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115-652: The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army , raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (the Duke of Albany's) to form the Queen's Own Highlanders in 1961. The regiment was raised as the 79th Regiment of Foot (Cameronian Volunteers) on 17 August 1793 at Fort William by Sir Alan Cameron of Erracht ,

230-696: A failed assault on the Spanish coast at Ferrol . The 79th Foot landed in Egypt as part of an expeditionary force to prevent French control of the land route to India and saw action at the Battle of Abukir in March 1801. After victories at Mandora and Alexandria later that month, the British forced the surrender of the French forces at Cairo . Along with other regiments that took part in

345-742: A 2nd regular battalion was raised, and the Militia battalion was renumbered to 3rd. In 1882, the 1st Battalion moved from Gibraltar to Egypt , where they took part in the Anglo-Egyptian War , including the Battle of Tel el-Kebir in September 1882. Remaining in Egypt, they took part in the 1884-1885 Nile Expedition to the Sudan , including the defence of Kosheh and the Battle of Ginnis in December 1885. Returning to

460-468: A cavalry brigade, the situation became desperate for the 2nd Division. At around 15:00 the 5th British Infantry Division ( Picton ) and the 3rd Dutch Light Cavalry Brigade ( Baron van Merlen ) arrived. The Duke of Wellington came back from his meeting with Blücher and took command. He deployed Picton's Division on the allied left flank where it stopped the French advance to the east of the road. The fresh French 6th Division ( Prince Jérôme Bonaparte ) arrived on

575-511: A company of voltigeurs , who were expected to act as skirmishers as well being able to deploy into line. In the Russian Empire, light infantry was forming at a very fast pace; by the end of the 18th century, regiments of light infantry totaled 40,000 soldiers ( Jaeger ). The armament of light infantry was very different from the armament of linear infantry. They were armed with high-quality muskets, as well as pistols (for close combat). After

690-459: A connecting division at Marbais to link him with Grouchy. The center and left wing together would then make a night-march toward Brussels. The Coalition forces would thus be forcefully separated, and all that remained would be to destroy each in detail. Napoleon now awaited further information from his wing commanders at Charleroi, where he massed the VI Corps ( Lobau 's), to save it, if possible, from

805-719: A cousin of Cameron of Lochiel . Initially mustered from among members of the Clan Cameron in Lochaber , the regiment eventually recruited from across the Highlands, and indeed, seldom elsewhere. The regiment was deployed briefly to Ireland and southern England, then to Flanders in 1794 where it took part in an unsuccessful campaign under the command of the Duke of York during the French Revolutionary Wars . On its return to England,

920-600: A harassing countermarch, as it appeared likely that it would only be needed for the march to Brussels. On 15 June as the Prussian I Corps withdrew towards Ligny, there was a danger for the Coalition forces that Ney would be able to advance through Quatre Bras and take his objectives with little or no Coalition opposition. At the headquarters of the I Corps at Genappe (about five kilometres (3 miles) from Quatre Bras), Major-General Jean Victor de Constant Rebecque , chief of staff to

1035-492: A pied (light infantry), one of Grenadiers and one of Carabiniers . Similar differentiations were made in the majority of European armies of the period, although English-speaking authors sometimes use the designation "line infantry" when referring to the ordinary infantry of some other countries where the exact term was not in use. The term was also used by US units during the Second World War, as shown by this quote from

1150-557: A report of the 782nd Tank Battalion in late April 1945: On the 22nd of April, the Battalion moved from Oberkotzau, Germany to Wunsiedel , Germany. Here the attachment of the line companies to the Regimental Combat Teams of the 97th Division was completed. We separated, not coming together again until the war was over. Company "A" joined the 303rd at Rehau, Germany: Company "B" joined the 386th at Arzburg, Germany: and Company "C"

1265-740: A short distance. In some cases, it was possible to defeat the enemy with just one volley at close range. The line was considered the fundamental battle formation as it allowed for the largest deployment of firepower. Against surrounding enemy cavalry, line infantry could swiftly adopt square formations to provide protection. Such squares were hollow (consisting of four lines), unlike the pikemen's and old-style musketeers' square. Troops in skirmish formation, though able to take cover and use initiative, were highly vulnerable to cavalry and could not hold ground against advancing infantry columns. Line infantry provided an "anchor" for skirmishers and cavalry to retreat behind if threatened. Movement in line formation

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1380-435: A small part of the infantry branch of most armies, because of their vulnerability to hostile cavalry. Pikemen formed the majority of infantrymen and were known as heavy infantry. A significant part of infantry consisted of old-style musketeers, who did not use the linear tactics, instead skirmishing in open formation. However, by the middle of the 17th century, musketeers deployed in line formation already provided about half of

1495-481: A way of instilling discipline and unit cohesion . Members of the US Army utilize the term "line company" (informally) in light infantry battalions to differentiate those companies (generally A–D) that perform the traditional infantry role from the support companies (generally F and HHC) charged with supporting the "line companies". The Marine Corps does the same for all its infantry units. In this vein, officers assigned to

1610-514: A wedge between their forces. He planned to defeat the Prussian army, forcing them to retreat eastward, and then turn to engage Wellington, driving his army back to the Channel coast. Napoleon recognized that, if Wellington's Anglo-allied army could join with the Prussians, the combined force would be larger than his French army. The crossroads at Quatre Bras therefore became a strategic position, since if

