Misplaced Pages

#232767

99-660: The Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles were a light infantry unit, raised chiefly in the Glengarry District of Upper Canada shortly before the outbreak of the Anglo-American War of 1812 . The unit fought throughout the war, and was disbanded shortly afterwards. It was proposed to form a unit of fencibles in the Glengarry district in Upper Canada as early as 1807. Many of the inhabitants of

198-642: A British battery, and Burn cautiously waited for both companies to assemble before moving against Vincent, by which time Scott had reached Burn's position. As Scott waited for the American dragoons to reorganise before pressing on again, Brigadier General Boyd brought him orders from Major General Lewis to abandon the pursuit and return to Fort George. Lewis feared that the British would lead Scott into an ambush. The U.S. Army lost one officer and 39 enlisted men killed and five officers and 106 other ranks wounded; for

297-1009: A beret in a darker shade of green than other regiments. Two paramilitary forces—the Assam Rifles and the Eastern Frontier Rifles —also follow the traditions of a rifle regiment. The Irish famously employed "Cethernacht" or Kern as light infantry. These usually made up the bulk of Gaelic and even later Anglo Norman Irish armies during the Middle Ages to renaissance era's. Traditionally armed with javelins and swords while wearing no armour, in later periods they were equipped with caliver muskets while still using little to no armour. They were notably effective while employed in tandem with heavily armed "Galloglaich" or anglicised Gallowglass. They could provide effective support to heavily armed troops as well as endlessly harassing enemies in difficult terrain. Today, all infantry battalions of

396-626: A corps of light infantry, under the command of General Lafayette . The light infantry participated in several major battles of the southern states in 1781, including the Battle of Yorktown . The entire Continental Army was dismissed after the war, with all regiments disbanded in 1784. In 1808, the United States Army created its first Regiment of Riflemen . During the War of 1812 three more Rifle Regiments were raised but disbanded after

495-537: A disaster when a sortie against a British outpost was surrounded and forced to surrender by Native Americans at the Battle of Beaver Dams , they remained largely inactive on this front until they abandoned Fort George in December 1813. Ten currently active regular battalions of the United States Army (2-1 ADA, 3-4 ADA, 4-1 FA, 1-2 Inf, 2-2 Inf, 1-4 Inf, 2-4 Inf, 3-4 Inf, 1-5 Inf and 2-5 Inf) perpetuate

594-469: A legacy of a Finnish volunteer Jäger battalion formed in Germany during World War I to fight for the liberation of Finland from Russia. The Chasseur designation was given to certain regiments of French light infantry ( Chasseurs à pied ) or light cavalry ( Chasseurs à cheval ). The Chasseurs à pied (light infantry) were originally recruited from hunters or woodsmen . The Chasseurs à Pied , as

693-515: A major part in the Battle of Lundy's Lane . They harassed the left flank of the American army but suffered casualties when mistaken for Americans by other inexperienced British troops. During the remainder of 1814, the regiment performed outpost duty during the unsuccessful Siege of Fort Erie , and a detachment was present at the Battle of Malcolm's Mills , the last action of the war on the Niagara Peninsula. Two Irish-born soldiers of

792-551: A mobility lacking to regular foot soldiers. In the 18th and 19th centuries most infantry regiments or battalions had a light company as an integral part of its composition. Its members were often smaller, more agile men with high shooting ability and capability of using initiative. They did not usually fight in disciplined ranks as did the ordinary infantry but often in widely dispersed groups, necessitating an understanding of skirmish warfare. They were expected to avoid melee engagements unless necessary and would fight ahead of

891-722: A parade drill which involved carrying rifles parallel to the ground ("at the trail") and dark green cloth helmets instead of dark blue. Light infantry badges always incorporated bugle horns as a central feature. In the Second World War , the use of light infantry was revived in what became the British Commandos and the Parachute Regiment . Because of the nature of their role and deployment, they were more lightly equipped than most infantry battalions. The Parachute Regiment has survived to this day, while

990-495: A reduced vehicle footprint. Light infantry units lack the greater firepower, operational mobility and protection of mechanized or armored units, but possess greater tactical mobility and the ability to execute missions in severely restrictive terrain and in areas where weather makes vehicular mobility difficult. Light infantry forces typically rely on their ability to operate under restrictive conditions, surprise, violence of action, training, stealth, field craft, and fitness levels of

1089-566: A skirmishing role have kept their designation "light infantry" for the sake of tradition. The concept of a skirmishing screen is a very old one and was already well-established in Ancient Greece and Roman times in the form, for example, of the Greek peltast and psiloi , and the Roman velites . As with the so-called "light infantry" of later periods, the term more adequately describes

