Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-11-14

T07
thourh still retaining the name of drsgoon regiments
divided into light and heavy. Up to Napoeons time,
md until recently the term dragon" In Europe meent
roiing psr &c. Since then, the Russians have formed
sever regiments Of real drsgoonH and the British H.
stituted the Cape mounted rhes-mounted rifles being
an improyed kind of dragoon. With regard to light
and heavy cavalry partly because before musketry had
become formidable, large man was required 70 carry
ha heavy armour partly because, after the armour was
either entirely abandoned or in few corps partially re-
tanned large men looked formidable-such formed the
chief cavalry of France Germany Spain, Great Britain,
10 Such men required slow and heavy horses TO carry
them. They looked Imposing in time oil peace, ana
the looks will morally impose on An inexperienced al
versary-as the iuconvenient bearkkn cap when ACES
foot 70 the stature, may do by the grenAdier H1pe-
renoa in wars soon taught that the Polish and huhga
Ian cavalry the former onaly skilled with the lance
the latter with the sabre, riding lighter Weighs ana on
smaller but better horses, were FAR superior ioi INC
chief uses Of cavalry viz to scout 70 move WIN "a
Did ty and pursueo act 10 fact as tne eyes Oh al
amy and as The missile discharges 10 reach an enc
my escaping from its grasp. 5sl l.
Hence various corps Of light cavalry were lormed 10
every army besides lancer and Hussar corps, whose
uniforms being the national dress OF foaho
and Hungary, Indicate their origin. BY Cegrees
both hgat AID heavy cavalry have been graeu'
a'ly assimiIa ing az often hardly TO Do dlson-
guishAble except by name IL is prevalent opinion
amongst mtsry men Of experiences in Europe that all
cavalry oughtto aud will, be eventually light eavai.y
because il is admitted all hands that lgnt cavalry
can do everything that heavy cavalry can, excepting
oEe viz: charge heavy cavalry, and this exception
MANY dsaloW and numerous examples have dispfoveo.
II any, the effect of large men aud heavy horses ooy
moral because all kno9 who have been IN ana seen
many r al chaiges the shock OF two bodies Of morse
rsrely, II ever, actually occurs
Resides these drsgood or mounted rihea ana the
heavy and light cavalry have the irregular cavalry,
uoh as native corps used in India Algeria and Turkey
and of which the Cossacks are the type.
These are never expected 70 fight except against an
enemy who ia at singular disadvantage but they ac-
uuire information, out on sraggersao conveys, pene
trste in all directions and devasate an Invaded re-
gion.
Now, for heavy cavalry, whatever iH merits or de-
merits We have clearly no use in this country. For
good light cavalry we viii cali It simply cavalry,
aud for dragons and rife dragons, we have Thai ID
10 saw. mounted men who will charge home with lance,
svor or SABRE instead OF wasting powder or shooting
each othearom horseback and for men trained to fight
on foot after dsmountng But the experience Of Two
centuries and half shows that We cannot have them 70
do both
Except to give the alarm as videtes, it is not ooe
case in hundred where firearms are useful TO cav
alry SOLDIER it is not one in hundred where he viii
charge homo when he stops TO FIRE. There is no rea-
som however why We should not have both cavalry
and mounted rifles in due proportions, all Videte duty
being performed by the latter.
'W W. g." says we have no heavy cavalry In America.
He night have sad that we nave 10 cavalry a. All ano
never had.
The war of independence brought forth very effeo-
tive partissns and dragons under Slnpter, Marion
aud Lee and since, under the old United States, come
indifferent dragoons-that Is to say, taey we're neither
drsgOons nor cavalry.
of mounted men, both North and South Who, in like
manner under direction of officers OF the old army,
have not BEEN and not nov, either Dragons or
alry but we have had in the COntederacy some era
goons and partisan Dragons uDder Morgan and For.
rest the fame of whose exploits far spread will be long
enduring because their achievements considering the
magnitude of these and the paucty OF their means may
be "a d. without e1aggerAton TO have no recorded pre-
cedent.
Il would be widely within the mark to state that with
fe thousand men they have cited at least much
loss upon their adverGes s the rest Of the Osnedc
rate and Yankee cavalry put together, (1f whom it
would be low estimate TO assume that from 100 to
100 thousand have been mustered into the service and
this 70 say tue least uufosered by Official favor. The
exploits Of Ashby and Mosby with their limited oppir
tuntes shOw that the occasion perm ting, they would
have found emutors and riva and the writer for one,
docs not doubt but that majority at least of the Cot
federate cavalry originally afforded material as god
as that with which they operated.
"W W. G"aludes to "the scarcity Of horses and for
age" 10 the de between the open pans of Europe
and small fields Obstruced with RAN stone fencas
and complains that in Consequence OF "de5cent forage
yays unable to do duty" and of the scanty numberp
lea renders il cut to concentrate the cavalry
well ngl impossible to retain the battle field i'm
posing force turn the scale Of battle He also Oh
serves that the improvements in artillery land might
have added small arms) have tended to the reduction
of the proportion Of cavalry u7ed in Europe and
10 a presumed dminuton of its importance.
Trese remarks, excepting as regards the scarcity
of horses and of forage and the scany number of
borsemen in the army Of the Potomac, are all true
Il IL. r
from his facts are in the opinion Of the writer very er
roneous.
In the first place, comparative statistics show that
few countries in Europe have in proportion to popula
ton as many horses the Northern States Toe CEN
sus OF 1850 and of 1860 elcaIly establishes that In
proportion to population there moro horses in
the Southern than in the Northern States Further
more, larger per centage of Sou hern horses Yere
fitted for cavalry horses than of Northern This b 10
saw pothirg of the riders The Northern people are
excellent drivers land have unsurpassed draughthorses
slow and FAST bat very few Of them can ride.
The souherners are all more or less riders-and IN
partcuar amongst them-the best riders in the Con-
ederacy are sth the exception of Texas in the border
Cs Mississippi Sate7, viz: Kentucky, Tennessee Viz.
giuis ard Maryland This is pertinent 10 the subject
matter because from Virginia large portion Of the
horsemen of the army OF the Potomac have come.
Now the horse and the hOrseman are the rough maze.
rial out of which every kind Of cavalry must be made
and the writer must re-assert that this material has
been in superabuudance and not alone Of good qualify
but excellence las materially in that now historic
army.
Gen ]. E. B. Stuart has certainly had under his COM
msnd since the beginning of the war, from IS to So
900 mounted men. -
Now 1t perfectly true, thato battle fields were for
cavalry in extent very restricted, in most cases the
same in Virginia, the average "a all through the
Confederate States this side of the Mississippi But
even in Virginia it would frequently happen that the
ground occupied even by division of infantry would
afford cear,g OF from half to tWo-thirds or more of
mile in width. This ground besides, is generally
dulatiDg or on account of midway farms, orchards
and outhouses affords cover or hiding place, where
as many cavalry can operate on that spot may re-
main sheltered concealed, bob, until they make
their final swoop
Long ranging artillery fields OF these restricted
Dimensions, have little or Advantage With regard
to the distractions they present. tbese, without wait
ing for their gradual removal by the process Of devas