1725-554: The 9th (Scottish) Division in May 1915 for service on the Western Front, where they served for the remainder of the war. The 6th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 45th Brigade in the 15th (Scottish) Division in July 1915 and also served on the Western Front for the rest of the war. The 7th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 44th Brigade in

1840-489: The American Civil War . The Austro-Prussian War in 1866 showed that breech-loading rifles , which gave the individual shooter a greatly increased rate of fire as well as the capability to reload from a prone position, were greatly superior to muzzle loaded rifles. In the 1860s, most German states and Russia converted their line infantry and riflemen into 'united' infantry, which used rifles and skirmish tactics. After

1955-609: The Battle of Bussaco in September 1810, the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811 and the Siege of Badajoz in March 1812. It fought at the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812, and took part in the occupation of Madrid in August 1812 and the Siege of Burgos in September 1812. It also saw combat at the Battle of the Pyrenees in July 1813, the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813 and the Battle of

2070-558: The Battle of France and the subsequent Dunkirk evacuation in May 1940 under the command of Lt Col G P Rose-Miller, DSO, MC. After returning to England and being brought up to strength, the 1st Battalion was then deployed to Burma in mid-1942 and took part in numerous actions during the Burma Campaign , including the Battle of Kohima in April 1944, the Battle of Mandalay in February 1945 and

2185-601: The Capture of Lucknow in March 1858 and the Battle of Bareilly in May 1858, remaining in India until 1871 when they returned to the UK. Queen Victoria presented the regiment with new colours at Parkhurst, Isle of Wight , on 17 April 1873 and directed they should be known as the "Queen's Own" in August 1873. Consequently, they became the 79th Regiment, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders . Under

2300-523: The Cardwell reforms , in 1873 the 79th were linked to the 42nd Highlanders , the two regiments sharing a common depot at Perth , with the 79th supplying men to bring the 42nd up to strength for the 1873 Ashanti campaign . On 1 July 1881, as part of the Childers reforms , the 79th Foot was redesignated as 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders , the county regiment of Inverness-shire . The Camerons were

2415-464: The Duke of Brunswick , now reached the field, but their commander received a mortal wound while leading a charge and the attack failed. At 16:15 Ney received Napoleon's order (despatched at 14:00), to attack vigorously. He sent an order to his II Corps ( Honoré Reille ) to attack with more force. On Ney's left, Prince Jérôme drove the allies out of the Bossu Wood. French mixed forces advanced almost all

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2530-728: The Fashoda Incident . Returning to Cairo, the 1st Battalion travelled to South Africa in March 1900 and fought in the Second Boer War . On 27 February 1902, Lieutenants Harry Morant and Peter Handcock , formerly of the Bushveldt Carbineers , were executed following one of the first war crimes prosecutions in British military history by a firing squad of soldiers from the Cameron Highlanders inside Pretoria jail. Following

2645-626: The Franco-Prussian War , both the German Empire and the French Third Republic did the same. However, Great Britain retained the name "line infantry", although it used rifled muskets from 1853 and breech loading rifles from 1867, and switched from closed lines to extended order during the Boer wars . The growing accuracy, range, and rate of fire of rifles, together with the invention of

2760-665: The Haldane Reforms , the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve ; the regiment now has one Reserve and one Territorial battalion. Battalions of the regiment during World War I included; The 1st Battalion, commanded by James Douglas McLachlan , landed at Le Havre as Army Troops for the 1st Division in August 1914 for service on

2875-639: The Highland Brigade for service in the Crimean War . It fought at the Battle of Alma in September 1854, the Battle of Balaclava in October 1854, the siege of Sevastopol through the winter 1854 and the expedition to Kerch , in the eastern Crimea, in May 1855. After briefly returning to the UK, the regiment sailed to India to take part in the suppression of the Indian Rebellion . The regiment took part in

2990-624: The Irrawaddy River operations in March 1945. The 2nd Battalion, which was still in Sudan at the start of the war, moved to Egypt and then Libya as part of the 11th Indian Infantry Brigade in the 4th Indian Division and fought in Operation Battleaxe . Following the Battle of Gazala was captured when Tobruk fell in June 1942. It was reformed in the UK in December 1942 and sent to Italy as part of

3105-626: The Maxim machine gun in 1883, meant that close order line infantry would suffer heavy losses before being able to close with the enemy, while the defensive advantages given to line infantry against cavalry became irrelevant with the effective removal of offensive cavalry from the battlefield in the face of the improved weaponry. With the turn of the 20th century, this slowly led to infantry increasingly adopting skirmish style light infantry tactics in battle, while retaining line infantry drill for training. Although linear battle tactics had become obsolete by

3220-792: The Queen's Own Highlanders . The regiment's battle honours were as follows: The following servicemen from the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders were awarded the Victoria Cross : Colonels of the Regiment were: The following regiments were affiliated to the QOCH: Canada Australia New Zealand Auxiliary Territorial Service Regimental titles in italics indicate they were disbanded or renumbered before 1881. Line infantry Line infantry mainly used three formations in its battles:

3335-538: The Western Front . The 2nd Battalion, which had been in India, landed at Le Havre as part of the 81st Brigade in the 27th Division in December 1914 for service on the Western Front and then moved to Salonika in December 1915. The 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion was posted to Birr in Ireland in November 1917 as part of a move to replace Irish Reserve Battalions with British troops at a time when there were concerns about

