Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/158

 150 CAVALRY the horses should be hardy and quick, light in the mouth, and obedient to the leg, handy at turning, and especially broken for working at a canter, having their haunches well under them. Besides rapid flank and rear attacks, ambus- cades, and pursuit, the light cavalry has to do the greater part of the outpost and patrolling duty for the whole army ; aptness for single combat, the foundation of which is good horse- manship, is therefore one of its principal re- quirements. In line, the men ride less close to- gether, so as to be always prepared for changes of front and other evolutions. In the United States, army there are 10 regiments of cavalry, all of which are really mounted infantry. The tactical unity in cavalry is the squadron, com- prising as many men as the voice and imme- diate authority of one commander can control during evolutions. The strength of a squadron varies from 100 men in England to 200 men in France ; those of the other armies also being within these limits. A regiment comprises 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 squadrons. The weakest regiments are the English, 400 to 480 men ; the strong- est the Austrian light horse, 1,600 men. Strong regiments are apt to be unwieldy ; too weak ones are very soon reduced by a campaign. Thus the British light brigade at Balaklava, not two months after the opening of the campaign, numbered in five regiments of two squadrons each scarcely 700 men, or just half as many as one Russian hussar regiment on the war foot- ing. Peculiar formations are : with the British the troop or half squadron, and with the Aus- trians the division or double squadron, an in- termediate link which alone renders it possible for one commander to control their strong regi- ments of horse. Before Frederick the Great, all cavalry was formed at least three deep. He first formed his hussars, in 1743, two deep, and at the battle of Rossbach had his heavy horse formed the same way. After the seven years' war this formation was adopted by all other armies, and is the only one now in use. For purposes of evolution the squadron is divided into four divisions. Wheeling from line into open column of divisions, and back into line from column, form the chief and funda- mental evolution of all cavalry manoeuvres. Most other evolutions are only adapted either for the march (the flank march by three, &c.), or for extraordinary cases (the close column by divisions or squadrons). The action of Euro- pean cavalry in battle is generally a hand-to- hand encounter; its fire is of subordinate im- portance ; steel, either sword or lance, is its chief weapon ; and all cavalry action is concen- trated in the charge. Thus the charge is the criterion for all movements, evolutions, and po- sitions of cavalry. Whatever obstructs the fa- cility of charging is faulty. The impetus of the charge is produced by concentrating the high- est effort both of man and horse into its crown- ing moment, the moment of actual contact with the enemy. In order to effect this, it is neces- sary to approach the enemy with a gradually in- creasing velocity, so that the horses are put to then- full speed at a short distance from the enemy only. The execution of such a charge is about the most difficult matter that can be asked from cavalry. It is extremely difficult to pre.serve perfect order and solidity in an ad- vance at increasing pace, especially if there is much not quite level ground to go over. The difficulty and importance of riding straight for- ward is here shown ; for unless every rider rides straight to his point, there arises a pressure in the ranks, which is soon rolled back from the centre to the flanks, and from the flanks to the centre ; the horses get excited and uneasy, their unequal speed and temper come into play, and soon the whole line is straggling along in anything but a straight alignment, and with anything but that closed solidity which alone can insure success. Then, on arriving in front of the enemy, it is evident that the horses will attempt to refuse running into the standing or moving mass opposite, and that the riders must prevent their doing so ; otherwise the charge is sure to fail. The rider, therefore, must not only have the firm resolution to break into the ene- my's line, but he must also be perfectly master of his horse. The regulations of different ar- mies give various rules for the mode of advance of the charging cavalry, but they all agree in this point, that the line, if possible, begins to move at a walk, then trot, at from 300 to 150 yards from the enemy canter, gradually increas- ing to a gallop, and at from 20 to 80 yards from the enemy full speed. All such regulations, how- ever, are subject to many exceptions; the state of the ground, the weather, the condition of the horses, &c., must be taken into consideration in every practical case. If in a charge of cavalry against cavalry both parties actually meet, which is by far the most uncommon case in cavalry engagements, the swords are of little avail during the actual shock. It is the mo- mentum of one mass which breaks and scatters the other. The moral element, bravery, is here at once transformed into material force ; the bravest squadron will ride on with the greatest self-confidence, resolution, rapidity, ensemble, and solidity. Thus it is that no cavalry can do great things unless it has plenty of " dash " about it. But as soon as the ranks of one party. are broken, the swords, and with them individ- ual horsemanship, come into play. A portion at least of the victorious troop has also to give up its tactical formation, in order to mow with the sword the harvest of victory. Thus the successful charge at once decides the contest; but unless followed up by pursuit and single combat, the victory would be comparatively fruitless. It is this immense preponderance of the party which has preserved its tactical com- pactness and formation, over the one which has lost it, that explains the impossibility for ir- regular cavalry, be it ever so good and so nu- merous, to defeat regular cavalry. There is no doubt that so far as individual horsemanship and swordmanship is concerned, no regular