The Napoleonic Wars, from 1799 to 1815, were a turbulent and defining period in European history. Every country in Europe was touched by war and political upheaval. The conflict also extended to colonies in South America, the East and West Indies and North America. The Napoleonic Wars even had a strong influence on the United States through the Louisiana Purchase and the War of 1812.
From this military struggle emerged a unique, style of warfare that presaged our modern style of small unit tactics. The most notable military unit employing this new style was the British 95th Regiment of Foot (Rifles). The training, tactics and leadership style of the 95th foreshadowed the tactical doctrine of the 20th Century. The 95th Rifles came to the forefront of popular history with the stories and television series of “Sharpe’s Rifles” by Bernard Cornwell. The renewed interest in the Rifles has coincided with the upcoming 200th anniversary of Waterloo (2015) and the anniversary of the War of 1812.
Reenacting with the 95th Rifles allows you to relive an exciting and definitive period of history while sharing the camaraderie and research of like-minded individuals.
Early History and Organization:
Experience with Indians and frontiersmen in the French & Indian War (Seven Years War) and the American Revolution had convinced many British officers that the tactics of stealth, marksmanship, and loose, open formations had a place in warfare.
Acting on this experience and receiving the approval of the Duke of York (the head of the British Army), Col. Coote Manningham established an “Experimental Corps of Riflemen” in 1800 at Horsham Camp, England. This regiment was originally formed by taking drafts selected from the other army regiments. Later this method was replaced by the traditional recruiting method of enticing young men to join at taverns.
The course of instruction was unique to the early 19th Century soldiers. The men were trained as marksmen. They were trained to load and fire the new Baker, or light infantry, rifle; to deploy in an open formation as light infantry; to take advantage of any natural cover working in pairs or 4 man teams for protection; and to take the initiative in battle. In addition, the Corps was marched at a pace that was twice as fast as the regulation army cadence. The faster pace was necessary to place the riflemen ahead of the main body; to keep up as a flank guard; and to catch up the main body when deployed as a rear guard.
As a result of this training, the relationship of officers and soldiers was one of mutual respect and support on campaign. Discipline was maintained through espirit de corps and by acknowledging the regiment’s status as an elite group. Flogging was used rarely and only for the most serious of crimes.
In the Napoleonic Wars the French mode of attack was to deploy clouds of skirmishers in advance of their attack columns. The role of the French skirmishers was to disrupt the enemy lines in preparation for the shock of the French assault columns. This tactic had made Napoleon and the French army the masters of Europe. The major task of the British riflemen was to directly confront the French skirmishers and prevent them from engaging the British lines. Armed with the Baker rifle, the 95th Riflemen had the advantage of longer range and more accurate fire against the French skirmishers armed with muskets. As the French skirmishers closed the distance, this advantage was reduced until the Riflemen could increase their rate of fire.
There were other roles for the riflemen in battle. In addition to fighting off the French skirmishers, the riflemen would specifically target the French officers, non-commissioned officers, drummers (who were used to relay commands) and artillery gunners. Riflemen would form a picket screen in front of army encampments to detect surprise attacks. They were used as the principal advance guards, flank guards and rear guards on the march. In all these roles the initiative of the riflemen and NCOs was critical to their success.
The Experimental Corps of Riflemen was sent overseas in late 1800. British generals quickly began to appreciate the advantages of riflemen deployed in light infantry type formations. In September 1800 a new regiment supplanted the Experimental Corps. In December 1802 it was given the number 95 in the establishment of the British army. It was under the title of 95th (Rifle Corps) or 95th Regiment of Foot (Riflemen) that the regiment gained fame and reputation.
The riflemen were armed and trained to the use of the light infantry rifle, or Baker rifle. A short, .62 caliber rifle, similar in appearance to the German jaeger rifle, the Baker rifle had sights for 100 and 300 yards. Riflemen were trained to fire from behind cover in prone, kneeling and standing positions using a sling to steady the weapon. It was standard operating procedure to target enemy officers, non-commissioned officers and artillery gunners before individual soldiers. The rifle had the advantages of longer range (muskets were inaccurate beyond 100 yards and ineffective beyond 200 yards), and greater accuracy. However, the rate of fire of a rifle was only one shot per minute versus the 3 shots per minute of a musket. The reason for the slow reloading was that riflemen used a patched ball which had to be pounded down the bore to ensure the projectile fit tightly in the barrel. The gunpowder came from a powder horn with a finely ground powder that burned with more force than the usual infantry cartridge.
However, during the Peninsula Campaign, riflemen often resorted to using the pre-formed cartridge without a patch to gain a faster rate of fire in close range encounters.
In addition to the rifle, the rifleman had a 23 inch long sword-bayonet that was fixed to the side of the gun muzzle. The length of the bayonet was used to compensate for the shorter length of the rifle. The weight of the sword bayonet caused the rifle to be muzzle heavy and affected the aim of the weapon. The practical use for the sword was to chop wood, carve meat and clear undergrowth for camping.
The rifleman had a cartridge box to carry 52 cartridges, a ball pouch for 30 loose balls, a powder horn to hold the finely ground gunpowder, haversack (bread bag), canteen and knapsack. The British knapsack was so uncomfortable on the march that riflemen secured French packs and used them wherever possible.
The 95th Rifles as an elite regiment wore a unique uniform. As a form of camouflage, the regiment was issued a dark green coat and trousers with black facings, black leather accouterments, black shako and black gaiters and shoes. This special uniform occasionally led to rifle units being mistakenly fired upon by their own army. The bugle horn badge worn on the shako was a distinctive ornament. Because the rifle units were usually deployed in loose skirmish formations, a bugle was needed to communicate signals and commands along the line. The battalions of the 95th Rifles had no fifes or drums and relied upon bugles and the officers’ whistles for communication.
The first 95th Rifle battalion proved to be so effective that two more battalions of the regiment were raised and sent to the Peninsula before the end of the campaign.
The 95th Rifles live on today in the modern British army as The Rifles, a regiment of 5 battalions trained as commandos, or mechanized infantry. The Rifles carry on the traditions of the 95th Rifles. They refer to bayonets as swords, march at a faster pace and have a bugle corps rather than a band.