3450-633: The allied occupation forces in Germany , returning to the UK in 1926. In 1935 the battalion commenced a tour of foreign service, serving in Palestine , Egypt and, in 1938, India. The 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, initially under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Wimberley , was sent to France as part of the 5th Brigade in the 2nd Division with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in September 1939. It then took part in

3565-408: The matchlock muskets of some line infantry were equipped with bayonets . Bayonets were attached to the muzzles and were used when line troops entered melee combat. They also helped to defend against cavalry. At the end of the 17th century, a solution was sought to a flaw within the design of matchlock muskets. Since the matchlock musket used a slow burning piece of twine known as a slow match ,

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3680-411: The 15th (Scottish) Division in July 1915. They served on the Western Front until June 1918 when, due to high casualties incurred at Arras , the battalion was amalgamated with the 6th Camerons. The North Uist -born war poet Dòmhnall Ruadh Chorùna , a highly important figure in 20th century Scottish Gaelic literature , served in combat with the 7th (Service) Battalion during the trench warfare along

3795-487: The 2nd Division (Sedlnitsky) greeted them with musket volleys, but it was outnumbered and those east of the Brussels highway were at once forced back by the mass of men moved against them. The Nassauers of 2nd Brigade (Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar) retreated to Grand-Pierrepont farm and Dutch troops of the 1st Brigade (Bylandt) to Gemioncourt, but the allies managed, however, to hold the wood. Facing three infantry divisions and

3910-434: The 2nd Dutch Division to reinforce Prince Bernhard's 2nd Brigade. By countermanding a direct order from Wellington and using his own initiative, Rebecque was responsible for the Battle being fought at Quatre Bras on the following day, thereby preventing the French from keeping the two coalition armies apart and destroying each of them in detail. Ney spent the morning of 16 June massing his I and II corps, and reconnoitering

4025-602: The 387th at Waldsassen, Germany. The British Army retains the traditional distinction between "Guards", "Line Infantry" and "the Rifles" on ceremonial occasions for historical reasons. It is linked to the order of precedence within the British Army and regimental pride, so for example Colonel Patrick Crowley states in the "introduction" in A Brief History of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (2015): The examples of valour, adherence to duty, and fortitude, continue to inspire

4140-524: The 5th National Militia, lost 62% of its original strength that day. It was driven out by the 4th light and 100th Line regiments, but regrouped north of the farm when the Dutchmen saw the 28th British Foot come to their aid. But this regiment thought the farmhouse was lost and retreated, while the 5th Militia, thinking they were going to get reinforced, charged the Farmhouse again and drove the French regiments from

4255-524: The 79th Foot was listed for disbandment, with the men being drafted into other units. In the end the regiment was reprieved, being instead posted to the West Indies in 1795; after a two-year tour the 79th returned to England again. The regiment was again in action against the French at the Battle of Alkmaar in October 1799 during the Helder Campaign . In 1800 the 79th was part of a force that took part in

4370-497: The American Civil War, both Union and Confederate armies had only a few line regiments equipped with the old-style smooth-bore muskets. However, France, due to Napoleon III, who admired Napoleon I, had 300 line battalions (comprising an overwhelming majority) even in 1870. Although the French line infantry received Chassepot rifles in 1866, it was still being trained in the use of close formations (line, column and square), which

4485-540: The Austrian army abandoned their pikes. In 1703, the French army did the same, in 1704 the British and 1708 the Dutch. In 1699–1721, Peter I converted almost all Russian foot-regiments to line infantry. The abandonment of the pike, together with the faster firing rate made possible by the introduction of the new flintlock musket and paper cartridge , resulted in the replacement of the deeper formations of troops more suitable for

4600-425: The British 3rd Division ( Alten ), coming in from Nivelles, tipped the numerical balance back in favour of the allies. At quarter past the hour Ney heard that the French I Corps ( d'Erlon ), without his direct order or knowledge, had moved eastwards to assist in the battle of Ligny. Fifteen minutes later at 17:30 he received an unclear order from Napoleon to seize Quatre Bras and then turn eastwards to crush Blücher, who

4715-465: The British 5th Brigade ( Halkett ) – 33rd ("West Riding", Lieutenant-Colonel William George Keith Elphinstone) 69th ("South Lincolnshire", Morice ) and the 73rd ( Harris ) – in line formation. The 69th were badly mauled, losing their King's colour (the only battalion under Wellington's direct command to do so); the 33rd and the 73rd were saved from a similar fate by running for the safety of Bossu Wood where they rallied quickly. The cuirassiers reached

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4830-420: The British army [as commander of the 3rd British Brigade], recalled something similar; he claimed Wellington said "I will see what is opposing me and how much of my army has arrived and then act accordingly." In addition, three Prussian accounts claim that not only did the Duke promise to come, but that he even offered Blücher the exact time he expected to arrive, though as one account says the expected arrival time

4945-491: The Duke and his successors had a large part of the Bossu wood felled for timber. So did [Wellington] promise to come to Blücher aid at Ligny? The answer is a simple yes ... Prussian accounts of the meeting make no mention of the qualifying "providing I am not attacked myself", while von Müfflung [Prussian liaison officer seconded to Wellington's staff] does record those words. General von Dornberg , Prussian-born but serving in

