British Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792–1815

68 Pages·25.656 MB·English

by  Philip J. Haythornthwaite, Steve Noon(Illustrations)

British Napoleonic
Infantry Tactics
1792-1815
CONTENTS
PHILIPHAYTHORNTHWAITEis
aninternationallyrespected
authorandhistorical
consultantspecializingin
themilitaryhistory,uniforms INTRODUCTION: 'THAT ARTICLE' 3
andequipmentofthe18th
and 19thcenturies.Hismain
THE MANUALS 4
areaofresearchcoversthe
NapoleonicWars.Hehas • The lackofa unifiedsystem
writtensome40books,
• DavidDundas' Principles ofMilitaryMovement- criticisms-
includingmorethan
20Ospreytitles,and amendments
innumerablearticles
andpapersonmilitary
THE BATTALION 10
history- butstillfinds
timetoindulgeinhis
othergreatpassion,cricket. • Organization
MARCHING AND FORMATIONS 12
• Movementin column- the line: three ranks or two? - the square
• Commandand control: word ofmouth- drums and bugles
THE MUSKET 22
• The technical and human limitations
• Firing
LIGHT INFANTRY 27
STEVENOONwasborn in
Kent,UK,andattendedart
collegeinCornwall.Hehas APPLICATION IN THE FIELD 32
hadalife-longpassionfor
• Theoryversus experience
illustration,andsince1985
• Lineversus column
hasworkedasaprofessional
artist.Stevehasprovided
• The bayonetcharge
award-winningillustrations
fortherenownedpublishers
DorlingKindersley,where BRIGADE TACTICS 48
hisinterestinhistorical
illustrationbegan.
SPECIAL OPERATIONS 52
• Storming
• Amphibious operations
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 58
PLATE COMMENTARIES 59
SOURCE NOTES 63
INDEX 64
Elite· 164
British Napoleonic
Infantry Tactics
1792-1815
Philip Haythornthwaite • Illustrated by Steve Noon
Consultant editor MartinWindrow
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E-mail:[email protected]
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2
BRITISH NAPOLEONIC
INFANTRY TACTICS
1792-1815
INTRODUCTION: 'THAT ARTICLE'
T he Duke of Wellington's comment upon the British infantry,
madejust before the opening ofthe Waterloo campaign, is we.!l
known: asked about the outcome ofthe approaching hostilities,
he pointed to an off-duty infantryman and said, 'There - it all depends
upon thatarticlewhetherwe do the business ornot. Give me enough of
it, and I am sure'.I His trust was not misplaced: writing to Lord
Beresford a fortnight later, he remarked ofWaterloo that 'Never did I
see such a pounding match. Both were what the boxers call gluttons ...
I had the infantry for some time in squares, and we had the French
cavalry walking about us as if they had been our own. I never saw the
British infantry behave so well.'2 Considering that the infantry had
'Thatarticle...':thefoundationof formed the backbone ofhis victorious army in the PeninsularWar, that
infantrytacticswastheordinary was high praise indeed.
infantryman- hereaprivate
The reasons given at the time and later for the excellence of the
ofthelightcompanyofthe
infantry included such factors as the obduracy and determination of
5th(Northumberland)Regiment
ofFoot, 1815.(PrintbyGenty) the individual soldier, discipline, leadership, and the regimental system.
A commentator who interviewed officers from almost
every regiment present at Waterloo recorded that
manyhad expected to be beaten; butwhen he asked if
they expected their own regiment to give way the
answerwas always 'Oh no, certainlynotmyown corps,
butI thoughtsome otherwould.' He wrote that 'Such
was the universal answer; and this is the true English
feeling: this indignancy of being even supposed to
be likely to be the first to give way before an enemy
is the true harbinger of success... Our regiments,
accustomed to act and live alone, are not taught to
dread the failures of adjoining corps... The English
regiment will not give way, because the English
regiment of the same brigade has done so, but will
mockthefugitive, andinallliklihoodredouble itsown
exertions to restore thefight- a true bull-dogcourage
againstall odds- ifwellled.'3
This last qualification acknowledged that the
infantrydidindeedfalterattimes- thoughWellington
remarked that he was never overly concerned about
troops running away, provided that they came back;
but the attribution of steadfastness entirely to
regimental spirit leaves out of the equation another
and most important contributory factor in producing
this efficiency- the system oftactics. 3
THE MANUALS
In the period preceding the commencement of the French
RevolutionaryWars the Britishinfantryhadnounifiedsystemofdrill, so
that 'every commandingofficermanoeuvred his regimentafter his own
fashion; and if a brigade of troops were brought together, it was very
doubtfulwhethertheycouldexecuteanyonecombinedmovement,and
almost certain that they could notexecute the various parts ofiton the
same principle... Itisonlysurprisingthat ... the Britisharmywasable to
execute any combined movements at all.'4 Even the speed and method
ofmarching varied, so, as was stated at the time, there might be little
difference between one regiment's quick march and another's slow.
