The ".. men to be enrolled in this corps to be between the age of 17 and 35 years and not below 5 feet 3 inches." Recruiting was brisk; in addition to a bounty of £4, the recruits were promised a grant of of land on discharge. Almost all the soldiers and most of the officers were French-speaking, which led to the unit being widely known as the Voltigeurs, a French word meaning "vaulter" or "leaper", and given to certain elite light infantry units in the French Army. However, all formal orders on the parade ground or in battle were given in English.