5060-498: The Dutch 2nd Light Cavalry Brigade ( van Merlen ), led by the Prince of Orange, charged the French line; although they were met by French cavalry and were thrown back, this gave the battered Dutch infantry time to regroup. When the Dutch cavalry brigade disengaged and retired to friendly lines they were shot at by Scottish infantry because their uniforms looked like the French uniforms of the chasseurs à cheval . The Brunswick Corps , under

5175-555: The Egyptian campaign the 79th Foot were henceforth permitted to bear a sphinx superscribed EGYPT on its colours and badges. The 79th spent the next two years in Menorca . A second battalion was formed in 1804, which supplied drafts to the 1st Battalion and did not go abroad, it being disbanded in 1815. Originally on the Irish establishment, the regiment became part of the British Army in 1804 and

5290-412: The French voltigeurs and cavalry screen, but the battle was over. By 21:00, when the fighting stopped, the French had been forced to give up all of their territorial gains. The battle cost Ney 4,000 men to Wellington's 4,800. Although the allies had won the field, the French prevented them from coming to the aid of the Prussians at the Battle of Ligny . Wellington's Anglo-allied army, upon learning of

5405-530: The French advance, thereby allowing Wellington to take a position on the Waterloo battlegrounds, which would otherwise not be possible and would have led, as some believe, to an allied defeat. After the Waterloo campaign, Wellington was given the title Prince of Waterloo by the Dutch King William I. Along with the title came lands, which encompassed a large area of the battlefield of Quatre Bras. As landowner,

5520-523: The French from their left and rear, thus providing a powerful diversion to aid the Prussians, since von Blücher's right wing was the weakest and most exposed, and considering Napoleon's movements was the most likely to be attacked. The primary sources do not agree on what was said at the meeting. They all agree that Wellington promised aid to Blücher, but they disagree on whether Wellington made an unequivocal promise of aid, or whether Wellington made it clear that his ability to give timely assistance to Blücher

5635-511: The French had skirmished early that morning with the Prussian First Corps under Lieutenant-General Graf von Zieten at Thuin (near Charleroi ). These reports prompted Wellington at 18:00 to draft initial orders to concentrate his army. However, he was still uncertain precisely where to bring his forces together, and it was not until almost midnight, when he learned that the front near Mons was clear, that he ordered his army to move towards

5750-535: The French held this interchange, they could prevent Wellington's forces from moving south-eastward along the Nivelles-Namur road towards the Prussians, where Napoleon was planning to engage von Blücher on 16 June at Ligny . Although the Coalition commanders were receiving intelligence, Napoleon's planning was initially successful. Wellington remarked: "Napoleon has humbugged me, by God; he has gained twenty-four hours' march on me." While Wellington's instructions at

5865-762: The German Jäger ), armed with rifled carbines and trained in aimed shooting and use of defilades . In Britain, much of the light infantry was armed with smooth-bore muskets, only a few regiments used rifled muskets. In France, during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , the division into the Guard, line infantry and light infantry formally continued to exist, line and "light" regiments had identical weaponry (smooth-bore fusils) and tactics. (Napoleon preferred smooth-bore weaponry for their faster reload speeds.) However, each battalion in both line and "light" regiments included

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5980-476: The Lancers were greeted by canister and volley fire, losing some men and horses before retiring to Frasnes. Patrols were sent out and the positions were kept until the next morning. From 5 AM on 16 June there were continuous skirmishes between Allied and French forces, in which neither side managed to get an advantage. Some Prussian hussars, cut off from their main body, skirmished with the Red Lancers , but they disengaged after Bijleveld's artillery once again drove

6095-413: The Nive in December 1813 before taking part in the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814. Following the abdication of Napoleon in April 1814, the regiment moved to Cork , Ireland. However, with the return of Napoleon from exile, the 79th Foot travelled to Belgium in May 1815. The regiment took part in the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars at Quatre Bras and Waterloo in June 1815. Of the 675 men of

6210-400: The Prince of Orange, realized the danger and ordered Lieutenant-General Hendrik George de Perponcher Sedlnitsky , the commander of the 2nd Dutch Division, to dispatch his 2nd Brigade ( Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach ) to occupy Quatre Bras. This brigade, consisting of two regiments from Nassau, arrived at about 14:00 on 15 June. Prince Bernhard was able to deploy prior to the arrival of

6325-515: The Prussian defeat, was forced to retreat north along the Brussels road further away from the Prussians, who retreated north-east towards Wavre . There has been much debate about what would have happened if d'Erlon's I Corps had engaged at either Ligny or Quatre Bras. As he did not, Napoleon chose to follow Wellington with the bulk of his forces and two days later met him at Waterloo . The allied victory at Quatre Bras did prevent Ney from controlling these strategic crossroads. This in turn slowed down

6440-400: The Prussians, in position at Ligny, were being menaced by the advance of a considerable French force. Wellington, accompanied by his staff and a small escort of cavalry, rode off to hold a conference with von Blücher, whom he met at the Windmill of Bussy (often referred to as the Windmill of Brye ) between Ligny and Brye . Because this windmill was at the highest point of the Prussian position,

6555-492: The Prussians. This nine-hour delay meant it was too late for him to move his army in sufficient strength to provide von Blücher with support on 16 June at the Battle of Ligny. Wellington did not order his entire army to Quatre Bras on 16 June, still suspecting a flanking maneuver through Mons . The headquarters of the Anglo-allied First Corps (Prince of Orange's), however, decided to ignore Wellington's order that it should assemble in and around Nivelles , instead opting to take