Drill and manoeuvre manuals did exist - for example, Manoeuvres, or
the VVhole Evolutions of a Battalion of Foot (London, 1779), or John
Williamson's Elements ofMilitary Arrangement, and the Discipline ofWar,
adapted to thePractice ofthe British Infantry (3rd edition, 1791); but even
in the early 1790s George Townshend's A Plan ofDiscipline Composedfor
the Use oftheMilitia ofthe County ofNorfolkwas still beingrecommended,
more than 30 years after its publication in 1759. One commentator
Thearchitectofinfantrytactics: remarked that no matter how talented a general, without a common
GenSirDavidDundasBt
system itwas impossible 'to attemptthe mostsimple manoeuvres before
(1735-1820), knownas'OldPivot'
an enemy, much less such complicated ones as the circumstances ofthe
from hissystemofmanoeuvre.
Heheldvariouscommands, situationmaypointoutandrequire'. Thisauthorwastheindividualwho
includingthepostof did most to remedy the problem: David Dundas.
commander-in-chief(1809-11),
butitwashistacticalsystemthat
Dundas' Principles of Military Movement
washisgreatcontributiontothe
ThesonofaprosperousEdinburghmerchant, Dundaswasbornin 1735
Britishmilitaryestablishment.
(PrintafterR.Owen) and entered the military academy atWoolwich in 1750; he trained and
worked as a surveyor, was commissioned in the Royal Artilleryin
1754, then served in the Royal Engineers, infantry and
cavalry, and in staffpositions during the SevenYears' War.
SubsequentlyheattendedPrussian,AustrianandFrench
military exercises, and became an expert in drill
and manoeuvre. In 1788 he published Principles of
Military Movements, a manual intended to produce a
practical system; and in June 1792 the Adjutant
General, William Fawcett, on behalf of the king,
ordered that an amended version should be
issued officially, Rules and Regulations for the
Movements ofHisMajesty'sInfantry. Thisstatedthat
it was 'highly expedient and necessary, for the
benefit of the service at large, that one uniform
system ofField-Exercise and Movement, founded
onjustand true principles, should be established,
and invariably practised, throughout His
[Majesty's] whole Army [and] strictly adhered to,
withoutany deviation whatsoever therefrom.'
The adoption ofDundas' system must have been
patchy, however, for when the Duke ofYork became
commander-in-chief in 1795 he found it necessary to
repeat the 1792 order thatmade the manual mandatory; in
4 May1798hewentfurther, statingthat 'everyOfficerofInfantry
TheEighteenManoeuvres
TheEighteenManoeuvresinDundas'manualformedasequencetobeperformedduringareview, involvingthe
drillsdescribedindetailelsewhereinthemanual.Theywereintendedtoencompassmuchofwhatwouldbe
requiredonthebattlefield,andthoughoftenmentionedinlaterworkstheyarerarelydescribed.Theywere:
Fromline,formclosecolumnofcompaniesuponthe twowingsduringthisprocess,assemblesatrearand
grenadiers;formclosecolumnbygranddivisions(i.e.with thenresumesitsplaceonleftwing.
