Light Division

The Light Division
Active	1803–1815 1853–1856 1914–1918 1968–2007
Country	Great Britain
Branch	British Army
Type	Light Infantry
Size	Division
Garrison/HQ	Sir John Moore Barracks, Winchester
Anniversaries	Salamanca Day
Equipment	Baker rifle
Engagements	Battle of Copenhagen (1807) Peninsula War Battle of Corunna Battle of the River Côa Battle of Bussaco Battle of Sabugal Battle of Fuentes de Onoro Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo Siege of Badajoz (1812) Battle of Salamanca Battle of Vitoria Battle of the Pyrenees Battle of Nivelle Battle of Toulouse Crimean War Battle of Alma Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) Battle of Inkerman
Commanders
Notable commanders	Robert Craufurd William Erskine Charles Alten George Brown

The Light Division was a light infantry Division of the British Army. Its origins lay in "Light Companies" formed during the late 18th Century, to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect a main force with skirmishing tactics. These units also, significantly, took advantage of then-new technology in the form of rifles, which allowed it to emphasise marksmanship, and were aimed primarily at disrupting and harassing enemy forces, in skirmishes before the main forces clashed.

Formed in 1803, during the Napoleonic Wars, the Light Division was re-raised three times subsequently: during the Crimean War, the First World War and from 1968 to 2007. Some light infantry units remained outside the Light Division.

The British Army's first three "Rifle Battalion" was raised by the 60th (Royal Americans) in 1797–99. The command of this first rifle battalion was given to Francis de Rottenburg, who had extensive experience with light infantry. While the 60th did not officially become part of the Light Division, it and Rottenburg were influential in terms of British Army doctrine regarding rifle-armed light infantry.

In 1800, an "Experimental Corps of Riflemen", was raised by Colonel Coote Manningham and Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. William Stewart – drawn from officers and other ranks from drafts of a variety of British regiments. The corps differed in several regards from the Line infantry of the British Army. Most significantly, it was armed with the formidable Baker rifle, which was more accurate and of longer range than the musket, although it took longer to load. As the rifle was shorter than the musket, it was issued with a 21-inch sword bayonet. Riflemen wore dark green jackets rather than the bright red coats of the British line infantry regiments of that time; pantaloons, rather than breeches; black leather facings and belts rather than white and; a green plume on their "stovepipe shakoes". They were trained to work alone or in pairs, in open order and to think for themselves.

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