Hat 8041 Napoleonic French Fusiliers

During the revolutionary wars (1792-1799) and - especially - in the Napoleonic period (1799-1815), France probably had the most efficient war machine on the Old Continent, which almost led to its lasting hegemony over Europe. It will be a truism to say that the key element of this machine was the French army. In that army, on the other hand, a very important role was played by the line infantry, the majority of which were fusiliers. In accordance with the changes introduced by Napoleon in 1803, the French line infantry battalion consisted of 9 companies - 1 grenadier and as many as 8 fusiliers. Each fusilier company had 120 full-time employees. In the period 1804-1808 the battalion still consisted of 9 companies, but the number of fusilier companies was limited to seven. On the other hand, from 1808, the number of battalions in the regiment increased to four, one of which was in-house and did not move into the field. On the other hand, the number of companies in the battalion dropped to 6, of which 4 were fusilier companies with a force of 140 each. The uniform of the French fusilier consisted of a blue Kursk uniform, white trousers, and from 1806-1807, a shak with a ponytail that replaced the three-piece hat. The main armament of the French fusilier was a model 1777 or AN IX rifle, 1.52 meters long and with a caliber of 15.5 to 17.5 mm. There was also a bayonet.