The French Army had the highest proportion of artillery to infantry ever used - powerful pieces supported the tirailleurs and light guns came forward with the French infantry columns to fire grape and canister at ranges of under 200 yards. Napoleon won many of his battles by concentrating artillery on a narrow front, thus gaining maximum effect. The cavalry were well trained and disciplined and provided with good horses - light cavalry were used for reconnaissance and screening, the cuirassiers and other heavy cavalry for shock charges in battle whilst the Dragoons, who started out as mounted infantry, soon became true cavalry suitable for both types of mission. The infantry also improved; the tirailleurs becoming more effective with improved firing and manoeuvrability; the infantry column gained professional ability and confidence as one success followed another. The early victories of Napoleon were often won by superb tactics that enabled him to strike in unexpected places. From about 1809 however, his battle tactics began to be more massive and less mobile and he employed the heaviest concentrations of artillery, cavalry and infantry on narrow fronts. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 171 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1976 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com