The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1854-03-11
THE TURhISH CAVALRY.

conpanvl"
THE TCRhISH CA.ALRH.
Ii is SAID bv Colonel Dcan. ia. French O..
i~er despatched 10 the I'an,,ie in order 10
e>ai.,iie ;u'3 TIE condition Of :hc Turkish
.ii.l.:. 'i.at "!.ile the infantry are promising
So; ci III, IL. ;iie cavalry i, ui:e inefficient. To
a":s: this asserted Of an arm Of the service
Which Was one" tine finest in TIE world, seems
range d: fist. In; ii is nevertheless .uscer-
'i3!t OF an easy explanation.
Tic Cd lnihi>h ca,.,.,y were Tie most
s''r-f'' i'.rcr!ars ~ the " rlrl They rode
",'h s:e:t ..Ifr.. aEl i,ep saddles, and
ser ..i.....ar ...,l dc sei.l.;.ar from their
youth. ihv;r ioi>,s were generally spirited
animal. anl rn!c: admirable training. The
li:ci,i.: Tn,hi.., l.or-, I4an vas IN "a: a sor.
oi cl,o:.kan t4i.ia;,!,. L. former wars it
was 10 unusual iin. i,i ioiy Of this mag
nii~cr; cavalry 10 c..arg" ,iclli up 10 the ,e-
" ha:tclics: a-I Il. .c Is one instance IN
record IN ~iir. I iraar ,-aIel a ,.i:ch. broke
into 4 ,'haianx q in ;,rliry, ari Il. down sc.-
cga tio-e.r,.s. |H:ii ,.itlin the La. ccn.u-
II ;nc furnish li5is,:a.n were :r-,r.i.~l "a
aia2s; i.vi.. IL. \. Id, oi :aosn:ed ST.
'!icrr ,n,Hhere had ,arh skill il arms and in
t',c n.:.2 ..c,nen: of ,l.r hor.".: we-c co
prom! Al. ea,i 'c..i OF ',',i ;,2ia; 20 :raIh-
ID 49,: Il - many lati.e.
!.n; viih II" miro lrciian Il .;i>t .:,inc into
i.a,ri'-a:. armies IL Iu:hi<i cavalry l'eran
10 lose their superiority The credit of first
lcnon 'raiinr. in mo.rrn ;ia>s. low much
more reliable regular ,a.a,ry was to irregular
belongs TO Oliver Cromwell Until that snc-
cc.sinl soldier established Ills co-;,s of Iron.
SIDES, ihc mounted cavaliers of Prince Rupert
were considered inv;ncilic. Composed as
:l,c: were. :n.icel Of The gentry, always an
athletic race in England, and of the better
sort Of the rca>antry. race only less athlc.-
ic, they formed holy of irregular cavalry.
which. .or skill in ho-scmar>hir. for metal.
and for muscular strength. have rarely been
cquallcd The earlier parliamentary ara-
coons. male ~, as tLCy chiefly were.of .ouns
Lonloncrs aRarci,.toucd to the saddle. could
not stand before these d,sh;nr horse,ncn.-
Oliver Cromwell Sc, about TO remedy this
bv matching the ca,a.icrs with hor>emcn as
bold and skiiiul, and who should, in addition,
lac abe to mannuvrc more harmoniously and
ii.ht more compac,.v. lie selected. accord
inrlv. the Sons OF Puritan vcomcn. and hav-
ing disciplined them thoroughly, proved the
correctness of his views in the very first bat
lie. tv crushing Hupcr;'s cavaliers like pot
: ;cr's vessel.
From that time re yaiar Dragons supplant-
cd irregular cavalry in all the armies Of west
+ crn Europe. llorScmen were taught to move
. in solid line, TO charge in a compact body,
{ and to keep together even after victory in
" short to bc, in the hands of their commander,
wat even the most spirited horse himself
9 should lc in the hands Of The rider. an obc-
e ,iier; machine Elt meantime, the fame of
i. the Turkish cavalry. who continued to fgh,
l. in the old fashion filed Europe. I; was con
ia redcd that English. French or German irrcs
'' u!ars were in, ior TO regulars of the SAM
ration; bet it was occasionally doub;e'
whether the Turkish hor~emcn were not ST:
rrrior even 10 Tie western regulars. Thi
IL c,,l.ro1 Fr,,,n Tho Ga.
i oi the Turkish cavalry over their IIunsaria
III nei chi,orS. who held a ish reputation. an,
cd were considered regulars. though in rcalit,
II" brt halt disciplined. Ii was reserved for Ma
C. ,o,con Il ,wcv vr..o demo s.r.te ia It e.e th
- c>t OF the furnish i,or>clncn. the famou
u Nnnriukcs could not stand before the Frcnc
u Dragons "ltound in Egypt" he said ;
III 81; II, lena That a single Nam luke coul
'id oi;,n keep at bly ccu,Ie o! French men, AM
nd thst two could certainly overcome three
"'1 tut vh"n j. came 10 question of large bod
''c i-> on cas-h si.'r. f.i-n thousand Frenc
a. lorScr,rr could IriYr two ;houSrnd Mamc
lu,r. Ii, i,';er he aided, fought bes
MS sin~l,: the former IL a holv."
- The present Turkish cavalry are neithc
nd da>hinr ir,c-u'ars such as they one were
.r- nor well-disrii!incd dragons like the horse
he mcr of Western Europe. The short stirrul
r, ha. been discarded. and the lance substitute
,m for The scin"tar. In the attempt 10 remed
he the evils of the old system, what was GOO
oil. has been lost, without obtaining any of tn
nd advantages desired. At least such is til
r. statement of Col Dean, and of other coupe
he tent Judges. The men are poor riders. an
IT. lly !is .iplinel soldiers. Thry would no
is stand moment before a charge Of theBri'i,l
a. IIorsc-Guards, or probably even before ar
ed assault of Horvcl< from IIurgary.-PLiladel
i'm I,hn EuH',..
N;pOlEON'S LAST YEAR.
About wear before his death. a sndder