Fusiliers
Fusiliers (Fusileers, Fuziliers, Fuzileers; German: Füsiliere) are a type of infantryman who derive their name from the “fusil”, a flintlock musket, first introduced in France. In most armies, all infantrymen who are not grenadiers, rifles, chasseurs, or Jägers are classified as fusiliers; musketeers now only exist in name. In the Prussian army, they are primarily assigned to light infantry duties, and consequently, every infantry regiment includes a fusilier battalion.
Source: Rumpf, H. F.: Allgemeine Real-Encyclopädie der gesammten Kriegskunst (Berl. 1827)
Miniatures
- Fusiliers of the Seven Years‘ War
- Fusiliers of the American Revolutionary War
- Fusiliers of the Napoleonic Wars
- Fusiliers of the Franco-Prussian War
Fusiliers (from French “fusil”, meaning flintlock musket), originally the French infantry of Louis XIV armed with flintlock muskets. Later, the term designated light infantry primarily tasked with skirmishing, as opposed to musketeers armed with heavy muskets. With the introduction of standardized replacements, uniform weaponry, and common employment across the entire infantry, the distinct nature of the fusiliers vanished, and the term “fusilier” retained only historical significance. In the later Prussian army, the third battalions of Guard and Grenadier regiments were designated as fusilier battalions; additionally, there was a Guard Fusilier Regiment and thirteen fusilier regiments, each consisting of three fusilier battalions.
Source: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, 6. Auflage 1905–1909