Bad ideas in war

[Andy_Ross]

What happened to light regiments later in the 19th century. I haven't noticed references to skirmishers in the Crimean War, American Civil War, or the wars of Prussia.

The British Army retained light infantry right up to the present day as fast moving reconnaissance and advance forces.
In WW1 light regiments were a way of integrating men of small stature in to the army that didn't meet the height and weight requirements for regular infantry regiments due to the poor diet of a large part of the population.
Post WW1 a Brigade of light infantry was retained as part of rhe Light Division which also contained the armoured reconnaissance regiments of the Cavalry.
The Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Durham Light Infantry and the Gurkhas spring to mind as famous light infantry regiments.

Today the light infantry is amalgamated as The Rifle Brigade.

 

[steenkh]

But actual skirmishing was discontinued, or over time integrated into general infantry tactics? I believe that during WW1 skirmishing became standard tactics, and towards the end also in offensives.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trench raiding became a common thing, rhe Germans developed the first sub machine gun for their trench raiding parties.

 

[kookbreaker]

What happened to light regiments later in the 19th century. I haven't noticed references to skirmishers in the Crimean War, American Civil War, or the wars of Prussia.

In the American Civil War, all units had a few dedicated sharpshooters who would screen and skirmish. But they had no distinction on their uniforms. The Union did raise a regiment of dedicated sharpshooters, Brendan's Sharpshooters, who used breech loaders and were definitely inspired by England's green-coated rifle regiments of the Napoleonic (and later) era. They were very effective in the battles they fought in. Notably they took up positions on Little Round Top at Gettysburg early in the fight, so when mythmaking confederate dreamers talk of how "General Jackson would've taken that hill and won the battle" (Also known as the "Ah threw down mah sword!" moment) the fact is there was the fastest firing and most accurate Union regiment in place.

 

[Dave Rogers]

Light infantry can win battles.
There was an entire documentary series about how a small detachment of the Rifle Regiment won the Peninsular War

I just re-read C. S. Forester's Death to the French [1], and I kept half expecting Sean Bean to turn up as a character.

Dave

[1] Another documentary about how an even smaller detachment of the Rifle Regiment won the Peninsular War.