Did battalions of French reserve grenadiers throw out skirmishers?

[DCRBrown]

O,

Maybe it's more to do with the Grenadiers "role" in battle rather than what "formation" they could adopt.

So, Grenadiers like all troops could form Line, Column, Square and Skirmish Order. These are just formations that can be used on the battlefield.

Where Grenadiers differ is their role on the battlefield. So, grenadiers should not be used as an advanced guard, nor used to secure a wooded flank, leave that to the formations whose battle role that was, i.e. the Light bobs.

A Grenadier battalion's role was as heavy infantry either forming the main line, being held in reserve for a formal attack or counter-attack, or maybe sent in to storm a particularly stubborn enemy held village or redoubt.

A Grenadier's role is therefore different to other troop types and it is this that impacts upon their battlefield usage, and where you may well wish to impose some rules, about what they can or cannot do.

Hope that helps.

DB

[Warboss Nick]

I think DB is spot on here (and way more knowledgeable than me). Grenadiers could and would throw out a skirmisher screen when it was tactically sound to do so. I.e. mixed formation allowed by many Napoleonic rule sets and rightfully so. But they would not have “minor” battlefield assignments but either spearheaded the main attack, held in reserve to deliver the decisive blow or similar.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Line infantry Grenadiers, Fusiliers and Voltigeurs equate to Light Infantry Carabiniers, Chasseurs and Voltigeurs.  So Chasseurs are the centre companies of light infantry regiments, equating to Fusiliers.

Ah, that's non, then. I didn't check, making the cardinal mistake of relying on my poor - and increasingly porous - memory. BTW, I don't think anyone's mentioned tirailleurs yet: a generic term, I believe. Again, I haven't checked.

[Jemima Fawr]

[quote author=Jemima Fawr link=topic=126324.msg1596258#msg1596258 date=1597507784

Line infantry Grenadiers, Fusiliers and Voltigeurs equate to Light Infantry Carabiniers, Chasseurs and Voltigeurs.  So Chasseurs are the centre companies of light infantry regiments, equating to Fusiliers.


Ah, that's non, then. I didn't check, making the cardinal mistake of relying on my poor - and increasingly porous - memory. BTW, I don't think anyone's mentioned tirailleurs yet: a generic term, I believe. Again, I haven't checked.

Yeah, 'tirailleurs' basically equates to 'skirmishers', unless you're talking about Tirailleurs of the Guard, in which case that's a proper 'thing'.

As mentioned above, massed skirmishers in battalion+ strength were often referred to as 'tirailleurs en grande bandes' ('big bunch of skirmishers').

[Ray Rivers]

('big bunch of skirmishers')

No wonder they lost the war...   

[Andrew_McGuire]

Class, repeat after me:

'Les carabiniers de ma tante sont devenus les tirailleurs de mon oncle.'

Très bien. Now this:

'Les rosbifs n'ont pas la moindre idée!'

Bravo!

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Mais le singe est dans l'arbre.
(E. Izzard)

[Andrew_McGuire]

Ce singe, est-ce qu'il était-il un espion français? Il doit être pendu!

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Depuis combien de temps habitez-vous à Hartlepool?

[Andrew_McGuire]

C'est quoi, 'artleepool?

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Sacre bleu!  Ne savez-vous pas que c'est la ville des singe-pendaiseurs? 

[Andrew_McGuire]

Ah, bien sur, bien sur! Mais personne en'Artleepool parle le français, n'est-ce pas?

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Ou singe non plus, paraît-il.....

[vtsaogames]

Department of silly French talks here.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Department of silly French talks here.

C'est un problème pour vous, alors?