For the similar Empire: Total War unit, see Chasseurs à Pied.
Chasseurs are a type of light infantry in Napoleon: Total War and The Peninsular Campaign.
Description[]
Chasseurs, or “hunters”, are light infantry who are excellent at skirmishing and ranged attacks.
Light, fast and agile, these men are experts at forming a skirmishing screen, providing diversions for an advance, or rearguard cover for a withdrawal. Armed with muskets, they are equally adept when deployed in line and loose skirmish formations. Their range and accuracy are exemplary, but they lack the skills necessary for close combat; their inability to form square leaves them vulnerable to cavalry charges.
Historically, Napoleon’s chasseurs included both foot and mounted regiments. The foot regiments were named chasseurs à pied, and the men who served well in them could be rewarded by promotion to the prestigious grenadiers. The cavalry troops were known as the chasseurs à cheval, and had a rivalry with the French hussars. Each unit believed they were superior to the other, and this resulted in many arguments between them over who wore the most dashing clothes or were the better horsemen. Although the hussars had the more expensive uniforms, the chasseurs argued that Napoleon’s escort unit was made up of men from their ranks.
General Information[]
Chasseurs are the standard light infantry for France in Napoleon: Total War. Like all other light infantry, they possess intermediate range, between line infantry and skirmishers. All of their ranks may fire at once, allowing them to use maximum firepower even in constrained spaces. Their accuracy and reloading is superior to that of line infantry, allowing them to inflict kills quickly at range. However, they pay for their flexibility with poorer melee statistics than line infantry and the inability to form Square Formation.
Compared to the light infantry of other factions, Chasseurs are middle of the road. They are about tied with Austrian Grenzers in terms of ranged capabilities, inferior to Prussian Fusiliers and British Light Foot, and far superior to Russian Jägers. In melee combat, they are worse than any light infantry except Grenzers. While they are unremarkable at best when compared to their peers, they still fulfill an important and useful role with their superior range and accuracy compared to French Fusiliers of Line.
Within the French roster, Chasseurs are most comparable to Voltiguers. Chasseurs have more 50% men and better melee stats, but Voltiguers have much better accuracy and better morale, along with better stealth capabilities. Chasseurs are considerably more expensive that Voltiguers. In the campaigns, chasseurs are available earlier, and benefit from more experience on recruitment until the final military building, the Staff College, is built.
Gallery[]
Unit Art[]
.jpg "Chasseurs (Peninsular Campaign).jpg (52 KB)")
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