[The following takes place during the French Revolutionary Wars.] "The voltigeurs were specialist light infantry soldiers. Their name means literally “vaulters”: It was originally intended that they should travel into battle by leaping onto the rump of a passing cavalry horse, before sliding lightly to the ground to fight on foot. Author’s Note: This scheme didn’t last long, as everybody involved soon realized it was a deeply silly idea." Source: Morris, Thomas. “Remarkable Recoveries.” The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth: and Other Curiosities from the History of Medicine. Dutton, An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018. 212. Print.