“The heavy cavalry of Europe made up of large men riding large horses, was used in the battle line to charge infantry or other cavalry units. But in the rugged countryside of America, only light cavalry was found in the British and American camps. These light men, on swift horses for mounted or dismounted service, were known as dragoons. in this duel role, they carried carbines as well as sabers and pistols. The mobility and speed of the light dragoons allowed them to spy out enemy movements, gallop from forest parties. At camp, patrols of horsemen patrolled the outskirts to discourage deserters or were posted at advanced positions to prevent a surprise attack. When on the march, they joined the light infantry as an advanced guard. In battle, their close cooperation with the infantry often meant the difference between victory or defeat.”
- Cavalry was very important and was one of the interesting tactics in the army.
- There were many different strategies and positions that helped within battle.
- Dragoons were a big help within battle because they had swift horses
Cavalry seemed important in the army. I wonder how many people would usually be put in cavalry. Would they base it of on skill with horses? I can infer that maybe the people that were put in cavalry had to maybe be a certain height because maybe height can be a big obstacle when riding a horse. I also wonder if the uniforms would be the same as the fighting and hand to hand combat uniforms because I can infer that sometimes when riding a horse you need a certain type of clothing for movement on the horse. Cavalry was very important and played many roles in the army. They were used as guards and were in charge of advanced positions for surprise attacks. I wonder if you had to be of certain class to do cavalry. I also wonder if you had to be a very skilled soldier to be able to be able to do cavalry because you are fighting while riding a horse which is doubled the work.