SECTION 10

#1732772676233

1188-545: A total of 40 killed and 111 wounded. Most of the casualties were in Boyd's 1st Brigade. The 2nd Brigade under William Winder saw comparatively light fighting, and only 6 of its men were wounded. The New York Volunteers had 4 men wounded. The 3rd Brigade under Chandler , the last to arrive, suffered no casualties, while the U.S. Navy lost one killed and two wounded. Richard Feltoe gives much higher casualties of 111 killed and 192 wounded. The British official casualty return, for

1287-565: A true "light infantry" unit, (they were assigned their own artillery, carried double load of everything, and had a slower marching pace of 45 steps per minute), the Alpini were trained as jagers and skirmishers, introducing the use of skis and climbing training for all of their recruits. Those two corps still exist today, but in recent years the Bersaglieri have become a mechanised infantry unit, working closely with armoured units, and up until

1386-547: A very successful amphibious assault , although most of the opposing British force escaped encirclement. Fort George was the westernmost of the British fortified posts on Lake Ontario , the others being York , the provincial capital of Upper Canada , and Kingston where most of the ships of the Provincial Marine were based. The fort was situated on the western bank of the Niagara River near its mouth. On

1485-614: Is composed of units capable of rapidly engaging in combat anywhere in Brazil. Each of the three regular army regiments ( Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry , Royal Canadian Regiment and Royal 22 Régiment ) maintains their third battalion as light infantry capable in airborne, mountain, and amphibious operations, with varying degrees of capability. All reserve infantry units are classed as light infantry, all with varying degrees of capability. Finnish infantry units are also known as Jäger (Finnish pl. Jääkärit , Swedish pl. Jägarna ),

1584-533: Is often cited as proof of concept. Almost 30,000 U.S. Forces, mostly light, deployed to Panama within a 48-hour period to execute combat operations. On 30 September 1985, the 29th Infantry Division (Maryland and Virginia Army National Guard) was reactivated at Fort Belvoir, Virginia as the only light Infantry Division in the US Army's reserve components. During the Falklands War in 1982, both Argentina and

1683-525: The 60th Royal Americans (later the King's Royal Rifle Corps ) was raised in 1797, and an "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" (later the 95th Rifles and then the Rifle Brigade ) in 1800. Both were equipped with green jackets and Baker rifles . Some extant regiments began to be designated "Light Infantry" at this point, receiving skirmishing training but generally still equipped with red coats and muskets. In

1782-574: The 80th Regiment of Light-Armed Foot ), though most if not all had been disbanded by the middle of the 1760s. From 1770, all regular battalions were required to designate one of their ten companies a "Light Company", though their training in skirmishing was poor and inconsistent. Dedicated rifle and light infantry regiments began to be formed or converted in the Napoleonic Wars , to counter the French Chasseurs . A new battalion of

1881-657: The Ancien Régime' s Chasseur battalions were merged with volunteer battalions in new units called Light Infantry half-brigades ( demi-brigades d’infanterie légère ). In 1803, the half-brigades were renamed regiments. These units had three battalions of three regular Chasseurs companies, one elite Carabiniers company and one reconnaissance voltigeurs company. In Napoléon's Imperial Guard , many units used names linked to light infantry: In Bourbon royalist The Napoleonic light infantry regiments existed until 1854, but there were very few differences between them and

1980-460: The Napoleonic Wars , light infantry were called voltigeurs and chasseurs and the sharpshooters tirailleurs . The Austrian army had Grenzer regiments from the middle of the 18th century, who originally served as irregular militia skirmishers recruited from frontier areas. They were gradually absorbed into the line infantry becoming a hybrid type that proved successful against the French, to

2079-539: The Peninsular War , a Light Brigade and later a Light Division were formed, at some points incorporating Portuguese Caçadores . By the Crimean War , rifles had become universal and tactics had substantially changed. This meant that the distinctions between light and line infantry were effectively limited to details such as name, a rapid march of 140 steps per minute, buglers instead of drummers and fifers,

SECTION 20

#1732772676233

2178-615: The Royal Marine Commandos are directly descended from those units formed in the Second World War. Most of the old light infantry and rifle regiments were administratively grouped in a new Light Division in 1968. The British Army ordered regimental amalgamations in 1957 , 1966 , 1990 and 2003 . The Rifles (the largest infantry regiment in the British Army) was formed in 2007 from the amalgamation of

2277-528: The line infantry regiments, so the 25 remaining light infantry regiments were transformed to line infantry in 1854. Although the traditions of these different branches of the French Army are very different, there is still a tendency to confuse one with the other. For example, when World War I veteran Léon Weil died, the AFP press agency stated that he was a member of the 5th "Regiment de Chasseurs Alpins". It

2376-415: The marksmen of the French army, were considered an elite. The first unit raised was Jean Chrétien Fischer 's Free Hunter Company in 1743. Early units were often a mix of cavalry and infantry. In 1776, all Chasseurs units were re-organized into six battalions, each linked to a cavalry regiment ( Chasseurs à cheval ). In 1788, the link between infantry battalions and cavalry regiments was broken. In 1793,

