Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-17
CAVALRY IN HISTORY
AT FIRST HoRSEMEN RODE IN
CHARIoTs, NOT IN SADDLES.
Peculiarities of Arms and Uniform
Shown in London Tourna-
ment


From the London Times
The war has proved the value and the
need of cavalry, and now, OPPORTUNITY, the
military tournament has. as a special fea-
ture, pretty historical musical ride, which
illustrates the development Of the British
cavalry since the days of King Edward
III, 525 years ago.
Oddly enough, the earliest British horse
men did not ride on their horses. but in
armed chariots, as did the races who were
their relatives and perhaps their ancestors
in the region of what is now Persia.
Much later on, when the horseman was
the chief force in war. he was not a COM
mon soldier but a knight, and then he
grew to be so heavily armed that the bat
ties. where they were not merely the sieges
of castles, were more or less only jousts be-
tween the knights on the opposing sides.
But after King Edward l. the great skin
acquired by the English archers, who were
common soldiers, put the knights into the
shade. 1t was the English archers who
won the never-dying glory of Crecy and
Agincourt
Shield Money.
While the archer was developing into the
principal arm of battle shield money
was largely doing away with the knights
who preferred to pay the tax rather than
go on foreign wars In which they had no
personal interest. The shield money" tax
enabled the king to provide himself with a
paid army, and Edward III put his archers
upon horseback
These old mounted archers the first real
English cavalry for when their arrows
were spent they could use their bows as
clubs in pursuit of the enemy, are shown
in the Historical Ride at the military
tournament.
They were strangely dressed compared
either with he Lrpf ho Ia1
or the men who followed. They wore he'll
NETS, relics of their foot days, useful for
pushing their way through hedges. Their
bodies were merely covered with a kind Of
coarse hop-sacking with great cross upon
the back, remnant of Templar times.
Their arms were incased in mail, relic of
the days of knighthood.
After them, the Historical Ride" shows
how rapidly the cavalry developed. Under
Edward ", $50 years or more later, they
still wore queer iron helmets. but they
were horsemen's helmets then, and no lon
ger of service for burrowing through the
bottoms of hedges.
1t is interesting, however, to note in these
dresses, all of which have been accurately
reproduced for the tournament by MT w.
Clarkson of Wellington street, who has
been engaged upon them for many months.
how closely they followed the fashion OF
the period. Under James / the cavalrymen
wore wigs with long hair hanging on their
shoulders. Under Charles they wore the
well-known huge felt hats. bigger and more
taunty than those of today.
Still more interesting is II to observe in
these old costumes the development of the
ideas of today. One can see in the cavalry
of a century ago the modern idea of mount
ed infantry, for in that day the cavalry
wore bayonet. One can also notice that
in all these types the horsemans sword
was not, as is the case today, attached to
the horse, but was slung to the rider, and
this method is to be reintroduced.
But there is one point of development
which is not noticeable. Though the uni
forms become still gayer and more fan
tastfc, nowhere in the old types of these
five-and-a quarter centuries is there any
sign Of the modern rational uniform Of
active service In fact, until the modern
uniform, the mounted archer OF Edward
III seems to have been the more service
ably dressed man for his purpose.