Revolutionary Infantry are a type of line infantry in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
Fortified by patriotic fervour, these men are glad to die or, preferably, slaughter in the name of the French Republic!
These infantrymen are convinced that their actions are honourable, just and virtuous in defence of the Revolution and their beloved France. They are the people’s soldiers, buoyed up by high morale and a lack of experience that means they are capable of insane feats of bravery on the battlefield. Strong in numbers, and weak in discipline, they are only a little better than an armed mob, but what a mob! They burn with a zealous conviction that they are right, and this is their weapon even more than the muskets they carry so inexpertly.
Before 1791, the French army echoed the old feudal system: officers gained their place through family connections and title. The ordinary soldiers were treated badly. A series of mutinies and military rebellions produced some reforms in 1791: a code of justice, a reform of finances and an opening up of the officer class to the lower social classes. But it was the Revolution and the French Guards’ part in storming the Bastille that transformed the army from a tool of repression to the army of the people. The soldiers of the Revolution, though willing, eventually had to come to terms with military discipline, and that would need Napoleon.
General Information[]
Available only in the tutorial and the Italy Campaign, revolutionary infantry are inferior, cheaper versions of Fusiliers of Line. Despite their shoddy appearance, they are fairly capable troops, with nearly equal reloading skill to fusiliers of line, and even a better charging bonus. They are an intermediate between National Guard and fusiliers of line in terms of cost and effectiveness.
In the Italian Campaign, there are two sub-types of revolutionary infantry, trained in the regions of Milan and Modena. These types are statistically identical; however, they cannot use Chevaux de Frise or Earthworks, lack bayonets, and (perhaps most crucially) cannot adopt Square Formation, making them highly vulnerable to cavalry. Given that standard revolutionary infantry can be trained nearly anywhere and have no downsides compared to these sub-types, there's little reason to field Milanese or Modenese revolutionary infantry.
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