2475-481: The 1980s, the United States Army increased light forces to address contingencies and increased threats requiring a more deployable force able to operate in restrictive environments for limited periods. At its height, this included the 6th Infantry Division (light), 7th Infantry Division (light), 10th Mountain Division (light infantry), 25th Infantry Division , and the 75th Ranger Regiment . Operation Just Cause

2574-632: The 1990s, the concept of purely light forces in the US military came under scrutiny due to their decreased lethality and survivability. This scrutiny has resulted in the Stryker Brigade Combat Team , a greater focus on task organized units (such as Marine Expeditionary Units ) and a reduction of purely light forces. Despite their reduction, light forces have proven successful in Afghanistan ( Operation Enduring Freedom ), underlining

2673-656: The 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, the regiment was awarded the NIAGARA battle honour earned by the Glengarry Light Infantry and NIAGARA is now among the 20 battle honours carried on the regimental colour of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders. When Craig first tried to form the unit he proposed that it wear the dress of Scottish highland regiments, with a Glengarry tartan plaid. Prevost intended

2772-525: The American batteries bombarded the retreating British from the other side of the river. Vincent's rearguards, including Merritt's Troop of Provincial Dragoons, held off Scott although several stragglers were captured. However, the American plan had allowed for only two companies of light dragoons commanded by Colonel James Burn to cross the Niagara 5 miles (8.0 km) above Fort George cut off Vincent's retreat. The dragoons were delayed in their crossing by

2871-471: The American preparations proceeded, on May 25 they began to bombard Fort George from their positions along the river and from Fort Niagara, and also from Chauncey's schooners. The gunners in the fort and the nearby batteries were using cannonballs which had been heated in furnaces until they were red-hot, then quickly loaded into cannons and fired. Several log buildings within Fort George burned down, and

2970-523: The American side of the river lay Fort Niagara . Fort George was constructed to replace and counterbalance Fort Niagara , which the British lost to the Americans after Jay's Treaty of 1796. At the beginning of the war both the British forces near Fort George and the American forces at Fort Niagara felt unprepared for conflict. On May 18, 1812, Sir George Prévost , the Governor General of

3069-510: The American side, Colonel Philetus Swift and Benjamin Barton wrote before the war to the Governor of New York, Daniel Tompkins , that Fort Niagara would fall to the British if a war were to be declared. By July 1812 however, the American commander at Fort Niagara was expecting a British attack and was demanding more reinforcements. On October 8, 1812, Major General Stephen Van Rensselaer of

Glengarry Light Infantry - Misplaced Pages Continue

3168-542: The American vessels off the lake shore to the west. Vincent believed he saw 14 or 15 vessels and 90 to 100 large boats and scows each with 50 or 60 soldiers. Scott's troops began landing west of the mouth of the Niagara River, while Perry's schooners silenced the nearby British batteries. Scott's force consisted of the U.S. 1st Rifle Regiment under Major Benjamin Forsyth , two companies of the U.S. 15th Infantry and

3267-400: The Americans broke off the pursuit, Vincent continued his retreat to Beaver Dams, near present-day Thorold, Ontario , where he gathered in the other British regular detachments from Fort Erie and other posts higher up the Niagara, and temporarily disbanded the militia, before falling back to Burlington Heights near the western end of Lake Ontario. When the British abandoned Fort Erie, Perry

3366-547: The Americans set fire to the court house, jail, and fifteen or sixteen other buildings. During this battle Fort George was left under the control of Major Evans and there were no more than twenty soldiers acting as the main guards. The Americans drafted a new plan on February 10, 1813. The plan was to attack Kingston , then York from Sackets Harbor with 4,000 soldiers. Only then were they to assault Fort George. Simultaneously 3,000 soldiers from Buffalo, New York , were to capture Fort Erie then march on Fort George. This plan

3465-458: The Americans took 276 prisoners, 163 of whom were wounded. General Boyd offered his own personal tally - 107 killed, according to his burial parties, with 175 wounded brought in and another 105 unwounded prisoners. The wounded prisoners would have included the 16 wounded patients captured in the Fort George hospital. Including these 16 as unwounded prisoners (because they were captured at this engagement but received their wounds in earlier ones),

3564-423: The Americans withdrew to Fort George. By concentrating their naval squadron against Fort George, the Americans had also left themselves vulnerable to a counter-attack on their base, and only indecisive command by Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost allowed the Americans to fight him off at the Battle of Sackett's Harbor . The Americans subsequently remained in a small defensive enclave around Fort George. After

3663-552: The Army reorganization of 1911, but were recreated in 1926 as high readiness units, responsible for defending the border and other strategic points of the Country until the line units could be mobilized. In the 1950s, the designation caçadores started to be also given to the expeditionary provisional light infantry battalions and independent companies responsible for reinforcing the overseas territories garrisons. These units constituted

