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The Infantry: pre 1806
Before 1806 the infantry comprised the Foot Guards, 52 line regiments (increasing to 54 in 1794, 55 in 1797, 56 in 1803 and 57 in 1804) and twenty fusilier (light infantry) battalions, rising to 21 in 1795 and 24 by 1806. Each regiment comprised one grenadier and two musketeer battalions plus a depot (becoming the 3rd Musketeer battalion in 1796, raised to full strength only on mobilization), each battalion of four companies of 155 other ranks (with ten riflemen or Schutzen per company). From June 1799 each regiment comprised two 5 company musketeer battalions, the depot and two grenadier companies, the latter to be detached in wartime to form half a composite grenadier battalion. In July 1806 new organisation gave each regiment thee 4 company battalions (the 3rd Battalion being fusiliers) and two grenadier companies, but this was only enacted after the war.
The Infantry: 1806
According to its establishment figures, the Prussian Army of 1806 could place some 121,000 infantry into the field. At least 83,000 more troops were deployed in garrisons and reserves. The bulk of the recruits were native Prussians. There was also a substantial number of non-Prussian volunteers in the army in the army. In addition about 20,000 Saxon troops wereforcibly incorporated into the army at the outset of the year.
The Prussian infantry comprised three main types, musketeers, grenadiers and fusiliers. A line regiment consisted of two battalions of musketeers and two companies of grenadiers. These regiments were named after their colonels-in-chief and numbered according to their seniority. In time of war, the grenadier companies of an infantry regiment were combined with those of another regiment to form a battalion, which was known by the name of its field commander. Each musketeer battalion consisted of five companies, each of two platoons, while the grenadier battalions consisted of four companies, a total of eight platoons. Fusiliers, a light infantry formation, were formed into brigades of three battalions in peacetime. In the evnt of war, the battalions were allocated to larger formations on an individual basis. They were known by the names of their field commanders.
The Infantry: 1806
A grenadier battalion had an establishment of 18 officers, 56 NCOs, 1 artillery NCO (for the battalion gun), four surgeons, twelve drummers, 1 bugler (for the Schutzen), eight fifers, 17 gunners, 40 Schutzen, 600 grenadiers, 40 reserves and eight sappeurs, a total of 805 men. A musketeer battalion had an establishment of 22 to 23 officers, 60 NCOs, 1 artillery NCO, 5 surgeons, 15 drummers, 1 bugler, 17 gunners, 50 Schutzen, 600 musketeers, 50 reserves and 10 sappeurs, a total 0f 831 to 832 men. In addition , the 1st battalion of a regiment had 6 oboe players. A fusilier battalion had an establishment of 19 officers, 48 NCOs, 4 surgeons, 5 drummers, 8 buglers, 40 Schutzen, 520 fusiliers, 40 reserves and 8 sappeurs, a total of 692 men.
Prussian tactics were not so outdated in 1806 as was once thought. The line regiments were trained to deliver volleys, platoon firing against cavalry, and 'battle-fire' (by which the third rank held its fire, while the first two delivered volleys in turn before switching to fire-at-will)__ particularly useful in defensive engagements. In the attack , they often adopted the famous 'oblique order' formation. But, unlike the French, the co-ordination in action of light infantry with line formations left much to be desired at this time.
The Infantry: The Reconstruction of 1807
By a Cabinet Order dated November 20th, 1807, the strength of an infantry regiment was set at two grenadier companies, two musketeer battalions and a light battalion. The light battalion was redesignated as a garrison company on the following December 1st. The battalions each contained four companies and the established strength of a company was five officers, fifteen NCOs, three or four musicians and 170 men.
On December 1st, 1808, a regiment's strength was finally regulated at three battalions, two masketeer and one fusilier, each of four companies. The grenadiers, although still part of the regiment , were detached and were grouped into seperate Grenadier Battalions, one of which was attached to each of the army's six brigades.
The Infantry: The Reconstruction of 1807 (Cont'd)
On the following day , the strength of a Grenadier, Musketeer or Fusilier company was changed to five officers, 1 Feldwebel, 1 Portepeefahnrich, 3 Sergeanten, 7 Unteroffiziere, 20 Gefreite, 115 privates, 3 musicians and a company medical orderly. The Jager and Schutzen companies had a similar complement of officers, senior NCOs and medical orderlies but in place of the Unteroffiziere there were 5 Oberjager, no equivalent to a Gefreite existed, and the unit was completed with 88 privates and 2 buglers. These figures provided the battalions with a total strength of 632 men, NCOs and officers or in the case of the Jager or Schutzen Battalions, 429. These strengths were the official peacetime establishments, but the War establishment was larger in that each company added some 50 privates to its ranks upon mobilization. Thus the full strength of a battalion during the 1813-15 period was either some 630 or 830 men. In 1813, some units tended to exceed this authorized establishment and , without exception, this was done by Jager and Schutzen units who were deployed as half battalions, each fielding some 400 men. One or two line battalions emulated this practice of expansion and in August 1813, the largest battalion was the 1st/Drittes Ostpreussisches Infanterie Regiment which fielded a total of 940 men. as a generalization, however, the establishments were fairly well maintained and the average strength of a battalion on active service was somewhere between 750 and 850 men, NCOs and officers.
In June 1813, the 8th Foot Guard Regiment was taken out of the line and redesignated 'Erstes garde-Regiment zu Fuss'. At the same time the 'Zweites Garde-Regiment zu Fuss' was formed from the 'Normal-Infantrie-Battalion', the 1st/Cobergsches Inf. Regt. and the 'Leib-Fusilier' Battalion. The old regiments numbered 1 to 12 all moved down one in the sequence to 8 - 11 and a new 12th Brandenburg Infantry Regiment was formed from Reservists.
Reserve Regiments 1 -12 were activated in 1813 and on March 25th, 1815, were incoporated into the Line as Regiments Nos. 13 - 24. Similarly, the various legions and Freikorps were numbered 25 - 31. In 1813 some of the reserve Regiments mobilised four battalions, the fourth usually being absorbed later by the other three.
In 1814, the 'Garde-Schutzen-Battalion' was formed and the six independent grenadier battalions were grouped into the new Guard Grenadier Regiments; 'No. 1: Czar Alexander' and 'No. 2: Kaiser Franz'.
