th, 57th, 61st, 85th, & 108th Line.
3. Rate the sixth battalions of all infantry regiments not listed as being in Davout's I Corps as Conscript Line for the period 1811-1812.
4. Albanian Regiment Trained Militia
The year 1813 saw the nearly complete rebuilding of the French Army. The cavalry was probably the hardest to replace because of the training and requirement for horses. The penal regiments were converted to full blown line regiments and the 88 cohorts of National Guard were converted to line regiments. In addition, drafts from every other military body in France produced active military formations. The Guard was rebuilt with a cadre of veterans, drafts from Spanish regiments and new conscripts.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY 1813-1814
EXCEPTIONS TO THE GENERAL RULES
1. 131st, 132nd & 133rd Line Veteran Line
- former Penal Regt.
6.135th 156th Line Regiments (former National Guards) Conscript Line (1 March 1812)
8. 8/32nd Legere (newly raised) Conscript Line
When Napoleon returned to France in 1815 the French Army had been cut back dramatically. He reorganized it and found no problem calling back veterans who had been pensioned off by Louis XVI His army was composed almost completely of veteran troops with very few new conscripts.
RATINGS OF THE FRENCH ARMY 1815
The sources for these evaluations would require several pages to list, but thanks to The Courier that listing and a summarization of those sources is tentatively scheduled to be published in 1988 when my series of published booklets on the armies of the Napoleonic wars is expanded by the release of "The French Army, 1788-1815".
FORMATION : RATING
Guards Grenadiers
Line Infantry Veteran Line
Swiss Line Elites
Other Foreign Line veteran Line
Light Infantry Veteran Line
National Guard Veteran Line
1792 National Guard Conscript Line
Federes Landwehr
Converged Grenadiers Elites
Carabiniers Grenadiers (27) (BC)
Cuirassiers Grenadiers (24) [BC)
Heavy Cavalry Grenadiers (24) (BC)
Dragoons Elites (20) (BC)
Hussars Elites (18)
Chasseurs Crack Line (16)1. du Roi Infantry Regiment (emmigrated to allies) Untrained Militia
2. Royal-Allemand Cavalry Regt. (emmigrated to allies) Untrained Militia (14) (BC)
3. Saxe Hussar Regiment (emmigrated to allies) Untrained Militia (10)
4. Legion Cavalry (newly raised) Veteran Line (14)
5. 6th-10th Hussars (newly raised) Veteran Line (16)
6. 13th-25th Chasseurs (newly raised) Veteran Line (14)
7. 19th-21st Dragoons (newly raised; former heavy cavalry regiments) Veteran Line (18) (BC)
1er Bataillon du Lot Bessieres
1er Bataillon d'Ille-et'Vilaine Moreau
3e Bataillon de l'Yonne Davout
2e Bataillon du Var Gazan
2e Bataillon de la Haute-Vienne Jourdan
Bataillon de Moliere Lefebvre
3e Bataillon de la Meuse Oudinot
2e Bataillon de la Correze Souham
4e Bataillon de l'Ardeche Suchet
5e Bataillon des Bouches-du-Rhone Victor
9e Bataillon (bis) de Paris Friant
4e Bataillon de Seine-et-Cise Laharpe
6e Bataillon de la Drome Championnet
1er Bataillon de la Cote-d'Or Delaborde
1er Bataillon de la Correze Delmas
3e Bataillon des Cotes-du-Nord Felix
Be Bataillon de la Marne Hardy
3e Bataillon des Vosges Haxo
7e Bataillon du Jura Lecourbe
1er Bataillon des Ardennes Moreaux
1er Bataillon des Vosges Raoul
5e Bataillon de l'Ain Robin
7e Bataillon (bis) de Paris Hardy
11e Bataillon de le Republique Boussard
1er Bataillon de grenadiers de Paris LevalFORMATION : RATING
Guards Veteran Line
Line Infantry Veteran Line
Swiss Line Elites
Light Infantry Veteran Line
1792 National Guard Veteran Line
1793 National Guard Conscript Line
Federes Landwehr
Converged Grenadiers Elites
Carabiniers Crack Line (24) (BC)
Cuirassiers Crack Line (22) (BC)
Heavy Cavalry Crack Line (22) (BC)