3762-571: The Battle of Queenston Heights in the previous year. (The British maintained that Scott had only been paroled pending an exchange, and protested when he took up the appointment.) Scott improved the army's administration and pushed forward the plans for the forthcoming attack. At the same time, Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry of the United States Navy , who had arrived from Lake Erie to request sailors and supplies for his squadron and

3861-637: The Canadas, wrote a letter in response to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies who was inquiring about the military situation in Canada. He stated that there were 400 soldiers of the 41st Regiment and a Captain's Command of Artillery stationed at Fort George. He also wrote that he felt Fort George would not be able to withstand an attack by the Americans if they came with a considerable force. On

3960-759: The Irish Army are light infantry soldiers. Most of the states of the Italian peninsula had their own units of skirmishers before Italian unification . One of the few that survived it were the Sardinian Bersaglieri , who were formed in 1836. They became some of the most iconic soldiers in Italian Army and were its "quick reaction force". The Alpini are the Italian Army's elite mountain troops, founded in 1875. Although they may not seem

4059-537: The New York state militia outlined a plan of attack to send a militia force from Lewiston to attack Queenston which would force the British to send soldiers from Fort George to Queenston. When that happened, a force of U.S. Regulars commanded by Brigadier General Alexander Smyth were to travel by boat from Four Mile Creek to the rear of Fort George and capture the fort. This plan failed to materialize, in part because Smyth failed to cooperate. An attempt to carry out

Glengarry Light Infantry - Misplaced Pages Continue

4158-672: The United Kingdom made heavy use of light infantry and its doctrines during the campaign, most notably the Argentine 5th Naval Infantry Battalion (Argentina) and 25th Infantry Regiment (Argentina) and the British Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade . Due to the rocky and mountainous terrain of the Falkland Islands , operations on the ground were only made possible with

4257-648: The United States appeared to be inevitable, Craig's replacement as Governor General, Sir George Prévost , again decided to raise the unit on his own responsibility. He appointed Captain George MacDonnell of the 8th (King's) Regiment to raise the "Glengarry levy", which initially was to have a strength of 376 other ranks. Recruits came from districts as far away as Nova Scotia , New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island . Most were of Scottish origins or extraction. French-speakers or recent immigrants from

4356-535: The United States were not allowed to join the unit. (Many of the French-speakers served instead in the Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry .) Recruits were granted a bounty of four guineas on enlistment, and were promised 100 acres of land after the war. Partly through the efforts of the unit's chaplain, Alexander Macdonell , the unit grew during formation to a strength of 600. Prévost raised

4455-542: The beginning of the 1960s, Portuguese Army raised special forces companies of that were named caçadores especiais (special huntsmen). The caçadores especiais wore a brown beret in the colour of the uniforms of the caçadores of the Peninsular War. These units were later abolished and the brown beret started to be used by most of the units of the Portuguese Army. In 1975, the designation " caçadores "

4554-451: The boats carrying the attackers. On 22 February 1813, George MacDonnell (who had been promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed to command the garrison at Prescott) mounted another, successful, attack across the frozen river. In the Battle of Ogdensburg , a company of the Glengarry Light Infantry and some militia made a frontal attack, while the main body of Macdonell's force turned the American right flank. The Reverend Alexander Macdonell

4653-767: The bulk of the Portuguese forces engaged in the several theatres of the Portuguese Overseas War , from 1961 to 1975. Colonial troops with this title also existed, being recruited among both Portuguese European settlers and from indigenous populations. In the 1950s, the Portuguese Air Force formed a unit of paratroopers called caçadores paraquedistas ("parachutist hunters"). Additional battalions of caçadores paraquedistas were later created in Angola , Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea . At

4752-511: The bulk of the U.S. 2nd Artillery, fighting as infantry. A company of the Glengarry Light Infantry charged the Americans with the bayonet as they waded ashore. Winfield Scott had to personally fight off a Glengarry soldier while falling into the water. The Glengarry company was outnumbered and forced to retreat, losing half their men. A company of the Royal Newfoundland also attacked but took heavy casualties from grapeshot fired by

4851-1108: The command structure, LIDs are directly answerable to the Commander in Chief of Army whereas MOCs are subordinate to their respective Regional Military Command. As for unit patches, LIDs have their own division patches where MOCs do not have distinctive patches and wear RMC's patch instead. LIDs in Burmese are called ခြေမြန်တပ်မဌာနချုပ် (တမခ) whereas MOCs are called စစ်ဆင်ရေးကွပ်ကဲမှုဌာနချုပ် (စကခ). Both Light Infantry Divisions and MOCs are have an officer ranked Brigadier General as their General Officer Commanding, Colonel as Second in Command and Lieutenant Colonel as Division Chief of Staff (informally Division G/A/Q). Units designated as " Light Infantry Divisions " are Military Operation Commands: Units designated as " Military Operation Commands " are Since No. (11) Light Infantry Division has already been reformed, No. (11) Military Operation Command

