Coalition forces of the Napoleonic Wars The Coalition Forces of the Napoleonic Wars were composed of Napoleon Bonaparte ' s enemies : the Austrian Empire , Kingdom of Prussia , Kingdom of Spain , Kingdom of Naples and Sicily , United Kingdom , Kingdom of Sardinia , Dutch Republic , Russian Empire , the Ottoman Empire , Kingdom of Portugal , Kingdom of Sweden , various Confederation of the Rhine and Italian states at differing times in the wars . Together at their height , the Coalition could field a formidable force of about 1 , 740 , 000 strong , a force the 1 . 1 million French soldiers would reckon with . These were the military manpower breakdowns of more active armies : Austria , 520 , 000 ; Britain , 320 , 000 ; Prussia , 300 , 000 ; and Russia , 600 , 000 . British Forces . The British Army forces consisted of 320 , 000 troops at their height , a notable 2 % of the entire British population at the time . Integral parts of the British army were the King ' s German Legion ( 18 , 000 men ) , the Brunswick troops and several other troops from France , Switzerland and the Netherlands . Infantry . Gaining experience under the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War and forged into a disciplined , honed weapon of war , they advanced to become a very prominent force in the Napoleonic Wars . The redcoats , as they were called , principally employed tactics such as disciplined platoon fire and ( sometimes ) bayonet charges and saw much success through these methods . These foot soldiers were typically equipped with the Tower pattern musket , or ' Brown Bess ' , whose individual inaccuracy was compensated for by the technique of mass firing by platoons . Light infantry . The British and German elite light infantry hold a distinct advantage over their counterparts on the battlefield as they were equipped with Baker rifle s . However this rifle compromises loading speed , a fact that put Napoleon Bonaparte off using them , therefore were the French " voltigeurs " equipped only with muskets . The advantage of the rifles were the great accuracy of the weapon , due to the grooved barrels . The soldiers were able to shoot and hit the opponent at distances , where no musket would have an effect . Also the light battalions were deployed in pairs of 2 soldiers , forming a skirmish curtain , fighting quite independently and using all cover they could find . These were new tactics , frowned on by more conservative officers , but very effective against enemy officers , who were often the first targets of the skirmishers . Line infantry . The line , column and square formations were the most recognised tactical formation s in use during the Napoleonic Era . Each of these formations has its own unique purpose in attacking or counter - attacking the enemy and no doubt played a large role in battlefield tactics . The line formation was the most favoured amongst the British infantry . The line formation offered the maximum firepower to any enemy , about 1000 to 1500 bullets per minute . Unlike the French favoured column formation , the line formation enabled all muskets available to fire at the enemy and it also forms a wider front , as in contrast , only the few soldiers in the first rows of the column ( about 60 ) were able to fire . While the line formation may have seemed to be the best against infantry , they were not protected from the rear . A leash of the enemy ' s cavalry would send the frail lines into chaos and horrendous casualties . Therefore it was necessary , to form the line into a square , as soon as possible , when cavalry was approaching . The square was the best protection against cavalry , as no horse would go near a row of bayonets three ( or more ) deep . Only on very rare occasions were these squares destroyed , e . g . at the Battle of Salamanca three French squares were destroyed by the cavalry of the King ' s German Legion . The bayonet was primarily used to finish an action , already virtually decided by musketry " opposing regiments when formed in line and charging with fixed bayonets , ' never ' meet a struggle hand to hand and foot to foot ; and this for the best possible reason , that one side turns and runs away as soon as the other comes close enough to do mischief " . Thus the fear of the bayonet , rather than the bayonet itself was the deciding factor . One of the few battles were the bayonet was used extensively was the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro . The British infantry pay rates ranged from 22 shillings 6 pence per day for a colonel to as low as 1 shilling per day for a private . Cavalry . Britain ' s war effort against France was always hampered by a shortage of cavalry . Its lack of numbers accompanied by poor leadership and indiscipline wasted not only good opportunities but also lives . The cavalry consisted of a few important ranks . Each played a different role in ensuring the army was an effective and formidable war machine . The British cavalry had developed a few crucial tactics in which to out - do these opponents . Against infantry the British had an idea of planning a cavalry charge just after the enemy ' s infantry volley . This would minimise the number of muskets available to shoot at the cavalry as the infantry would be busy reloading . The infantry square formation was the best formation designed to outmaneuver the cavalry . Artillery . Cannons . Britain had a small but highly effective artillery arm ( the Royal Artillery ) that was exceedingly well trained but suffered from light guns . British cannon barrels were brass , with the carriages , wheels , and timbers painted grey and metal pieces painted black . The basic guns were from three to six pounders , and the British found themselves at a distinct disadvantage against French cannons . In fact , the Duke of Wellington forbade his gunners to engage in counter - battery fire against the superior French weapons and ordered them to focus on firing at enemy troops . The artillery was divided in horse artillery and foot artillery . Each cannon was manned by five gunners . The anti - personnel bias of British artillery was boosted by the invention of a fused spherical case - shot that was designed , by General Sir Henry Shrapnel , to explode over the heads of enemy troops and shower them with musketballs . Rockets . Another newfound British invention was the Congreve Rocket , which was intended to shoot a barrage of 12 - pounder explosives in the general direction of the enemy . Unfortunately , the rockets were not very accurate and although they did see action in Iberia , as well as in Germany , Battle of the Goerhde and Battle of Leipzig , they were not viewed as being particularly effective . Mostly they effected a terror in the enemy troops , who were unfamiliar with this kind of weapon . The French thought in the beginning , that the rocket troops were " lancers " , as the firing device seemed in the distance to be a lance . Allied forces . The tactics of the allied forces were at the beginning of the wars different from the British tactics . They tried to use e . g . the column . But as they almost all lost against the French , they had to change and develop their systems . They became more and more similar to the British systems , although with differences , so was the Prussian line three men deep , in contrast to the two men line of the British army . Kingdom of Naples and Sicily . Commanders included were : Kingdom of Portugal . The army of Portugal was in great need of modernisation . Therefore quite a number of British officers joined the Portuguese army , rising in rank by that . They formed the army after the example of the British army and formed a force with great fighting spirit and skills . The " caçadores " were as effective as the British light infantry and fought side by side with their allies . The Portuguese units were attached to the British regiments , the Duke of Wellington being the commander of the joined forces . Commanders included were : Kingdom of Prussia . Commanders included were : Russian Empire . Commanders included were : Kingdom of Spain . After the defeat of Spain and the deportation of the King and his family to France , the Spanish army in 1812 to 1814 was divided in several parts . The Spanish troops in 1813 were about 160 , 000 men . Also very active were the Spanish guerilla troops , which were in 1812 the strongest forces Spanish forces . They fought most of the time independently , but were also co - ordinated by the British . So was a guerilla force on the British right flank in the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro . Commanders included were :