two-companyfrontage);deployagainintolineuponthe 13 'MarchtoaflankinEchellon':companieswheeltoright,
lightcompany. advanceinechelon,re-formline,firethreetimesby
2 Formclosecolumnofcompaniesinfrontoflightinfantry; companies,fromflankstocentre.
formclosecolumnwithtwo-companyfrontage;deploy 14 Formhollowsquare;squareadvanceswithonecorner
intoline. leading,thenwithonefaceleading;firebycompanies;
3 Formclosecolumnofcompaniesupononeofthecentre re-formlinefromsquare.
companies,facingtorear;countermarch,anddeployinto 15 Lineretires100paces,coveredbylightcompany;then
lineuponacentrecompany. retiresbyfiles,haltsinopencolumn,wheelsbackinto
4 Changeofpositioninopencolumn:linewheelstotakeup line;lightcompanyretiresthroughitandre-assembles
obliqueposition. 30pacestotherear.
5 'Wingthrownback':linewheelstotakeupaposition 16 'Firing,advancing,andchargingtothefront':battalion
paralleltoitsoriginalposition. advances50pacesinline;filestothefront,coveredby
6 Linewheelsintoopencolumn;formsclosecolumn; lightcompany,50paces,haltsinopencolumn,wheels
opens;formssolidsquare;takesonpositionof'Prepare intoline;advancesinline50paces,thenfiresfourtimes
toreceivecavalry',twofrontrankskneeling;rearranks byalternatehalf-battalions;lightcompanyretiresand
commencefile-firing;cease;kneelingranksfirevolley. re-formsinrear,halfoneachwing;advanceinline50
7 'Countermarchbyfiles':right-wingcompanybecomesleft paces,firevolley,advance20pacesandfirevolley,then
andvice-versa,andsoalongtheline. charge50paces;haltandloadwhilelightcompany
8 'Marchinopencolumn':battalionwheelsintoline. movesforwardtocoverthebattalion,pursuesenemy
9 'Echellon[sic]changeofposition':opencolumnwheels andthenreturnstoassembleonleftflank.
totakeupapositionatanobliqueangletotheoriginal. 17 Retireinline100paces;retirebyalternatehalf-battalions,
10 Changeofposition:linewheelsusinglightcompanyas firingfourtimes;retire100pacesandhalt.[Note:
apivot. Dickinson'sguidestatesthatthelightcompanyshould
11 Changeofposition:lineformsopencolumn,advances, covertheretreat.]
re-formsline. 18 Lineadvances100paces;firestwice;advancesobliquely
12 Retreatinline:battalionretires50pacescoveredbylight torightandleft;advances100paces,firestwice.
companyinskirmishorder;halts,firestwiceby
companiesfromcentretoflanks; retires250pacesby Exerciseends,battalionportsarms,andgeneralsaluteis
alternatecompaniesinstagesof50paces;formsline, given(tothepresidinggeneralorinspector:officerssalute
retires50paces,halts,fronts. Lightcompanydividesinto andbandplays'GodSavetheKing').
shallbe providedwithacopyofthese Regulations'. (The duke'ssupport
for Dundas was stated subsequently to have been 'one of the most
distinguished serviceswhich could be rendered to a national army'.5)
Dundas received some criticism, notably for concentrating the most
necessary movements into a series of 'Eighteen Manoeuvres', and for the
advocacyofalinethreeranksdeep.Despitetheabsenceofaunifiedsystem,
the British army in the American War of Independence had evolved
practical tactics - including much ofwhat would come to be regarded as
lightinfantryservice- and a two-deep line; butin Dundas' defence, itwas
remarked thatsome ofthe practicalaspects ofAmerican service hadfallen
out of use in the 1780s, and that tactics suitable for North American
conditionswerenotnecessarilyidealforEuropeanwarfare.Dundaswasalso
criticizedforcopyingPrussianpractice- in 1784thePrussiantacticianCen
Friedrich Christoph von Saldem had published his memoradum Taktik
der Infanterie, which was said to have had some influence on Dundas.