4950-560: The continued need for light infantry. There are three light infantry brigades, (4ª Brigada de Infantaria Leve de Montanha, 11ª Brigada de Infantaria Leve and 12ª Brigada de Infantaria Leve Aeromóvel), and an airborne infantry brigade (Brigada de Infantaria Paraquedista). The 12º Light Infantry Brigade and the Airborne Infantry Brigade both belong to the Força de Ação Rápida Estratégica (Quick Strategic Action Force), which

5049-594: The corps' status to that of a regiment and renamed it the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles. He appointed his adjutant-general, Edward Baynes , as the regiment's Colonel . Major Francis Battersby, who like Captain George MacDonnell was from the 8th (King's) Regiment, was promoted to be the unit's lieutenant colonel. MacDonnell was promoted to be the unit's major. The unit first gathered for training at Trois-Rivières during

SECTION 50

#1732772676233

5148-689: The district were Catholic emigrants from Glengarry, Scotland , and many had served in the Glengarry Fencibles , which had been raised in 1794 and disbanded in 1802 shortly after the Treaty of Amiens had been signed, ending the war between Britain and Republican France . During that time they had performed garrison duties in the Channel Islands and fought in the Irish rebellion of 1798 . The fencible units raised in Canada would serve under

5247-421: The early 1930s. Until 2006 the modern Spanish Army maintained a Brigada de Cazadores de Montaña "Aragón I" (Mountain Huntsmen Brigade "Aragón I") The British Army first experimented with light infantry in the French and Indian War , to counter the tactics used by the French-allied Native Americans . Along with secondment of regular infantry, several specialised units were raised (including Rogers' Rangers and

5346-436: The eve of World War I, the British Army included seven light infantry regiments. These differed from other infantry only in maintaining such traditional distinctions as badges that included a bugle-horn, dark green home service helmets for full dress , and a fast-stepping parade ground march. Today the term "light" denotes, in the United States table of organization and equipment , units lacking heavy weapons and armor or with

5445-612: The extent that Napoleon recruited several units of Austrian army Grenzer to his own army after victory over Austria in 1809 compelled the Austrians to cede territories from which they were traditionally recruited. In Portugal, 1797, companies of Caçadores (Hunters) were created in the Portuguese Army, and in 1808 led to the formation of independent "Caçador" battalions that became known for their ability to perform precision shooting at long distances. Light infantry officers sometimes carried muskets or rifles , rather than pistols , and their swords were light curved sabres ; as opposed to

5544-446: The first half of 1812. During the later months of the year, the unit's companies were deployed to various locations in Upper Canada, to act as a nucleus around which the local militia could form in a crisis. On 3 October, two companies were stationed at Prescott on the Saint Lawrence River and were involved in a failed attack on Ogdensburg on the American side of the river. The attack was called off when American artillery ranged in on

5643-412: The following winter. A company took part in the Raid on Fort Oswego in the spring of 1814. During the following summer the full regiment, together with the light infantry companies of four regular line regiments, formed a covering force on the Niagara Peninsula, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Pearson . Later, on 25 July, the regiment formed part of a light infantry brigade under Pearson and played

5742-431: The front of the shako , was a strung bugle on which the letters "G L I" were superimposed, in white metal. The crossbelt plate featured a thistle surrounded by the words "Glengarry Light Infantry." Officers' uniforms consisted of a dark green dolman and pantaloons, with a crimson sash. They also wore a black shoulder belt, with a silver whistle and chain. Their shako badge was of the same design as that for other ranks, but

5841-493: The heavy, straighter swords of other infantry officers. Orders were sent by bugle or whistle instead of drums (since the sound of a bugle carries further and it is difficult to move fast when carrying a drum). Some armies, including the British and French , recruited whole regiments (or converted existing ones) of light infantry. These were considered elite units , since they required specialised training with emphasis on self-discipline , manoeuvre and initiative to carry out

5940-425: The historic Light Infantry regiments now survive as separate entities within the modern British Army. Today, "Light role infantry" is a designation that can be applied to an infantry battalion of any regiment. Light role infantry are not (by default) equipped with armoured vehicles (unlike Armoured Infantry or Mechanised Infantry ). In 1780, General George Washington published an order of battle which included

6039-468: The individual soldiers to compensate for their reduced lethality. Despite the usage of the term "light", forces in a light unit will normally carry heavier individual loads vis-à-vis other forces; they must carry everything they require to fight, survive and win due to lack of vehicles. Although units like the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) and the 82nd Airborne Division are categorized as Air Assault Infantry and Airborne Infantry respectively, they fall under