6670-400: The Russian light infantry were equipped with the M1854 rifle, the remainder retaining smoothbore percussion muskets. In the second half of the 19th century, the development of mass production and new technologies, such as the Minié ball , allowed European armies to gradually equip all their infantrymen with rifled weapons, and the percentage of line infantry equipped with muskets fell. In

6785-403: The Sixth Coalition , the training of regular French line infantry recruits was limited due to the relentless attack of the Coalition Forces. A recruit was trained by firing only two cartridges and four blanks. There was also light training of forming several formations. However, training large quantities of elite line infantry was generally a complicated process. In the middle of the 16th century,

6900-444: The UK in 1887, a proposal to convert the Regiment into the 3rd Battalion Scots Guards was dropped after concerted lobbying. In 1892 the 1st Battalion were posted to Malta, then Gibraltar, moving to Egypt in 1897. The battalion were part of General Kitchener's force during the 1898 reconquest of the Sudan , they participating in the Battle of Atbara in April and the Battle of Omdurman in September, with one company being present at

7015-402: The Western Front and vividly described his war experiences in verse. The 1st Battalion was posted to India 1919 and then to the Sudan in 1934, returning to the UK in 1936. Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion was sent to Queenstown in Ireland where it saw action during the Irish War of Independence : the battalion was engaged in several fire-fights with the Irish Republican Army . In 1923 they joined

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7130-521: The allied forces. As the day wore on, fresh Dutch, British and Brunswickers arrived faster than fresh French troops (who eventually numbered about 24,000). Fighting started late in the afternoon on 15 June, when the Elba squadron, a small Polish lancer unit consisting of only 109 men and officers, tried to attack the allied forces from the direction of Frasnes. These forces consisted of the II/2nd Nassau regiment and Bijlevelds horse artillery. The Dutch and Nassau commanders had taken precautions, however, and

7245-445: The beginning of the battle the left wing of the Armée du Nord , with 18,000 men (including 2,000 cavalry and 32 guns) under Marshal Michel Ney , faced 8,000 infantry and 16 guns, under the command of William , Prince of Orange . The Dutch (with the Nassauers of 2nd Brigade) were thinly deployed south of the crossroads of Quatre Bras. Fresh allied troops started to arrive two hours later, along with Wellington, who took over command of

7360-478: The best shooting soldiers fight in loose ranks and cover their battalions from the enemy skirmishers. The total number of light infantry reached 40% of the entire field infantry. The sharp increase in the number of light infantry greatly influenced their quality of training and equipment. The Russian infantry of 1854 comprised 108 regiments, of which 42 were line infantry. The remainder were specialized or elite units such as Guards, Grenadiers and Jägers. Only part of

7475-400: The command of officers, but in practice this happened only in the first minutes of the battle. After one or two volleys, each soldier charged his musket and fired at his own discretion, without hearing the commands of the officers. This disrupted the system, while the gunsmoke prevented accurate shooting. Such a shootout in clouds of smoke could occur for an extended period of time and the result

7590-403: The crossroads but were driven back by close range artillery and musket fire. The arrival of the British 1st Infantry Division (Guards Division, Cooke ) gave Wellington sufficient strength to counter-attack and Jérôme, whose skirmishers were now west of Quatre Bras, was forced to retreat and give up possession of Bossu wood to the British Guards. When the Guards and other allied units emerged from

7705-480: The current officers and soldiers of the modern Regiment, who are proud to belong to the most senior English Regiment of the Line. The Canadian Army also retained these traditional distinctions, and its infantry regiments were organized, titled, and uniformed in full dress as foot guards , fusiliers , light infantry, line infantry, rifles, and kilted infantry regiments. The infantry of most 21st-century armies are still trained in formation manoeuvre and drill , as

7820-500: The end of hostilities, 810 officers and men of the 1st battalion left Cape Town in the SS Dunera in late September 1902, arriving at Southampton early the following month. The 1st Battalion then remained in the UK until 1914. In 1897, a 2nd Battalion was formed. Moving to Gibraltar in October 1899, it supplied drafts to the 1st Battalion during the Boer War. The 2nd Battalion remained abroad until 1914, moving to South Africa in 1904, China in 1908 and India from 1909. In 1908, as part of

7935-582: The enemy at Quatre Bras, who, he was informed, had been reinforced. But up till noon he took no serious steps to capture the crossroads, which he could have done with relative ease. In the meantime, Grouchy reported from Fleurus that Prussians were coming up from Namur, but Napoleon does not appear to have attached much importance to this report. He was still at Charleroi when, between 09:00 and 10:00, further news reached him that hostile forces had concentrated at Quatre Bras. He at once wrote to Ney saying that these could only be some of Wellington's troops, and that Ney

8050-410: The first French scouts, lancers of the Guard Light Cavalry Division ( Lefebvre-Desnouettes ) who approached Quatre Bras. These French lancers were engaged at Frasnes , after which the Nassauers retreated to the Bois de Bossu, a thick patch of forest near Quatre Bras. "6:30 p.m. – some accounts say 5:30" General Lefebvre-Desnouëtte requested infantry support, but as night was approaching, and his infantry

8165-399: The foot troops in most Western European armies. Maurice of Nassau was noted as the first large scale user of linear tactic in Europe, introducing the 'counter-march' to enable his formations of musketeers to maintain a continuous fire. After the invention of the bayonet, musketeers could finally defend themselves from the enemy's horsemen, and the percentage of pikemen fell gradually. In 1699,

