There are thirty battalions of "chausseurs alpins," who spend half each year in the French Alps. Each carries an alpenstock and a pack. They are among the hardiest and best trained French infantry, skilled with the rifle and in mountain warfare. Among the Vosges Mountains they tied themselves in trees, so when wounded they would not drop and betray their position.

The mule is a useful creature in time of war—especially in the commissary department, to carry pots, pans and provisions. Like the burro of the American southwest, the Alpine mule is a sure-footed climber.