The Fusiliers made up the majority of a line infantry battalion, and may be considered the typical infantryman of the Grande Armée. The Fusilier was armed with a
smoothbore,
muzzle-loaded
flintlock Charleville model 1777 musket and a
bayonet.
Fusilier training placed emphasis on speed of march and endurance, along with individually aimed fire at close range and close quarters combat. This differed greatly from the training given to the majority of European armies, which emphasised moving in rigid formations and firing massed volleys. Many of the early Napoleonic victories were due to the ability of the French armies to cover long distances with speed, and this ability was thanks to the training given to the infantry. From 1803, each battalion comprised eight Fusilier companies. Each company numbered around 120 men.
In 1805, one of the Fusilier companies was dissolved and reformed as a
Voltigeur company. In 1808, Napoleon reorganised the Infantry battalion from nine to six companies. The new companies were to be larger, comprising 140 men, and four of these were to be made up of Fusiliers, one of Grenadiers, and one of Voltigeurs.
The line Fusilier wore a
bicorne hat, until this was superseded by the
shako in 1807. The uniform of a Fusilier consisted of white trousers, white surcoat and a dark blue coat (the
habit long model until 1812, thereafter the
habit veste) with white lapels, red collar and cuffs. Each Fusilier wore a coloured
pom-pom on his hat. The colour of this pom-pom changed depending on the company the man belonged to. After the 1808 reorganisation, the First company was issued with a
dark green pom-pom, the second with
sky blue, the third with
orange and the fourth with
violet.