8280-520: The home country, line infantry forces were often raised from the local population, with the British East India Company 's sepoys perhaps being the most historically significant example. Line tactics required strict discipline and simple movements practiced to the point where they became second-nature. During training, the drill and corporal punishments were widely used. During 1814, in the War of

8395-455: The initiative and converge on Quatre Bras. Napoleon's original plan for 16 June was based on the assumption that the Coalition forces, which had been caught off guard, would not attempt a risky forward concentration; he intended therefore to push an advanced guard as far as Gembloux , for the purpose of feeling for and warding off von Blücher. To assist in this operation, the reserve would move first to Fleurus to reinforce Marshal Grouchy who

8510-444: The lancers back. Two companies of Nassau infantry advanced towards Frasnes, but this time the French pushed them back. Some time after 6 a.m., after the Prince of Orange arrived, the skirmishes stopped. The real battle began with the French attack around 14:00 hours. Ney massed a battery of 22 guns and started bombarding the Coalition positions. Swarms of skirmishers preceded the French columns as they attacked. The Dutch picket line of

8625-399: The leaders were able to observe the French preparatory deployments prior to their attack. These observations led Wellington to conclude that Napoleon was bringing the main force of his army to bear against the Prussians; he at once proposed to assist von Blücher by first advancing straight upon Frasnes and Gosselies , as soon as he was able to concentrate sufficient force, and then attacking

8740-458: The line, the square, and the column. With the universal adoption of small arms (firearms that could be carried by hand, as opposed to cannon) in infantry units from the mid-17th century, the battlefield was dominated by linear tactics , according to which the infantry was aligned into long thin lines, shoulder to shoulder, and fired volleys . A line consisted of two, three, or four ranks of soldiers. The soldiers were expected to fire volleys at

8855-537: The main objectives of which were fast deployment of a line, rapid shooting, and manoeuvre. Line infantry quickly became the most common type of infantry in European countries. Musketeers and grenadiers , formerly elite troops , gradually became part of the line infantry, switching to linear tactics. Over time the use of line infantry tactics spread outside of Europe, often as a result of European imperialism. In European colonies and settlements with small populations from

8970-497: The melee-oriented pikemen with shallower lines that maximized the firepower of an infantry formation. Besides regular line infantry, there were elite troops (royal guards and other designated elite regiments) and the light infantry . Light infantry operated in extended order (also known as skirmish formation) as opposed to the close order (tight formations) used by line infantry. Since the late 18th century, light infantry in most European countries mostly consisted of riflemen (such as

9085-467: The movement of units. In Russia, Great Britain, France, Prussia, and some other states, linear tactics and formation discipline were maintained into the late 19th century. With the invention of new weaponry, the concept of line infantry began to wane. The Minié ball , an improved rifle ammunition, allowed individual infantrymen to shoot more accurately and over greatly increased range. Men walking in formation line-abreast became easy targets, as evidenced in

9200-412: The new fusils retained the name "musket". Both muskets and fusils were smoothbore , which lessened their accuracy and range, but made for faster loading, lesser amount of bore fouling and more robust, less complicated firearms. The accuracy of smooth-bore muskets was in the range of 300–400 yd (270–370 m) against a line of infantry or cavalry. Against a single enemy, however, the effective range

9315-597: The occupation forces in Japan, before moving to Malaya for internal security duties in 1947, returning to the UK a year later. Following the independence of India, all infantry regiments were reduced to a single regular battalion: accordingly, the 2nd Battalion was placed in "suspended animation" in 1948. In 1949 the 1st Battalion moved to Libya and the Suez Canal Zone, before seeing service in Scotland, Austria and Germany. In 1955,

9430-569: The only infantry regiment still to have a single regular battalion. The 1881 reforms also combined the Militia and Rifle Volunteers of the county with the regiment, they becoming respectively the 2nd (Militia) Battalion and the 1st (1st Inverness-shire Highland) Volunteer Battalion. In 1886, the new depot for the regiment, Cameron Barracks , was completed in Inverness by the Royal Engineers . In 1897

9545-654: The reconstituted 152nd Brigade in the 51st (Highland) Division and saw action at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942 and the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The battalion took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944 and then fought at the Battle for Caen in July, the Battle of the Falaise Gap in August and the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. The battalion

9660-703: The reformed 11th Indian Infantry Brigade in the 4th Indian Division in January 1944 and served in Tunisia , Italy and, at the end of the war, in Greece . The 4th Battalion went to France as part of the 152nd Brigade in the 51st (Highland) Division with the British Expeditionary Force in October 1939 but, while commanded by Major-General Victor Fortune , they surrendered to Wehrmacht Major-General Erwin Rommel at Saint-Valery-en-Caux , Normandy on 12 June 1940. The 4th Battalion

9775-671: The regiment were part of the United Nations forces stationed in Korea after the Korean War , before deployment to Aden in 1956, returning to the UK in 1958. Under the Defence Review announced in 1957 the number of infantry battalions was to be reduced, with regiments being amalgamated in pairs. Accordingly, the Camerons were amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders on 7 February 1961 to form

9890-539: The regiment who took part in these battles, 103 were killed and a further 353 wounded. The 79th were one of only four regiments specifically mentioned by the Duke of Wellington in his Waterloo dispatch. The 79th Foot remained in France until 1818, followed by home service, broken by tours of Canada (1825–36), Gibraltar (1841–48) and again Canada (1848–51). In June 1854, the regiment sailed from Portsmouth to Scutari as part of

