The following bits and pieces were forwarded to me by our good friend Ray Johnson concerning several questions that I had proposed to him on various subjects. 1. Why the Polish never had Legere units: Frankly I have no definite data and I suspect that your sources here are better than mine. I have a suspicion that their line was supposed to perform both roles. This could be related to the light infantry role that they performed in the French Army (see below). 2. Wurttemburg Garde du Corps: My information indicates that the Leibgarde Cavalry regiment had three squadrons: 1st Squadron ----- Leib Chasseurs 2nd Squadron ----- Garde du Corps 3rd Squadron ----- Horse Grenadiers Each squadron bad a strength of about one hundred men. With the possible exception of 1813. I am pretty certain that they saw no effective action. I find no indication at all in 1809, 1812 or 1814. This was probably due to the lack of enthuasism for the French by the King. They stayed home in 1812. In 1814 they took the field late and never reached the front. 3. The Velite Grenadiers of Neapolitan Guard: My best source (Krieg 1809-Vol.II) shows two battalions of Velites, along with two battalions each of Grenadiers and Chasseurs of the Guard. Apparently the Guard did not leave Naples during 1809. The only Naples units to serve outside Naples except Spain were: 1st Legere (1st & 2nd Battalions) 1st Chasseur a Cheval (one squadron) with Miollis at Rome 3rd Battalions of the 1st and 2nd Line Regts as garrison of Mantua. 4. Regarding Nassauers and Frankfurters as Light Infantry: I did not mean to imply that these were styled Light infantry or that they themselves considered themselves as legere. I believe the distinction is more subtle than this. I can not now give a direct reliable source for the statements below. In nearly all armies a distinction was made between light troops and troops of the line up to the turn of the 18th century. Light troops were composed of men who were considered unfit to take place in the formal line of battle. In the rigid linear formations, a weak link could unhinge a battle line. It was generally considered that this formal battle was the only decisive affair and the other functions of infantry were very subordinate. The Austrian Army retained this view until 1809. Archduke Charles is quoted as saying that skirmishing only costs lives and does nothing. Units of light troops were therefore built from troops who were not trusted in the line. Although the French Army with its change of tactics during the Wars of the Revolution withdrew from this rigid formation earlier I can detect a difference in employment of certain units. These who were usually of allies or from less reliable troops, were given tasks which held them away from large battles (garrisons, escorts, etc.). This is closely paralled to the employment of light infantry in other armies, such as Austrian. I believe that the references that I saw were alluding to this. Of course in Spain the German Division was frequently in battle, such as Talavera; but it was most often chosen for detached duties such as prisoner escort to Bayonne. In my own wargame army I treat these as I do French line for movement etc. Finally, I cannot now find any later information on the Austrian Sappers than that there were three companies. My best reference is not in my hands just now. These units served at a high echelon, usually by theater. Documentation Letter dated August 26th, 1977 from Ray Johnson Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 1 No. 18 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1977 by Emperor's Headquarters This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com