Waterloo50
Major
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2015
- Location
- England
That all depends on which theatre of war you’re thinking of, during the Napoleonic wars the role of the cavalry was to smash into and out flank but the problem especially for the British was the way in which they attacked, if for example, you take a standard British charging formation, it would ordinarily consist of two ranks with riders lined up knee to knee, the basic cavalry line would extend to about 1800ft with the officer leading from the front, some of the Napoleonic cavalry charges were made over great distances and when those charges were made over undulating terrain the very end of the line could be as much as a third of a mile away, the officers had very little ability to control the formation and even less chance of maintaining a cohesive formation especially during a melee. A great example of sloppy Brit cavalry attack is best demonstrated by the famous charge made by the light-brigade.Great post Watterloo50, It is my understanding that the primary job of cavalry was to be the eyes of the Commander. Basically they did the job of an observation balloon. Their secondary job was raiding supply lines. The massed cavalry charge was the exception.
The Charge of the Light Brigade
BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON
I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.
IV
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
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