Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/433

CAVALRY. 36'.) CAVALRY. with an nrqiiel>ii-;o, a pistol, niul a lonp, straight sword ; they were drilled to load at full speed and to fire from the saddle. Placed on the flanks "cnANFBAINS" — B0B8E-HEAD ASMOB. of squadrons, they prepared the way for the charge by their eitective fire. In England they were called 'hargobusiers.' They occasionally took up infantrymen behind them. This use of horsemen to move infantry rapidly in an emergency originated the term 'dragoons.' See Mounted Ixfantry. cavaxby i^ modern times. The War of Independence of the Netherlands (1568-1609) marked the beginning of a new era in cavalry history. Maurice of Nassau drilled his German mercenaries, more lightlv armed and mounted than their Spanish opponents, to form in two or three lines, to move rapidly, and to make direct charges, after first firing their pis- tols at the enemy, lie it was who first organized regiments of 1000 men, raised bj' selwted recruit- ing officers who became the colonels ; their com- missioned subordinates were called lieutenant- colonels and majors, as in the armies of to-day. The ^eat improvement begun by Prince Mau- rice was continued and enlarged by the great soldier Oustavus Adolphus. He made important changes in the discipline, armament, pay, cloth- ing, and training of his cavalry. They were formed in four ranks, of which one was held in reserve during a charge. Unlike their foes, they were frequently paid, and to a certain extent restrained from such excesses aa were common in those times. Captain Dalgetty's view, "A cavalier of honor is free to take any part which he may may find most convenient for his own peculiar," was the popular one. The Austrian SADDLES OP MEDIEVAL CAVALKT, cavalry was heaA-ier than the Swedish, with a more massive formation (eight to ten ranks), and thus his mounted troops contributed greatly OBNAMENTED CAVALRY 8T1BBUPS. to Gustavus's successes at the battles of Leipzig (16.31) and Liitzen (1632). They became mod- EARLY CAVALRY PISTOL, "THE llEAOOK. els for all Kuropean States, and T.ouis Xlll. of France still further reduced cavalry formation