Battle Studies

and Moder

e of no use in battles waged with the weapons of

a country which is cut off, one does not dare to commit the cavalry, an

question of economy is vital in peace times. When we set a high value upon certain men, they are not slow to follow suit, and to gua

on against cavalry is always the same. Also against infantry. Cavalry knows well enough today, as it has always known, that it can act only against infantry which has been broken. We must leave aside epic legends t

madman could dispute it. What then is to be done? Halt, to shoot at random and cannonade at long range until ammunition is exhausted? Perhaps. But what is sure, is that such a state of affairs makes maneuv

attered forces. At the same time it permits the effective employment of mass action out of range

the cavalry general who knows how to use it, can contribute largely to success. He arrests the enemy in movement, doubtful as to what the cavalry is going to attempt. He makes the enemy take some forma

battle conditions, all conditions of aiming, are ideal. If the necessary condition of suitable range is lacking, effect is lacking. Accuracy of fire at a dista

s in the same situa

man have to march under fire to attack a position? Is the cavalryman not of the same flesh? Has

under it. Battles will consist of exchanges of rifle shots by concealed men

. An infantryman will never succeed by himself. The cavalryman will threaten, create diversions, worry, scatter the enemy's fire, often even get to close quarters if he is properly supported. The infantryman will act as usual. But more than

ven in the cavalry. The latter can start in skirmisher formation at a distance and close in while advanci

the infantry (there is no reason why it should be otherwise for the cavalry),

opean armies is that the cavalry has

ntry or cavalry, is an infinitely rare thing, like the good in everything. The profession of a good infantry general is as difficult as, perhaps more difficult than, that of a good cavalry general. Both require calmness. It comes more easily to the cav

ls are rare. Doubtless Seidlitz could not, in the face of the development of cannon and rifle, repeat

we have a little too much confidence in the "forward, forward, not so many methods." Methods do not hinder the forward movement. They prepare the effect and render it surer and at the same time less costly to the a

very and impetuosity with prudence

with the results obtained. It does not seem to me that these results were in proportion to the apparent force of the effort and to the real grandeur of the sacrifices. And indeed, these enormous hammers (a usual figure), are hard to handle. They have not the

e improvement of appliances, the extension of battle fields, the confidence to the infantry and the audacity to the artillery th

eneral commanding a division. Whatever the experiences of instruction centers, they

ry Again

han that of infantry,

. Each one in the combat counts on his strength, on his skill, on the suppleness of his mount, on his personal courage; he does not want a blind encounter, and he is right. They halt face to face, abreast, to fight man to man; or each passes the other, thrusting with the sabre or lance; or each tries to wound th

nimated alike, will meet face to face. All these conditions are never found united on either side, so the thing is never seen. Forty-nine times out of fifty, one of the cavalry forces will hesitate, bolt, get into disorder, flee before the fixed purpose of the other. Three quarters of the time this will happen at a distance, before they can see each other's eyes. Often they will get closer. But always, always, the stop, the backward movement, the swerving of horses, the confusion, bring ab

nquered alone loses men, and he loses generally few. The battle against infantry is alone the really deadly struggle. Like numbers of little chasseurs have routed

h from fire and from disease. Is it because the cavalry is the aristocratic

ween cavalry and cavalry, s

d a veritable terror by the incessant alarms they caused

movement so united, that movement alone, often without a charge or shock action of any sort can drive the enemy into retreat, and, if followed

y, if there is not a face to face check. What becomes then of the MV squared? If this famous MV squared is an empty word, why then crush your horses under giants, forgetting th

effect has been produced should the gait be increased to take advantage of it by falling upon an enemy already in disorder, in the act of flee

strians were struck in the back. Was it because they had no back-plate?

