Lieutenant-General d’Artillerie. See [Lieutenant-general of the Ordnance].
Lieutenant-General des Armèes Navales du Roi. Fr. an officer in the old French service, belonging to the naval department. He took rank of all chefs d’escadre, or commodores, and issued orders through them to inferior officers.
LIFE GUARDS.—See [Guards].
LIGHT BOBS, a familiar term used for the light infantry.
LIGHT HORSE. All mounted soldiers, that are lightly armed and accoutred for active and desultory service, may be considered under this term. Thus light dragoons, hussars, mounted riflemen, &c. are strictly speaking light horse.
LIGHT INFANTRY, an active, strong body of men, selected from the aggregate of battalion companies, and made up of the most promising recruits that are occasionally inlisted.
When the light infantry companies are in line with their battalions, they are to form and act in every respect as a company of the battalion; but when otherwise disposed of, they may loosen their files to six inches
The open order of light infantry is usually two feet between each file.
The files may be extended from right, left, or centre; in executing it, each front rank man must carefully take his distance from the man next to him on that side from which the extension is made: the rear rank men conform to the movement of their file leaders.
When light infantry men fire in extended order, it is to be a standing rule, that the two men of the same file are never unloaded together; for which purpose as soon as the front rank man has fired, he is to slip round the left of the rear rank man, who will take a short pace forward, and put himself in the other’s place, whom he is to protect while loading.