10005-404: The reliability of troops of both 'Nationalist' and 'Loyalist' communities. The 1/4th Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 24th Brigade in the 8th Division in February 1915 for service on the Western Front. Three service battalions of the Cameron Highlanders, raised in 1914, saw active service: The 5th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 26th Brigade in

10120-407: The rifle companies are referred to as "line officers" while billeted to positions such as Platoon Leaders and Commanding and Executive Officers. Battle of Quatre Bras The Battle of Quatre Bras was fought on 16 June 1815, as a preliminary engagement to the decisive Battle of Waterloo that occurred two days later. The battle took place near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras and

10235-452: The scene. A fierce fight now broke out all along the line. Picton, showing a dauntless front, maintained his position, while the French 6th Division were sent against Grand-Pierrepont. The Nassauers were forced to abandon the farm and were driven into the Bossu wood. There they fought from tree to tree, slowing the French advance. At Gemioncourt the Dutch troops were a thorn in the side of the French. The defending battalion of Gemincourt Farm,

10350-574: The second half of the nineteenth century, regiments in several European armies retained the "line infantry" (or cavalry) title. This designation had come to mean an army's regular or numbered regiments, as opposed to specialist or elite formations. Accordingly, the distinction had become a traditional title or classification without significance regarding armament or tactics. For example, the Belgian Army order of battle in 1914 comprised 14 regiments of Infanterie de Ligne (line infantry), three of Chasseurs

10465-464: The start of the campaign were to defend Brussels from the French, he was not sure what route Napoleon's army would follow; he also received (false) reports of a flanking maneuver through Mons to the southwest. Wellington first received reports of the outbreak of hostilities at around 15:00 on 15 June from the Prince of Orange , a Coalition commander. Within the next few hours, he received additional news that

10580-511: The support of the Prussian Right by the Namur road. But a direct support of this kind was necessarily contingent on circumstances, and subject to the Duke's discretion. The latter having expressed his confident expectation of being enabled to afford the desired support, as also of his succeeding in concentrating, very shortly, a sufficient force to assume the offensive, rode back to Quatre Bras." At

10695-418: The surroundings of the farm, but were unable to take the farm itself. The 5th managed to take up position south of the farm, where their Prince joined them. With artillery support, they repulsed the 6th Chasseurs-Au-Cheval and a lancer regiment. The Dutch lost and retook the farm another time, but eventually lost it. By 15:00, the French formed a line between Pierrepont through Gemioncourt to Piraumont. At 15:30

10810-451: The twine sometimes would accidentally set fire to the gunpowder reservoir in the musket prematurely setting off the gunpowder, resulting in serious injury or death to the operator. For this reason and others, matchlock muskets began to be replaced by lighter and cheaper infantry fusils with flintlocks , weighing 5 kg (11 lb) with a caliber of 17.5 mm (0.69 in), first in France and then in other countries. In many countries,

10925-472: The unsuccessful army reforms of Paul I, the number of light infantry in the Russian army was significantly reduced and made up only 8% of the entire field infantry. However, the Russian army soon returned to the trend of increasing the number of light infantry, begun in the 18th century. By 1811, 50 light infantry regiments were formed in the Russian army. In addition, each linear battalion was required to have 100 of

11040-400: The way to the crossroads. Regiments of the British 9th Brigade ( Pack ) – 42nd ("Black Watch", Macara ), 44th ("East Essex", Hamerton ) and 92nd ("Gordon Highlanders", John Cameron ) – held up against the infantry. French of the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Cavalry Division ( Piré ) counter-attacked and severely mauled the 42nd and 44th before they were driven off. At 17:00 the timely arrival of

11155-509: The wood, they were met with heavy fire from French infantry and an attack by 6th Lancer Regiment (and possibly the 1st Chasseurs) of the 2nd Cavalry Division (Piré); the Guards were caught in line and forced to flee back into the wood. This cavalry attack and taking the Bossu wood caused high casualties among the British Guards. There was some further skirmishing between allied light companies and

11270-435: Was 2 p.m., the second 3 p.m. and the third von Clausewitz , who was not even present, 4 p.m. ... So the accounts differ, but Wellington had already seen for himself the French presence at Quatre-Bras and he would hardly have given a promise that he knew was most unlikely to be kept. He expected a fight at Quatre-Bras and must have warned his Prussian allies of that strong possibility. Gneisenau always blamed Wellington for

11385-591: Was a strategic victory for the French. Facing two armies (Wellington's arriving from the west and the Prussians under Field Marshall von Blücher from the east), Napoleon's overall strategy was to defeat each in turn, before these forces could join. Napoleon intended to cross the border into what is now Belgium (but was then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands ) without alerting the Coalition leaders and drive

11500-437: Was caught at Ligny. Due to the arrival of allied reinforcements, Ney realized that he could capture and hold Quatre Bras only with the support of the I Corps and he sent imperative orders to d'Erlon to return at once. To keep the pressure on Wellington, immediately after sending for d'Erlon, Ney ordered Kellermann to lead his one available cuirassier brigade and break through Wellington's line. Kellermann's cuirassiers caught

11615-460: Was changed only after the dethronement of Napoleon III. This was common practice in all conventional Western armies until the late 19th century, as infantry tactics and military thinking had yet to catch up with technological developments. In the years after the Napoleonic Wars, line infantry continued to be deployed as the main battle force, while light infantry provided fire support and covered

