The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-08-09
CAVALRY OF HISTORY.
The Troops in Ancient Times-ChunRes and
improvements in the Service In Europe.

The Troops in Ancient Times-Changes and
improvements in the Service in Europe.
Originally horses were only used in
war for the purpose of bringing the
chiefs fresh into action, and this was
effected by means of chariots, from
which the warriors descended and fought
on foot. Even when cavalry proper first
came into use tho horsemen did not
charge in organized bodies or engage in
hand to hand encounters, their arms
being bows and arrows, or iavelins. In
fact, the first cavalry were but mounted
skirmishers. When Xerxes invaded
Greece the Persian host comprised
cavalry who were accustomed to charge
in regular formation and fight hand to
hand with the enemy. Alexander the
Great was apparently the first among
the Greeks to understand the proper use
of cavalry and to derive full advantage
from their momentum. His cavalry
were OF three sorts: heavy, with coats of
mail, helmets and brazen greaves, swords
and short pixies; light, with lances six
teen feet long, used mainly for outpost
duty; and dimachi, genuine dragons,
accustomed to fight either on foot or
horseback. Alexander organized his
strong, with eight ranks. Between the
troops he placed light infantry. prac-
tice which has found favor with COM
manders who lived two thousand years
later. The early Roman cavalry used
neither saddle nor stirrups, wore no
cuirass, and had only a shield and
helmet. Their arms were light lances,
iavelins and swords. They sat on pad,
kept in its place by a girth, breast
plate and a crupper. The Roman caval
ry, as such, were for some time only
used for accommodating purposes, and to
pursue a beaten enemy. As late as the
battle of Canine the Roman knights
leaped off their horses to fight. Hanni-
bal introduced great improvements in
the Carthaginian cavalry, and the
Romans, ever ready to learn from an
enemy, followed his example, and raised
the mounted branch to high pitch of
efficiency.
The Germans formed their cavalry in
double order, with sometimes as many
as sixteen ranks. Their method of
fighting was by riding up to the enemy
without charging, andupon arriving with
in range of their pistols, they fred two
pistol shots each and then the front rank
wheeled to the right or left and unmask-
ed the second, which took up the fire
while the leading rank were retiring to
the rear, where they formed up in re-
serve and recharged their pistols. Each
rank did this in turn until the whole
force had discharged their weapons. A
practice arose among the French cavalry
of charging at full speed, sword in hand,
and the result was always the overthrow
of their opponents. Yet gradually the
French adopted the vicious practice Of
the Germans, and soon all over Europe
the lance and sword were abandoned fo1
pistol, and the pace of the charge re-
duced to trot. Hence, for some time,
cavalry was of little use in war. Gusta.
vus Adolphus was, perhaps, one of the
greatest military reformers that evel
lived. He reduced the depth of cavalry
to three ranks, retained only the crirass
and helmet in the heavy cavalry, abolish
ed defensive arlnor altogether for tht
light cavalry, and ordered the cavalry tc
charge at speed, and after single dis
charge of pistols of the first rank, tt
dash in with the sword His successes
caused his practice to be adopted al
over Europe. Frederick the Great i'm
, proved on the lessons of Gustavu
Adolphus, and brought the tactics, thu
organization, the drill and the individ
ual instruction of his cavalry to grea
perfection. The Austrian regular hors
still depended much their fire an,
were cumbrous in their movements. Th,
French either attacked, without squadron
intervals, at trot, or at speed, il
dispersed order.