oral above all. A troop at the gallop sees a massed squadron coming towards it at a trot. It is surprised at first at such coolness. The material impulse of the gallop is superior; but there are no intervals, no gaps through which to penetrate the line in order to avoid the shock, the shock that overcomes men and h

come uneasy, hesitate. Their hands instinctively turn their horses aside. There is no longer freedom in the attack at a gallop. Some go on to the end, but three-fourt

not always succeed. It is a question of surprise. Xenophon 44 recommended, in his work on cavalry operations, the use of surprise, the use of the gallop when the trot is customary, and vice-versa. "Because,"

e be started close up. If the troopers waited until the charge was ordered, they would always succeed. I say that strong men, moved by pride or fear, by taking up too soon the charge against a firm enemy, have caused more charges to fail than to succeed. Keeping men in hand until the command "charge," s

little nearer," face to face, one of the two troops would be already defeated before the first saber cut and would disentangle itself for flight. With actual shoc

oes not close with cavalry; its deadly

e the collision. If man anticipates, so does the horse. Why did Frederick like to see his ce

dinarily only insignificant los

maximum of speed. The procedure should be the walk, then the trot, after that the gallop, then the charge. But it takes a trained eye to estimate distance and the character of the terrain, and, if the enemy approaches, to pick the point where one should meet him. The nearer one approaches, the greater among the troops is the question of morale. The necessity of arriving at the greatest speed is not alone a mechanical question, since indeed one never clashes, it is a moral necessity. It is necessary to seize the moment at which

and four ranks deep. It was as if they understood that with this compact center, as the fi

h (Ponsomby's cavalry at Waterloo). If there is ever contact between cavalry, the shock is so weakened b

he supreme moment, for distracting them, necessitates the full g

three or four kilometers,

ach epoch complains that cavalry forces are no longer seen charging and fighting with th

true. Man was never invulnerable. The charging gait has almost always been the trot. Man does not change. Ev

eseen, an ordinary happening; it is going to rally at a distance. It often reappears with advantage. One can almost say, in view of experience, that such is

The force of cavalry is in the shock." In the terror of the shock, Yes. In the shoc

cally that a charge of cuirassiers at a trot ought to be routed by a charge of hussars at a gallop. He simply told them: "Go resolutely and be sure that you will never find a daredevil determined enough to come to grips with you." It is necessary to be a daredevil in order to go to the end. The Frenchman is one above all. Because he is a good trooper

many are pursuing him. If he alone halts two pursuers may rush on him, for they see ahead of them and they naturally attack whoever tries to face about. For with the about face danger again confronts them. The pursuit is often instigated by the fear that the enemy will turn. The material fact that once in flight all together cannot t

pursuer. The moral effect of resolution is so great that cavalry, breaking and pursuing a more numerous cavalry, is never pursued by the enemy wings. However the idea that one may

the rear ranks on the first? It is because at heart he is convinced that only the first rank can act

matter of morale. Leave liberty of choice, and under varying conditions of confidence and

r than does infantry. It needs reserves to protect and to support the pursuers who are almost always pursued when they return. With cavalry even more than infantry v

valry rallies quickly. I

ged, has little respite. There should be a roll call for cavalry, and for infantry after an advance, at each lull. There should be roll calls at drill and in field maneuvers, n

n should not be left too free; that would be dangerous. Frequently in action troops should be reformed and the roll called. It would be an error not to do so. There m

disorder inherent in battle, to deployment, to the absence of roll calls, which cannot be held in action. Control, then, ca

been true from antiquity, when the cavalryman was of a super

rrain on which it acts. Condé forgot this at Neerwinden. The 55th forgot it at Solferino. 45 Ever

t the battle of Sicka, the first clash was marred by the lack of dash on the part of a regiment of Chasseurs d'Afrique, which after

er a village I can sound it from a distance of seven or eight hundred meters without losing anybody."

out approaching him. If one man escapes in a patrol, that is enough. If no one comes back, even that fact is instructive. The

he horse by the bridle? This appears to be to be an absurdity. If the cavalryman fires he will not charge.

