Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/922

* TACTICS. 808 TACTICS. of overtaking and holding a retreating enemy till the arrival of the infantry. On the battlefield its use is important, but limited. Cavalry is the arm of surprise, of sudden and vigorous attack; but its power of defense is com- paratively ])oor, consequently it cannot hold for any length of time the ground it has gained. It is dependent to a great extent on the configura- tion and character of the ground, and its use in conjunction with the other arms is limited to favorable moments. Cavalry for its best and most effective action requires a broad, open country, and this is available only rarely on modern battlefields. For this reason, and on account of the increased range, rapidity of fire, and accuracy of firearms, cavalry can seldom decide battles. Surprise is to-day absolutely essential for the success of a cavalry attack, but to seize the prop- er moment is very difficult, and requires constant watching of the progress of the battle, and even anticipation of the enemy's movements in order to place the cavalry in readiness to grasp the fleeting moment, ere it be too late: consequently the cavalry nuist often wait for hours, and even under fire, but of course this has its limits, and after a certain percentage of losses the cavalry must retire out of range, and thus give up tempo- rarily any opportunities for attack that may pos- sibly arise. The true action of cavalry in battle has been shock action, its fire-action being quite subor- dinate, and employed mainly on the defensive. Under present conditions the precise sphere of activity for the arm in battle is a subject of much debate. Positions seized by an advancing cavalry may sometimes be held by its means until the infantry comes up, or it may be used to check the advance of the enemy, q^casionally it may serve to support infantry. As a rule, fire- action of cavalry is delivered dismounted, but mounted fire-action, although rare, has been used with advantage in covering a retreat when the pursuit was very active. The formation of ,i tf »^ tr tt it, s CAVALRY DIVISION DEPLOYED. T division T Kpgiraent f O Commander; O Commander; O i Division Staff Officers; i Kpgiment Commander; Rep^iment Adjutant; Battalion Commander; I Battalion Adjutant. The diTision reprfisented is composed of three repriments, one of which is deployed in line; the regiment on the ripht flanlc is in line of squadrons in column of troops with ex- tended intervals readj to deploy; the other regiment is massed in close column. cavalry used in the attack is the line, composed of two ranks in Europe. At other times the cavalry is generally kept in columns. The line allows of the simultaneous use of the greatest number of weapons, but because of its unwieldi- ness the squadron front is not exceeded for any formations other than the attack. Columns serve to assemble the troops in a narrow space, and render movement up to the moment of at- tack easy ; they must be open to facilitate form- ing line, with comparatively narrow front and full distances. In the attack of cavalry against cavalry, vic- tory can be gained only by the rapid assault of closed lines. In the advance of two opposed lines toward each other the respective lines will necessarily be more or less broken, the closed portions of the line still remaining on either side will penetrate the open places, both fronts will thus be broken through, and a hand to hand conflict begins. The extent to which either side retains closed lines up to the last will be of great effect on the result, hence the necessity of keeping closed and advancing with determination. The squadron commander can always take personal part in the attack, and the regimental commander can generally do so, but the brigade commander very rarely. The enemy should be kept uncertain as to the direction of the proposed attack as long as possible, so that he cannot prepare to meet the attack on his flank or rear, where it is usually directed. The principles applying to the subdivision of the forces are the same as for infantry. Enough men must be put into action at the beginning to insure success, and the first contact should de- cide the affair, consequently the forces directed against the flanks must be so directed from the beginning, and therefore must have an entirely difl'erent base from those directed against the front. In the front it will hardly be possible to put more men than the enemy has, and over- lapping flanks will charge against nothing. More than necessary for decisive action should not be put in at first, because a reserve will be neces- sary to meet other approaching troops while the attack is going on. However, if all the troops are needed for the first effect then there can be no reserve, but one should be formed as soon as possible out of the reassembled squadrons. After the attack the action gradually changes into flight on one side and pursuit on the other, and the latter should be kept up till new infantry or artillery stops it, or the horses are exhausted. In the attack of cavalry agaitmt infantry victory can only result when the attack is so sudden that the infantry has no time to fire at all, or when the latter is badly demoralized by previous losses. Cavalry agaiyist artillery has a better chance for success, because a firing ar- tillery line cannot protect itself toward the flanks, and in the early part of an engagement such unprotected lines will often be found. Fighting on foot enables cavalry to act for a time independently of the other arms, especially when it is supported by horse artillery, and is the only means by which cavalry can continue its advance through defiles, woods, or villages occupied by weak forces of the enemy. The action of dismounted cavalry is limited in general to hold- ing particular points, such as defiles or villages, until the arrival of stronger forces. There are, however, instances where cavalry on account of their extreme mobility can be used advantage- ously in foot fighting, and modern tacticians are paying increased attention to this point. Such cavalry, however, must be distinguished from mere mounted infantry as they have a far wider tactical use.