Dragoons Veteran Line (18) (BC)
Hussars Veteran Line (16)
Chasseurs Veteran Line (14)UNIT AND REASON FOR RATING : MORALE STATUS
1. Chambrant or 2nd Hussars (At the Battle of Jemappes they charged an Austrian breastwork frontally and carried it) Elites (22) (BC)
2. Those exceptional National Guard units listed for 1792 because of their commanders. Crack LineFORMATION : RATING
Guards Veteran Line
Line Infantry Veteran Line
Light Infantry Veteran Line
National Guard Veteran Line (1793)
National Guard Conscript Line (1794)
Demi-Brigades Conscript Line
Federes Landwehr
Converged Grenadiers Elites
Carabiniers Crack Line (24) (BC)
Cuirassiers Crack Line t22) (BC)
Heavy Cavalry Crack Line (22) (BC)
Dragoons Veteran Line (18) (BC)
Hussars Veteran Line (16)
Chasseurs Veteran Line (14)FORMATION : RATING
1st-197th Demi-Brigades Veteran Line
198th-211th Demi-Brigades Conscript Line
Provisional Demi-Brigades Conscript Line
Named Demi-Brigades Conscript Line
1st-3rd Legere D.B. Veteran Line
5th-14th Legere D.B. Veteran Line
Unnumbered Legere D.B. Conscript Line
Polish Demi-Brigade Crack Line
Swiss Demi-Brigade Crack Line
Carabiniers Crack Line (24) (BC)
Cuirassiers Crack Line (22) (BC)
Heavy Cavalry Crack Line (22) (BC)
Dragoons Veteran Line (18) (BC)
Polish Cavalry Veteran Line (20) (BC)
Hussars Vef~ran Line (16)
Chasseurs Veteran Line (14)UNIT AND REASON FOR RATING : MORALE STATUS
1. 46th Demi-Brigade (newly raised) Conscript Line
2. 11th Demi-Brigade (disbanded for insubordination) Landwehr
3. 57th Demi-Brigade (acts in Battle of La Favorite) Elite (continues to Dec. 1812)
4. 18th Demi-Brigade (commanded by Colonel Suchet) Elite
5. 39th & 85th Demi-Brigades (actions in Italy) Conscript Line 1797 only
6. 4th Demi-Brigade (actions in Italy) Crack LineFORMATION : RATING
Consular Guard (1801) Elites
Consular Guard (1802) Guards
Guard Cavalry Guards (24) (BC)
Demi-Brigades Crack Line
Demi-Brigades Veteran Line
Demi-Brigades Conscript Line
Converged Elite Companies Elites
Polish Demi-Brigade Crack Line
Swiss Demi-Brigade Crack Line
Carabiniers Grenadiers (27) (BC)
Cuirassiers Grenadiers (24) (BC)
Heavy Cavalry Elites (22) (BC)
Dragoons Elites (20) (BC) (only from 1800-1805)
Polish Cavalry Elites (22) (BC)
Hussars Crack Line (18)
Chasseurs Veteran Line (16)UNIT AND REASON FOR RATING : MORALE STATUS
3/5th, 4/11th, 4/30th Legere and 4/7th, 4/12th, 4/68th, 4/90th, 4/71st, 4/98th Line
3. 1st-8th Heavy Cavalry (provided with a cuirass) Grenadiers (24) (BC) beginning 1803
4. 1st-12th Heavy Cavalry (provided with a cuirass) Grenadiers (24) (BC) after Sept 1803
5. 11th Legere (newly raised) Veteran Line in 1799
6. All Dragoons lose their (BC) rating from 1798 to 1800 because they were redesignated as light cavalry.FORMATION : RATING
Grenadiers a Pied Old Guard
Chasseurs a Pied Old Guard
Velites Grenadiers
Guard Fusiliers Elites
Tirailleurs Elites
Grenadiers a Cheval Old Guard (35) (BC)
Chasseurs a Cheval Old Guard (35) IBC)
Mamelukes Old Guard (30) (BC)
Elite Gendarmes Old Guard (35) (BC)
Polish Guard Lancers Old Guard (35) (8C)
Converged Elite Companies Elites
Line Infantry Crack Line
Polish Demi-Brigade Crack Line
Swiss Demi-Brigade Elites
Regiment de Marche Conscript Line
National Guard Conscript Line
Carabiniers Grenadiers (27) (BC)
Cuirassiers Grenadiers (24) (BC)
Dragoons Elites (20) (BC)
Polish Lancers Elites (22) (BC)
Hussars Elites (18)
Chasseurs Crack Line (16)UNIT AND REASON FOR RATING : MORALE STATUS
1. 14th Line Regiment Elites (1805-1807)
- died to a man at Eylau.
13th Legere and 12th, 17th, 21st, 25th, 30th, 33rd, 48th, 51st, 61st, 85th, 108th, 118th Line.
All Provisional Regiments in this Division. They were converged elite companies, but only during the period 1 November 1806 to 30 April 1807.
