The "Chasseurs à pied" (light infantry) were originally recruited from hunters or woodsmen. The "Chasseurs à Pied", as the marksmen of the French army, were considered an elite. The first unit raised was Jean Chrétien Fischer's Free Hunter Company in 1743. Early units were often a mix of cavalry and infantry. In 1776, all "Chasseurs" units were re-organized into six battalions, each linked to a cavalry regiment ("Chasseurs à cheval"). In 1788, the link between infantry battalions and cavalry regiments was broken.