SECTION 60

#1732772676233

6138-498: The lineages of a number of American units (Crane's Company, 3rd Regiment of Artillery, Baker's Company, 2nd Regiment of Artillery, Leonard's Company, 1st Regiment of Artillery, and the old 6th, 13th, 14th, 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd Infantry Regiments) that were engaged at Fort George. The battlefield site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1921. Nearby Fort George was similarly designated that same year. Centre Division : Brigadier General John Vincent Army of

6237-489: The magazines to be blown up, the task was so hastily performed and Scott pursued so closely that the Americans were able to secure the fort substantially intact. One small magazine did explode, and the blast threw Scott from his horse and broke his collarbone. (Some British women and children had been left behind in the fort in the hasty retreat and would have suffered heavy casualties if the demolitions had proceeded as Vincent ordered.) Scott continued to press after Vincent and

6336-500: The main army to harass, delay, disrupt supply lines, engage the enemy's own skirmishing forces, and generally "soften up" an enemy before the main battle. Light infantrymen were also often responsible for screening the main body of a military formation. Post- World War II , the term "light infantry" evolved to include rapid-deployment units (including commando and airborne units) that emphasized speed and mobility over armor and firepower. Some units or battalions that historically held

6435-555: The main difference in term of organisational structure is that LIDs' 10 battalions are all Light Infantry whereas for MOC, it's 7 Infantry Battalions (Motorised) and 3 Infantry Battalions (Mechanised). Both have an intermediate layer between the Battalions and Division HQ called Tactical Operation Command . A TOC is a unit that commands up to 3 battalions. Essentially, LIDs are made up of 3 TOC and 1 battalion under HQ as reserve whereas MOCs are made up of 2 TOC (Motorised) and 1 TOC (Mechanised) with an IB (Motorised) under HQ as reserve. As for

6534-662: The mainline to harass the enemy before falling back to the main position. During the period 1777–1781, the Continental Army of the United States adopted the British Army practice of seasonally drafting light infantry regiments as temporary units during active field operations, by combining existing light infantry companies detached from their parent regiments. Light infantry sometimes carried lighter muskets than ordinary infantrymen while others carried rifles and wore rifle green uniforms. These became designated as rifle regiments in Britain and Jäger and Schützen (sharpshooter) regiments in German-speaking Europe. In France, during

6633-543: The mid-1990s had their own tank and artillery units. Other units that can be classified as light infantry are: As of current, it's reported that Myanmar Army has total of 10 units designated as a "Light Infantry Division" and 20 units designated as "Military Operation Command". Two units are mostly similar in term of organisational structure. One of the main differences is that LIDs are mostly numbered in double digits like 11, 22, 33, 44 whereas MOCs are numbered sequelly. Both commands 10 battalions . While not that obvious, one of

6732-501: The modern era frequently relied on irregulars to perform the duties of light infantry skirmishers. In particular, the French Army employed detachments of German and Balkan mercenaries to serve as patrols in the rough country until a permanent corps of Mountain Fusiliers ( Fusiliers des Montagnes ) was raised in the 1740s. In the 17th century, dragoons were sometimes employed as the skirmishers of their day, as mounted infantrymen who rode into battle but dismounted to fight, giving them

6831-448: The overall concept of light infantry. They are typically infantry intended for difficult terrain such as mountains or arctic conditions (US Marines) ( Royal Marines , United States Army 10th Mountain Division , United States Army 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) , Italian Army Alpini , French Army 27ème bataillon de chasseurs alpins ) or jungle (1st Scout Ranger Regiment, Brazilian Army Jungle Infantry Brigades). In

6930-414: The pair tried in March 1815 for the keeper's murder, although they were ultimately acquitted of the crime. The regiment was disbanded in 1816. Today, the regiment's history and service is commemorated by the Canadian Army's Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders , an Army Reserve regiment, headquartered in Cornwall, Ontario, which incorporates the title "GLENGARRY FENCIBLES" on its badge. To commemorate

7029-403: The plan on the night of October 10/11 was thwarted by bad weather. Smyth marched his detachment back to Black Rock, New York . Van Rensselaer attacked Queenston with the troops he had at Lewiston on the night of October 13/14, without Smyth's troops. During the ensuing Battle of Queenston Heights , the guns of Fort George and Fort Niagara began to fire at the opposite fort. During the exchange

7128-486: The regiment, John Henry and John Blueman, are notable for their alleged involvement in one of Toronto 's most enduring historical mysteries – the 2 January 1815 murder of John Paul Radelmüller, keeper of the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse . Tradition holds that Radelmüller was killed by several soldiers from Fort York in a dispute over alcohol. Research by Eamonn O'Keeffe identified Blueman and Henry as

7227-633: The regiments of the Light Division. The Rifles maintain the traditional quick parade march of all British light infantry, the Rifle Brigade 's " rifle green " No 1 dress with blackened buttons and black leather belts, and many other traditions and "golden threads" of its parent regiments. The only rifle regiment not to become part of the Rifles was the Royal Gurkha Rifles . Following a series of amalgamations and one disbandment, none of

