Voltigeurs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Voltigeurs (Vaulters) were French military skirmish units created in 1804 by Napoleon. The term referred to specialised infantrymen deployed in advance of the main assault lines. The term was use to designate light infantry soldiers forming an elite acting as tirailleurs (sharpshooter) in front of the main line of advance. The Imperial Guard had, at times, 19 regiments of Voltigeurs who, although not particularly good in hand-to-hand combat were, at the time, the best sharpshooters in the French military.
[edit] Appearances in modern media
Voltigeurs appear in Ensemble Studio's Age of Empires III as French skirmisher units.
