Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/157

CAVALRY 149 taken from the large breeding establishments of Volhynia and the Ukraine, where they are quite wild ; but breaking them for cavalry pur- poses was so difficult that it had to be given up. In Austria the horses are partly bought, but the greater portion have of late been fur- nished by the government breeding establish- ments, which can part every year with above 5,000 five-year-old cavalry horses. For a case of extraordinary effort, a country so rich in horses as Austria can rely upon the markets of the interior. Prussia at the beginning of the cen- tury had to buy almost all her horses abroad, but now can mount the whole of her cavalry, line and landwehr, in the interior. For the line, the horses are bought at three years old, by remount commissaries, and sent into depots until old enough for service; 3,500 are required every year. In case of mobilization of the landwehr cavalry, all horses in the country, like the men, are liable to be taken for service ; a compensa- tion of from $40 to $70 is however paid for them. There are three times more serviceable horses in the country than can be required. France, of all European countries, is the worst off for horses. The breed, though often good and even excellent for draught, is generally unfit for the saddle. Government breeding studs (haras) have been long established, but not with the success they have had elsewhere. Though the depots and studs have been much improved, they are still insufficient to fully supply the army. Algeria furnishes a splendid breed of cavalry horses, and the best regiments of the service, the chasseurs cFAfrique, are ex- clusively mounted with them, but the other regiments scarcely get any. Thus, in case of a mobilization, the French are compelled to buy abroad. Cavalry is essentially of two kinds : heavy and light. The real distinctive charac- ter of the two is in the horses. Large and powerful horses cannot well work together with small, active, and quick ones. The former in a charge act less rapidly, but with greater weight ; the latter act more by the speed and impetuosity of the attack, and are moreover far more fit for single combat and skirmishing, for which heavy or large horses are neither handy nor intelligent enough. Thus far the distinction is necessary ; but fashion, fancy, and the imitation of certain national costumes, have created numerous subdivisions and varieties, to notice which in detail would be of no inter- est. The heavy cavalry, at least in part, is in most countries furnished with a cuirass, which, however, is far from being shot-proof. Light cavalry is partly armed with the sword and carbine, partly with the lance. The carbine is now generally rifled. Pistols are added in most cases to the armature of the rider; the United States cavalry alone carries the revolver. The sword is either straight, or curved to a greater or less degree ; the first preferable for thrusts, the second for cuts. The question as to the advantages of the lance over the sword is still under discussion. For close encounter the sword is undoubtedly preferable ; and in a charge the lance, unless too long and heavy to be easily wielded, can scarcely act at all, but in the pursuit of broken cavalry it is most effec- tive. Of nations of horsemen, almost all trust to the sword ; even the Cossack abandoned his lance when he had to fight against the expert swordsmen of Circassia. The carbine is very effective if rifled, and more so if it is a breech- loading one furnished with a magazine; the revolver in skilful hands is a formidable weapon for close encounter. Besides the saddle, bridle, and armed rider, the cavalry horse has to carry a valise with reserve clothing, camp utensils, grooming tackle, and in a campaign also food for the rider and forage for itself. The sum total of this burden varies in different services and classes of cavalry, between 250 and 300 Ibs. for the heavy marching order, a weight which will appear enormous when compared with what private saddle horses have to carry. This overweighting of horses is the weakest point of all cavalry. Great reforms are every- where required in this respect. The weight of the men and accoutrements can and must be reduced; but as long as the present system lasts, this drag upon the horses is always to be taken into account whenever we judge of the capabilities of exertion and endurance of cavalry. Heavy cavalry, composed of strong but, if possible, comparatively * light men, on strong horses, must act principally by the. force of a well closed, solid charge. This requires power, , endurance, and a cer- tain physical weight, though not as much as would render it unwieldy. There must be speed in its movements, but no more than is compatible with the highest degree of order. Once formed for the attack, it must chiefly ride straight forward ; but whatever comes in its path must be swept away by its charge. The riders need not be individ- ually as good horsemen as those of light cav- alry ; but they must have full 'command over their horses, and be accustomed to ride straight forward and in a well closed mass. Their horses, in consequence, must be less sensible to the leg, nor should they have their haunches too much under them ; they should step out well in their trot, and be accustomed to keep well together in a good, long hand gallop. Light cavalry, on the contrary, with nimbler men and quicker horses, has to act by its rapidity and ubiquity. What it lacks in weight must be made up by speed and activity. It will charge with the greatest vehemence ; but when prefer- able, it will seemingly fly in order to fall upon the enemy's flank, by a sudden change of front. Its superior speed and fitness for single combat render it peculiarly fit for pursuit. Its chiefs require a quicker eye and a greater presence of mind than those of heavy horse. The men must be individually better horsemen ; they must have their horses perfectly under control, start from a stand into a full gallop, and again stop in an instant ; turn quick, and leap well ;