7326-443: The regular troops only, gave 52 killed, 44 wounded and 262 missing; also mentioning that 16 men who had been "wounded on former occasions" had been left behind in the Fort George military hospital and were not included in the casualty total. The detachment of the (local) Lincoln Militia who fought at the battle lost 5 officers and 80 other ranks, although only four of these seem to have been killed. According to their official report,

7425-406: The role of such infantry rather than the actual weight of their equipment. Peltast equipment, for example, grew steadily heavier at the same time as hoplite equipment grew lighter. It was the fact that peltasts fought in open order as skirmishers that made them light infantry and that hoplites fought in the battle line in a phalanx formation that made them heavy infantry. Early regular armies of

7524-462: The roles of light infantry as well as those of ordinary infantry. By the late 19th century, the concept of fighting in formation was on the wane due to advancements in weaponry and the distinctions between light and heavy infantry began to disappear. Essentially, all infantry became light infantry in operational practice. Some regiments retained the name and customs, but there was in effect little difference between them and other infantry regiments. On

7623-518: The same terms of enlistment as regular soldiers but would be obliged to serve in North America only. The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies rejected the scheme but in 1808, Governor General Sir James Craig issued a letter of service authorising the raising of the unit on his own authority. He was forced to withdraw it a month later as the unit's officers could not raise the promised number of men in time. In 1812 however, as war with

7722-481: The same training; including skirmishing. At the same time strelkovyi [стрелковый] battalions were introduced. These undertook light infantry functions when the skirmishing skills of line infantry were insufficient. Historically the Spanish infantry included several battalions of light infantry that were designated as Cazadores . These units were incorporated into the ordinary infantry following army reorganization in

7821-421: The schooners. Scott advanced from the beach but was counter-attacked by British troops (the remnants of the troops which had already engaged Scott, plus five companies of the 8th (King's), Runchey's company and 100 other militia) which had been concentrated in a ravine out of the American fire. Scott was driven back, but once again the fire from Perry's schooners caused heavy losses among the British. Scott's force

7920-404: The shore closely. Two larger vessels, the corvette Madison and the brig Oneida , would engage the nearest British batteries. The American army numbered approximately 4,000 regular infantry. The force was divided into four waves, which would land in succession. The first wave was to be commanded by Scott himself, the second by Brigadier General John Parker Boyd , a professional soldier, and

8019-430: The third by Brigadier General William H. Winder , a recently commissioned lawyer. A brigade under a political appointee, Brigadier General John Chandler , formed the reserve, with most of the artillery under Colonel Alexander Macomb . The Army's second-in-command, Major General Morgan Lewis , was nominally in overall command of the landing force. Dearborn, the commander in chief, would observe from aboard Madison . As

8118-399: The total British casualties were 183 killed, wounded or deserted; 147 wounded prisoners and 129 unwounded prisoners; adding up to a loss of 459 men. The Americans had inflicted heavy casualties and captured a strongly fortified position with fewer losses to themselves. The victory can be credited to excellent planning and leadership by two comparatively junior officers: Scott and Perry. When

8217-529: The unit to be used as skirmishing light infantry and it adopted a dark green uniform with black facings as worn by the 95th Rifles . However, they were armed with the smoothbore Brown Bess musket (possibly the New Land Service version, with rudimentary backsight) rather than the Baker rifle . Also, unlike the 95th Rifles, the Glengarry Light Infantry were granted colours. The regimental badge, worn on

8316-484: The use of light infantry because the use of mechanized infantry or armour was severely limited by of the terrain, leading to the " Yomp " across the Falklands, in which Royal Marines and Paras yomped (and tabbed) with their equipment across the islands, covering 56 miles (90 km) in three days carrying 80-pound (36 kg) loads after disembarking from ships at San Carlos on East Falkland , on 21 May 1982. During

8415-496: The war. The Rifle Regiment was disbanded in 1821. Battle of Fort George East Coast Great Lakes / Saint Lawrence River West Indies / Gulf Coast Pacific Ocean The Battle of Fort George was fought during the War of 1812 , in which the Americans defeated a British force and captured Fort George in Upper Canada . The troops of the United States Army and vessels of the United States Navy cooperated in

8514-748: The women and children in the fort were forced to take shelter within the bastions. The commander of the British forces on the Niagara peninsula was Brigadier General John Vincent . He had 1,000 regular soldiers (the bulk of the 1st battalion of the 8th (King's) Regiment and the 49th Regiment , with detachments of the Royal Newfoundland Fencibles and the Glengarry Light Infantry ). There were also up to 300 militia present, including Captain Runchey's Company of Coloured Men . Although Vincent knew that an assault

