French Army of Napoleon 1796-1815

Napoleon's Grande Armee was the perfect military machine and one of the greatest fighting forces that the world had ever seen. Reformed during the mid-18th century, it was trained to a high professional standard with great technical competence and generously furnished with artillery. It consisted of many different units, each with a specific task. The foot regiments of the line and light infantry represented the most important components, while the French cavalry was the most formidable on the European continent, comprising heavy, medium and light cavalry. In this volume, expert author Gabriele Esposito provides a detailed overview of the organisation, uniforms and weapons of the French Army during the Napoleonic period. Each element that made up every company within the army is reviewed, and every nuance of each uniform is explained and described in detail, with rank clearly decoded. Alongside is a description of the key battles between 1796 and 1815, as France projected its superiority throughout Europe.