However, Dundasstated thathis theorywas basedupon personal, practical
experience, and thathis presenceatthe Prussianmanoeuvresin 1785 only
causedhimtorevisewhathehadalreadywritten.SirJohnMooreremarked
thatDundas' manualwould have been even betterbutfor 'those damned
eighteen manoeuvres; "Why-ay", says Sir David, slowly, "ay, people don't
understandwhatwas meant. Blockheadsdon'tunderstand"'.6 5
ThefirstoftheEighteen
1~l}-fan··"uvre Manoeuvresshowedsomeof
themostimportantmovements
requiredofthebattalion:forming
columnfrom line;thenforming
C~'7; ((J!urnn/'!/ 'granddivisions'eachoftwo
•«v"/1(,/n.l.("~1r~"d companies;thendeployingback
intoline.The2ndManoeuvre
wasvirtuallyareversalofthis.
1'111"("viu''''1drl'/':l/-S Of,lh,.
1.~'.tJhlh.'/I'lNI,:l/
(;'',/lIl'lN.MCrttnd·
II":','7f',/;,Nu·d
If:oUI/!t?'m'llllt ~y'
rI"".':t:C(>/nutJI
4th Manoeuvre:thelinewheelsbackintoanopencolumnof
companies;thenmovestotakeupanewpositionatanoblique
angletothatoriginallyoccupied.
S~~Manreuvr
;:I,'" .t.
'Wl~flhw:Ul/~'"
3rdManoeuvre:avariationofthechangeof
formation from lineintocolumn,thistimeforming
onacentrecompanyratherthanaflankcompany.
5th Manoeuvre:thelinewheelswith itsleft'wing
thrownback',andadvancesinechelon,totakeup
apositionatanangletotheoriginal.
6
r.,",r,,,t.-'I'""~''''.''''-1'~ilslI&l,...l.
iJm 0QO~t:./"nm"M'Idl.i....,.,tJw!kltlr
l I 1' OUUU-·OD
0
t;'!U>t"" (t...rt(
trlIuJr.·r,r
ABOVE 6th Manoeuvre
(fromtoplefttobottom
right):thelinemovesinto
variouscolumnformations,
culminatingin 'solid
square' readytoreceive
cavalry- oneofthemost
importantofalldefensive
manoeuvres.
LEFT8thManoeuvre:
formingfrom lineinto
anopencolumn;then
intosubdivisions,
thencompanies.
11thManoeuvre:formingfrom lineintoopencolumn.
7
ltdl1-ruo/it./I,tlt.:'rtw/c
CQtll{l~ll~S(''-'I'nt-Iip'11 ~!m!~I~".'lID~I~;~siilE;.;.:i ••fIllall"! ......
/h~L~;;hl'hyanlJy /.tit~;;'rtlt"'~/it:mIluJIIII/<,w.)'qlldlr'
/ SI'ft,!~Y'flljvullnvl'!/
t4I"fI"'/lWT.i't.<t!t>
b./y(tdlrut:-~Iut'-lfiltli1t.h1!IuJilrmvtfr'r!r.!.1.>...w-·'l'.'·--"-"""···"-=-.'-··~.""i,," '-,."... 1[Jf'lkwt··)1/fmf-r.!i'.m.m!
.......111 • • • • • • •• 11 . 14thManoeuvre- oneofthemostimportantforthe
'... • • • • • • • .... •• • ill ..
battalion'ssecurityonthebattlefield.(Frombottom
upwards):from line,formationofahollowsquare;
thismaythenadvance(left)withonecornerleading
12thManoeuvre: Retreating(upwards)inlinebyalternate andthesubdivisionsinechelon,or(right)withone
companies,firingduringtheprocess.Theothercompanies faceleading,the'sides'advancing insubdivisions;
arecoveredbythelightcompany,whichdividesintotwowings andthenre-forming linefrom square.Thegrenadier
beforere-unitingbehindtheline,andthen resuming itsplace companyhadthefurthesttomarchwhenforming
ontheleftoftheline. thesquarefrom line,sinceitclosedthesquare's
rearface.
3~Manceuvre.
13thManoeuvre:thecompaniesformingalinewheeltoadvancein
echelontotheright,thenre-form aline.Thisallowedabattalionto
shiftitspositionbymeansofamovementdiagonaltoitsoriginal
position.The 10thManoeuvrewasrathersimilar, butinvolvedthe
linewheelingbackwardsbyechelon,pivotingonthefulcrumofthe
lightcompany.
8