I don't know the specifics of the U.S. Army in 1812, but in The British Army, the L.I. Regiments (there were several) recruited a different stature of soldier; they carried less equipment; and were expected to be faster on the march. Conventional infantry marched at 120 paces per minute; L.I. marched at 140 paces per minute. In the era of manoevre, before railways, the extra speed must have been a significant factor in the Generals' thinking. In heraldic terms, the badges of the L.I. regiments usually feature a bugle. I don't know why. I don't know if L.I. regiments differed in numerical strength from conventional infantry; nor if their organization into companies, etc. differed. Peter THOMAS Darwin, AUSTRALIA <pmthomas@bigpond.com> -----Original Message----- From: Mark S. Painter [mailto:bender@advntr.com] Sent: Tuesday, 31 January 2006 1:24 PM To: WARof1812-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Light Infantry Hi, Can anyone tell me the difference between regular infantry and light infantry during the War of 1812. As far as I can see it may only be the size of the regiment? I have been studying the 22nd US Infantry which is often noted in the newspapers as a "light infantry Regiment" where others are noted as the "25th Infantry Regiment" Thank you, Mark