Customer Reviews

French Revolutionary Infantryman 1791-1802 (Warrior)

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This title is intended as a prequel to French Napoleonic Infantryman 1803-1815, and like it is well-written by Terry Crowdy and finely illustrated by the experienced Osprey artist Christa Hook. It looks at the arms, recruitment, training, and experiences of revolutionary volunteers in the French Army between the storming of Bastille (1789) and Napoleon's election as Consul for Life in 1802.

The plates, plate commentary, and main text all examine the gear and tactical roles of the major infantry troop types of the time, including the light infantry chasseurs, specialized skirmishers who operated in pairs. The plates show a French stanard-bearer, recruitment, departure on campaign, line infantry firing, an infantry column deploying, a battle against Austrian skirmishers in 1792, the army crossing the Alps during the Italian campaign, and a light infantryman.

The text is very useful. Crowdy lets the Revolutionary soldier himself do much of writing for him; much of the text is taken from the accounts given by various young soldiers and military men. He examines the recruitment, schooling in military life, training, preparations for battle, battles, sieges, women, punishments, and daily life of the infantrymen. The book is divided into many small, highly readable sections with specific topics.

Overall, this book is a useful look into the life of the French soldiers of the early stages of the Napoleonic Wars, and their experiences of battle and military life.