8613-683: Was a regular regiment of the Rhodesian Army, unique in having the traditions of light infantry while serving as a modern Commando regiment. The Imperial Russian Army , which was heavily influenced by the Prussian and Austrian military systems, included fifty Jäger or yegerskii [егерский] regiments in its organisation by 1812, including the Egersky Guards Regiment . They were mostly united with line infantry regiments in 1833, when almost all Russian infantry began to receive

8712-464: Was able to move several armed schooners which had been blockaded in Black Rock into Lake Erie, and these were to be instrumental in his victory later in the year in the Battle of Lake Erie . However, the American army was slow to exploit the capture of Fort George by advancing up the Niagara peninsula, and they allowed Vincent to launch a surprise attack at the Battle of Stoney Creek , after which

8811-549: Was changed to avoid Kingston because Major General Henry Dearborn , commander of the United States armies on the frontier with Canada, believed false reports that there were 6,000 to 8,000 British soldiers at Kingston. On April 27, the Americans on Lake Ontario under Dearborn and Commodore Isaac Chauncey gained success at the Battle of York , occupying the town for several days and capturing many guns and stores, although Brigadier General Zebulon Pike and several dozen soldiers were killed by an exploding magazine. The American army

8910-473: Was conspicuous in urging on the Glengarry soldiers and militia in their advance. A company was present at the Battle of York but was able to play little part, as they were misdirected by the commander of the Upper Canadian militia. Another company suffered severe losses at the Battle of Fort George , trying to prevent American troops landing on the lake shore to outflank the fort. Yet another company

9009-607: Was discontinued in the Portuguese Armed Forces . All former units of caçadores were redesigned as "infantry". Currently, every infantry soldier of the Portuguese Army is known as atirador . Today, the Portuguese Army uses the designation "light infantry" as a generic collective classification of the Paratroopers, Commandos and Special Operations troops, while the remaining infantry is classified as "motorized/mechanized infantry". The Rhodesian Light Infantry

9108-536: Was imminent, he could not know from which direction it would come. To try to cover the entire threatened front, he split his regulars into three detachments and would counterattack the Americans when they landed. Most regulars were placed on the Niagara River, assuming that the Americans would attack under cover of their guns in Fort Niagara. The attack, however, did not come along the Niagara River. Just after dawn on May 27, an early morning fog dispersed to reveal

9207-686: Was in fact the 5th Bataillon. The Indian Army of 1914 included ten regiments with "Light Infantry" in their titles. These were the: Most of these regiments lost their separate identity as a result of extensive amalgamations in 1922. The modern Indian Army retains the Maratha Light Infantry and the Sikh Light Infantry . Of the 28 infantry regiments of the modern Indian Army, the following ten are designated as "Rifles". They are distinguished by their black rank badges, black buttons on their service and ceremonial uniforms and

9306-653: Was not formed Portuguese light infantry soldiers were known as caçadores (literally "huntsmen"). Initially organized as a light company in each of the line infantry regiments, the caçadores were later organized as independent battalions. They constituted the elite light infantry of the Portuguese Army during the Peninsular War , being considered by the Duke of Wellington as the " fighting cocks of his army". They wore distinctive brown uniforms as an early form of camouflage . The caçadores units were disbanded by

9405-466: Was of silver. They may also have had a dark green pelisse , with black cords and black fur trim. Light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry . Historically, light infantry often fought as scouts , raiders , and skirmishers . These are loose formations that fight ahead of

9504-420: Was present at the Battle of Sackett's Harbor , where troops under Prevost and Baynes withdrew after failing to drive American troops from buildings and hastily constructed defences. During the later part of 1813, the entire regiment was concentrated around Fort George, and was engaged for several weeks in harassing the American outposts around the captured fort. The regiment was built back up to strength during

9603-405: Was reinforced by the leading troops of Boyd's brigade, which was just landing, and the British were driven back in turn. As Winder's brigade also began landing, Vincent realized that he was outnumbered and outflanked and decided to evacuate his soldiers before they were completely encircled. He ordered an immediate retreat south to Queenston. Although he ordered the fort's guns to be spiked and

9702-419: Was temporarily serving as one of Chauncey's senior officers, reconnoitred the landing sites at the mouth of the Niagara River, taking bearings and placing marker buoys . At Fort George, the Americans planned to land on the shore of the lake rather than on the shore of the Niagara River. The troops would be supported as they landed by twelve schooners, each mounting one or more heavy cannon, which could approach

9801-608: Was then transported across the lake in Chauncey's ships to Fort Niagara. Dearborn planned to attack Fort George next, but his army required rest and reorganisation. No preparations had been made to accommodate the troops at Fort Niagara, and they suffered considerable shortages and privations for several days. In particular, the wounded were left without shelter or medical attention. On May 15, Colonel Winfield Scott took up his appointment as Dearborn's Adjutant General (i.e. Chief of Staff ), having been exchanged after being captured at

#232767