were part of a war directed against wealth, against public works, against resources. It was war of destruction of riches, not of men. The raiding cavalry had few losses, and inflicted few losses. The cavalry is always the aristocratic arm which loses very

y Against

y not one cavalry officer in a thousand knows. Perhaps not on

Against ancient infantry such charges would have been as valuable as against modern infantry. This officer saw with his own eyes excellent examples of this attack in the wars of the Empire. I do not doubt either the facts he cites or the deductions he makes. But for such charges there must be officers who inspire absolute confidence in their men and dependable and experienced soldiers. There is necessary, in short, an excellent cavalry, seasoned by l

If the first and second squadrons are repulsed, but the infantry sees a third charg

n its movement, which is known to be good and vigorous, and also is equipped with excellent weapons. Such cavalry will

the whole battalion is not killed or taken prisoner, or at least if the ca

ed fruitlessly, because it acted wi

t break an isolated body of ten thousand Russian infantry which contin

pset by cavalr

ancient narrations. The cavalryman only fought the cavalryman. He threatened, harassed, troubled the infantryman in the rear, but he did n

how to use it. Who can say that Epaminondas could have de

; he becomes inert; he hears commands no longer. If cavalry unexpectedly appea

ecisive. In such cases its action is certain and gives enormous results. You might fight all day and lose ten thousand men, the enemy might lose as many, but if your cavalry pursues him, it will take thirty thousand prisoners. Its rol

r sustained, one needs only a quarter as many men to guard a point against cavalry. Protection might be secured by using small groups, placed the range of a rif

r and A

is clearly required

had been seen. Supported by some hundreds of fugitives who had rallied, he threw himself at the head of his company, on a column of two thousand German cavalry who had just thrown both infantry and cavalry into disorder. H

eenth century." It was not the decadence of the cavalry but the abandonment of the cuirass and the perfecting of the infantry weapon to give more ra

alone, in all history, have ch

it is proper to count the more on their action. Shall we have only one kind of cavalry? Which? If all our cavalry could wear the cuirass and at the same time do the fatiguing work of light cavalry, if all our horses could in ad

tely and his horse partiall

ge, dash, and speed have a value beyond that of mere mass. I leave aside mathematical discussions which seem to me to have nothing in common with battle conditions. I would pick to wear the cuirass the best men in the army, big chested, red-blooded, strong limbed, the foot chasseurs. I would organize a regiment of light cuirassiers for each of our divisions. Men and horses, such a cavalry would be much more robust and active than our present cuirassiers. If our armored cavalry is worth more than any other arm by its dash in battle, this cavalry would be worth

his officers, by those who have had experience, if there are any such in peace times. This is not easy. But in this respect, as in all others, the advantage lies with the brave. A cavalry charge is a matter of morale above all. I

al support, produced that tenacity, against which the bravest could not stand. The exhausting method of powerful strokes

liked the cut. They knew nothing about methods of swordsmanship; they did not pra

at our recruits in war time are sent into squadrons as into battalions, with a hasty and incomplete training. If you give them lances, most of them will just have sticks in their hands, while a straight sword at the end of a strong arm is at the same time simple and terrible. A short trident spear, with three short points just long enough to kill but not only enough to go through the body, would re

lance. That is, of course, for beginners in mounted fenc

he lance is a weapon frightful even to the mounted man who uses it properly. If he sticks an enemy at the

s, we take the last example which we have witnessed. And now we want lances, which we do not know how to use, which frighten the cavalryman himself and pluck him from the saddle if

ds obtaining as many men as possible who know how to throw the dart. He recommends leaning well back to avoid fa

, to be well seated. Men should be on horseback for hours at a time, every day, from their arrival in the organization. If the selection of those who know something about horses was not neglected in the draft, and if such men were, made cavalrymen, the practical training of the greater number would

dred and eight pounds, without food or forage two hundred and sev

horses into pack animals. You will thus secure, for the remaining three quarters unquestioned vigor. But