The French Army in the Eighteenth Century

Every type of unit was theoretically cap e of undertaking any type of task. Front line soldiers were assisted by various types of support troops. Engineers built or repaired bridges, fortifications and buildings. There were also specialized troops who functioned sort of like the opposite of engineers,. They were referred to as pioneers or sappers. The french army was the first in the world to have an integrated ambulance service to take wounded soldiers off the field while the battle was still going on. By the time of the battle of waterloo, only the russians had been able to match the french hospital system. If you've ever wondered why we use a french word for the process of sorting the wounded by severity