5. Chasseurs d'Orient (dregs of the world) Trained Militia
6. Irish Legion Veteran Line
7. Regiment de Prusse (former POW's) Conscript Line
8. Hanoverian Legion (former POW's) Conscript Line
9. Regiment d'Isembourg (former POW's) Conscript Line
10. Regiment Tour d'Auvergne (former POW's) Conscript LineFORMATION : RATING
1st Grenadiers a Pied Old Guard
Chasseurs a Pied Old Guard
2nd Grenadiers a Pied Elites
Guard Fusiliers Grenadiers
Tirailleurs Elites
Voltigeurs Elites
Conscrits Elites
Garde Nationale de la Garde Elites
Marines Guard
Grenadiers a Cheval Old Guard (35) (BC)
Chasseurs a Cheval Old Guard (35) (BC)
Mamelukes Old Guard (35) (BC)
1st Lancers Old Guard (35) (BC)
Empress Dragoons Guard (30) (BC)
2nd Lancers Elites (27) (BC)
Elite Gendarmes Old Guard (35) (BC)
Converged Elite Companies Elites
Line Infantry Veteran Line
Polish Line Infantry Crack Line
Swiss Line Infantry Crack Line
Regiment de Marche Conscript Line
National Guard Conscript Line
Carabiniers Grenadiers (27) (BC)
Cuirassiers Grenadiers (24) (BC)
Dragoons Elites (20) (BC)
Polish Lancers Elites (22) (BC)
Hussars Elites (18)
Chasseurs Crack Line (16)UNIT AND REASON FOR RATING : MORALE STATUS
1. Rate following as follows:
September 1809 Landwehr
January 1810 Conscript Line
3rd & 4th Bns of the following:
18th Legere and 60-79th Line (cadres stripped out and used to reform new battalions)
4th Battalions of the following:
23rd Legere and 1st, 13th, 29th, 52nd, 53rd, 62nd, 84th, 92nd, 102nd & 106th Line (cadres stripped out and used to reform new battalions)
123rd-126th Line Conscript Line
33rd Legere Conscript LineRate the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of all regiments serving in Spain as Crack Line. After 1809 rate 4th Battalion of all Infantry Regiments in Spain as Conscript Line. The French replacement system regularly stripped the 4th Battalion of men, assigned them to the other regimental battalions to fill them out and returned the cadre to France for rebuilding. When these batalions returned to Spain they were conscripts with only basic training.
6. Chasseurs d'Orient Trained Militia
7. Irish Legion Veteran Line
8. Regiment de Prusse Conscript Line
9. Hanoverian Legion Conscript Line
10. Regiment d'Isembourg Conscript Line
11. Regiment Tour d'Auvergne Conscript Line
12. Joseph Napoleon Regiment Conscript Line
13. 26th-30th Chasseur Regiments (newly raised) Veteran Line (14) 1808 only)
14. 32nd Legere (newly raised) Conscript Line (1808 only)FORMATION : RATING
Grenadiers a Pied Old Guard
2nd & 3rd Grenadiers a Pied Guard
Chasseurs a Pied Old Guard
2nd Chasseurs a Pied Guard
Guard Fusiliers Guard
Flandueurs Grenadiers
1-6 Tirailleurs Grenadiers
1-6 Voltigeurs Grenadiers
Velites of Turin Elites
Velites of Florence Elites
Pupilles Elites
Grenadiers a Cheval Old Guard (35) (BC)
Grenadiers a Cheval YG Sqns Guard (22) (BC)
Chasseurs a Cheval Old Guard (35) (BC)
Chasseurs a Cheval YG Sqns Guard (22) (BC)
Mamelukes Old Guard (35) (BC)
Empress Dragoons Guard (30) (BC)
Empress Dragoons YG Sqns Grenadiers (22) (BC)
1st Lancers Old Guard (35) (BC)
2nd Lancers Guard (30) (BC)
2nd Lancers YG Sqns Guard (22) (BC)
3rd Lancers Veteran Line (20) (BC)
Eclaireurs Crack Line (20) (BC)
Elite Gendarmes Old Guard (35) (BC)
Converged elite companies Elites
Line Infantry Veteran Line
Polish Infantry Crack Line
Swiss Infantry Crack Line
Regiment de Marche Conscript Line
Penal Regiments Conscript Line
National Guard Landwehr
Carabiniers Grenadiers (27) (BC)
Cuirassiers Grenadiers (24) (BC)
Polish Lancers Elites (22) (BC)
Lancers Elites (20) (BC)
Dragoons Elites (20) (BC)
Hussars Elites (18)
Chasseurs Crack Line (16)1. The following are rated Conscript Line. They were units formed from the forces of the Hanseatic cities that were incorporated into France: 127th, 128th & 129th Line.
