
Fusiliers of Line in Spain, 1811
Fusiliers of Line were line infantry units consisting of musketeers, in the service of the French Republic and French Empire.
History[]

In the 1750s, the French Army designated "fusiliers" as ordinary line infantry as opposed to specialized Chasseurs, Voltiguers, Grenadiers of Line, or Carabiniers. During the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1801), they made up the majority of the French Revolutionary Army, and during the following Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) they were the main infantry unit of Napoleon's Grande Armee. The Fusiliers of Line regiments were the regulars, and the most-commonly recruited unit due to their basic structure and easy availability. Today, the term "fusilier" is no longer used because muskets are not used, but many French infantry regiments descend from fusilier units.