11730-504: Was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Derek Lang , later a future lieutenant general, from July 1944 onwards. The 7th Battalion was part of the 46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade , in the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division . On 24 March 1942 they were redesignated as the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion . Those men that were deemed unsuitable for parachute duties were transferred to other units and were replaced by volunteers from other Scottish regiments. The Australian 61st Battalion , which

11845-424: Was contested between elements of the Duke of Wellington 's Anglo-allied army and the left wing of Napoleon Bonaparte 's French Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney . The battle was a tactical victory for Wellington (as he possessed the field at dusk), but because Ney prevented him going to the aid of Blucher's Prussians who were fighting a larger French army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte at Ligny it

11960-468: Was no more than 50–100 yd (46–91 m). It should be borne in mind that ordinary linear infantrymen were poorly trained in aimed shooting, due to the expense of gunpowder and lead (modern reenactors achieve much better results by firing smooth-bore muskets). Line infantrymen were trained in rapid reloading. The recruit was expected to load 3 rounds a minute, while an experienced soldier could load 4–6 rounds per minute. In battle conditions, this number

12075-863: Was one of a number of members of the company to marry in Bermuda or settle there after the war. After the war, Burns would become Second in Command of the Bermuda Militia Artillery (1953 to 1965) and Officer Commanding Headquarters Company of the Bermuda Regiment (1965 to 1974), as well as the Guinness World Record -holding Town Crier of St. George's Town , which has commemorated him with the Major Donald Henry "Bob" Burns, MC, ED, Memorial Park on Ordnance Island . The 5th Battalion formed part of

12190-468: Was only possible if his forces were not engaged before he could send aid. Siborne, writing from eyewitness accounts, records it thus: "Upon a calculation being made, however, of the time which would elapse ere the Duke would be able to collect the requisite force for undertaking this operation, and of the possibility of Blucher being defeated before it could be carried into effect, it was considered preferable that Wellington should, if practicable, move to

12305-588: Was raised as a Militia unit in Queensland in 1938, adopted the designation of the "Queensland Cameron Highlanders" after receiving official approval for an association with the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders in 1939. This battalion subsequently took part in the Battle of Milne Bay in August 1942 and the Bougainville Campaign in 1944 and 1945. After the war, the 1st Battalion served with

12420-485: Was reduced and after the first few minutes of combat, no more than 2 rounds per minute could be expected even from well trained troops. The bulk of the line infantry had no protective equipment, as armor that could provide protection from musket fire were considered too expensive and heavy. Only the former elite troops could keep by tradition some elements of protection, for example, the copper mitre caps of grenadiers. Initially, soldiers equipped with firearms formed only

12535-579: Was reformed in the UK in July 1940 but was disbanded in December 1942 to form troops to reconstitute the 2nd Battalion. A detachment was also sent to the garrison of the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda in August, 1940, replacing a company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers . When the deposed King Carol II of Romania arrived in Bermuda in May, 1941, Lieutenant Edward Cameron was assigned to escort him while in Bermuda. Second-Lieutenant Donald Henry "Bob" Burns

12650-549: Was renamed the 79th Regiment of Foot (Cameron Highlanders) . The 1st Battalion took part in the Battle of Copenhagen in August 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars . In July 1808, the 79th Foot was deployed to Portugal for service in the Peninsular War . The regiment took part in the Battle of Corunna in January 1809 and was subsequently evacuated to England. The regiment returned to Portugal in January 1810 and saw action at

12765-419: Was slow, and unless the battalion was superbly trained, a breakdown in cohesion was assured, especially in uneven or wooded terrain. As a result, the line was mostly used as a firing formation, with troops moving in column formations and then deploying to the line at their destination. Usually, columns would be adopted for movement and melee attacks. Line infantry was trained in the manual of arms evolutions,

12880-432: Was strung out along Brussels-Charleroi road, Ney declined the request, instead deciding to camp for the night and approach Quatre Bras in force the following day. Early on the evening of 15 June, instead of obeying Wellington's order to concentrate the I Corps at Nivelles (which would have meant that the force occupying Quatre Bras would be abandoning the position), Rebecque ordered the 1st Brigade ( Van Bylandt's brigade ) of

12995-515: Was tasked with driving back the Prussian troops. However, once the French were in possession of Sombreffe, Napoleon planned to swing the reserve westwards to join with Marshal Ney, who—it was supposed—would have by that time secured the Quatre Bras crossroad. Accordingly Marshal Ney, to whom III Cavalry Corps ( Kellermann ) was now attached, was to mass at Quatre Bras and push an advance guard 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northward of that place, sending

13110-401: Was to concentrate his force and crush what was in front of him, adding that Ney was to send all reports to Fleurus. Then, leaving Marshal Lobau 's force provisionally at Charleroi, Napoleon hastened to Fleurus, arriving about 11:00. Shortly after 11:00, Wellington observed that the French were not in any great force at Frasnes (south of Quatre Bras). At the same time, accounts reached him that

13225-439: Was unpredictable. In addition, at the time of the “hot” shootout, the soldiers were so engaged and focused on shooting that they were not watching out for an attack of cavalry from the flank. For these reasons, experienced officers tried to avoid such uncertain exchanges and restrained their soldiers from premature firing in order to get as close to the enemy’s line as possible so that they could deliver several devastating volleys at

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