5. Chasseurs d'Orient Trained Militia
6. Irish Legion Veteran Line
7. Regiment de Prusse Conscript Line
8. Hanoverian Legion Conscript Line
9. Regiment d'Isembourg Conscript Line
10. Regiment Tour d'Auvergne Conscript Line
11. Joseph Napoleon Regiment (actions at Borodino) Veteran LineFORMATION : RATING
Grenadiers a Pied Old Guard
Chasseurs a Pied Old Guard
Fusiliers Guard
Guard Polish Battalion Guard
Flanqueurs Elites
1-6 Tirailleurs Grenadiers
1-6 Voltigeurs Grenadiers
7-13 Tirailleurs Elites
7-13 Voltigeurs Elites
14-19 Tirailleurs Crack Line
14-19 Voltigeurs Crack Line
Pupilles Elites
Velites of Turin Elites
Velites of Florence Elites
Neuchatel Grenadiers
Grenadiers a Cheval Old Guard (35) (BC)
Grenadiers a Cheval YG Sqns Grenadiers (22) (BC)
Chasseurs a Cheval Old Guard (35) (BC)
Chasseurs a Cheval YG Sqns Grenadiers (22) (BC)
Mamelukes Old Guard (35) (BC)
Dragoons Guard (27) (BQ
Dragoons YG Sqns Grenadiers (22) (BC)
1st Lancers Old Guard (35) (BC)
2nd Lancers Grenadiers (30) (BC)
2nd Lancers YG Sqns Grenadiers (22) (BC)
Elite Gendarmes Old Guard (35) (BC)
Line Infantry Veteran Line
Provisional Regiments Veteran Line
Regiment de Marche Conscript Line
Marine Regiments Veteran Line
Polish infantry Crack Line
Swiss Infantry Crack Line
National Guard Landwehr
Carabiniers Grenadiers (27) (BC)
Cuirassiers Grenadiers (22) (BC)
Guards of Honor Grenadiers (22) (BC)
Polish Lancers Elites (22) (BC)
Lancers Elites (20) (BC)
Dragoons Elites (20) (BC)
Hussars Elites (16)
Chasseurs Crack Line (16)UNIT AND REASON FOR RATING : MORALE STATUS
2. 134th Line Veteran Line
- former Paris Guard.
3. 35th & 36th Legere Veteran Line
- former Penal Regi.
4. 37th Legere Veteran Line
- former Reserves.
5. Following are rated Conscript Line until mid-May 1813 because the original units were
destroyed in Russia and rebuilt in early 1813.
1/2/3/4/6 bns. of following:
2nd,12th,17th,19th,21st,25th,30th,33rd,37th,40th,48th,56th,57th,61st,85th,93 rd,108th &111th
Line.
1/2/3/4 bns of following:
4th, 18th, 35th, 53rd, 72nd, 84th, 92nd, 106th & 126th Line.
1/2/3 bns of following:
124th, 125th & 129th Line.
1/2 bns. of following: 125th Line.
4 bn of following: 36th, 51st & 55th.
1/2/3/4/6 bns of following: 7th, 13th & 15th Legere.
1/2/3/4 bns of following: 11th, 24th, 26th & 29th Legere.
1/2/3 bns of 33rd Legere.
1/2 bns of 5th and 1/2 bns of 10th Legere.
4 bn of 10th and 6 bn of 22nd Legere.
7. 6th Battalions of following: Conscript Line (all new drafts)
5th, 9th, 18th & 36th Legere and 3rd, 7th, 13th, 15th, 22nd, 23rd, 32nd, 42nd, 47th,
52nd, 67th, 70th, 81st, 86th, 101st, 102nd, 105th, 112th, 121st, 122nd, 131st & 132nd Line
9. 37th Legere (newly raised) Conscript LineFORMATION : RATING
Grenadiers a Pied Old Guard
Chasseurs a Pied Old Guard
1-6 Tirailleurs Grenadiers
1-6 Voltigeurs Grenadiers
Grenadiers a Cheval Old Guard (35) (BC)
Chasseurs a Cheval Old Guard (35) (BC)
Mamelukes Old Guard (35) (BC)
1st Lancers Old Guard (35) (BC)
Guard Dragoons Old Guard (27) (BC)
Eclaireur-lanciers Grenadiers (22) (BC)
Elite Gendarmes Old Guard (35) (BC)
Line Infantry Veteran Line
Foreign Infantry Veteran Line
National Guard Conscript Line
Carabiniers Grenadiers (27) (BC)
Cuirassiers Grenadiers (24) (BC)
Lancers Elites (22) (BC)
Dragoons Elites (20) (BC)
Hussars Elites (18)
Chasseurs Crack Line (16)
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