French battalion composition in Napoleonic wars

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Hi all,
Need to ask the kinds immeasurably superior to mine,
I've got a commission on of two French line battalions for Napoleonics, does first battalion have more grenadiers and voltagures than second battalion or has my client miscounted?
Thanks

[fsn]

All companies were the same size. What timeframe are you talking?

From 1808 it was 6 companies per battalion; 4 fusilier, 1 grenadier, 1 voltigeur each of 140 men.


http://napoleonistyka.atspace.com/French_infantry.html#_organisation

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Think my client miscounted his figures, as first battalion had many many many more elites than he needed, while second battalion was nearly all line.

[steve_holmes_11]

Think my client miscounted his figures, as first battalion had many many many more elites than he needed, while second battalion was nearly all line.

It's not uncommon to "Bathtub" your company organisation when representing larger formations.


Allow me to explain: Volley and Bayonet (and some other games) use one stand to represent a brigade.
You could use 2mm troop blocks to actually depict all the formations within the brigade.
It's more common to either pack the base with 28-15mm figures, is a loose column of 12-30 figures.
Or to place your 10mm and 6mm in a relevant formation with colours and a few nearby skirmishers.

The 15-28mm resembles a platoon, the 10mm a company and the 6mm might just make a pair of companies, or a battalion f deployed deep en masse.

Bear with me....

These look a bit silly if every unit has a command group with colours, musicians etc etc.
It can also look silly if your 24 15mm infantry have four men representing each company.

Some of us adopt a visually pleasing approach of organising the brigades of our division to look distinctive.
One might be a mix of grenadiers and centre companies, one contains command and colours another has a high proportion of light troops.

When the division is lined up in its storage box, it gives the impression of a battalion on parade.


This might explain the excess of elites in one formation.

[jimduncanuk]

Why not do the obvious and ask him what he wants.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Where's the fun in that!