Russian Line Infantry (1812-1815)

The infantry formed the backbone of all armies in the Napoleonic Wars, but no army relied more on its humble private foot soldier than that of Imperial Russia. Brave, stubborn and resilient they had to cope with poor conditions, worse supplies and a cadre of mostly incompetent officers. Whenever western observers spent time with the Russian army they were constantly amazed by the sheer tenacity and good humour of the average Russian infantryman in the face of adversity. Many thousands of men were pushed through the Imperial war machine to take to the fields of Europe in defiance of Napoleon. Often they were on the receiving end of awful punishment but rarely wavered. French officers were in awe of their ability to withstand artillery fire, cavalry charges and the famous French attack columns. It was said that only when you bayonetted them could you be sure you were dealing with mere men. The Russians did seem to make use of the bayonet more often than any oth