The Ideal Cavalryman vs. The Real Cavalryman

Mike Serpa

Major
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
The ideal cavalryman
ideal.png


The real cavalryman
real.png

(Sorry for the small sizes. Screen shots.)
Source -
A history of the First regiment of Massachusetts cavalry volunteers
https://archive.org/stream/historyoffirstre00crow#page/n67/mode/2up
 
The helmet and what seems to be an enlarged and/or thickened left sleeve indicate that the "ideal" cavalryman is really a dragoon. Which makes sense as the U.S. had two regiments of dragoons in service before the war. All five regular mounted regiments were redesignated as cavalry in August of 1861. I am not sure if volunteer regiments were ever considered anything but generic cavalry and treated and equipped as mounted jacks of all trades.

Skimming the above linked book supports this, refering to true heavy cavalry as being nearly useless and six of the 8 companies mustering into the regiment were at least called dragoons.
 
The helmet and what seems to be an enlarged and/or thickened left sleeve indicate that the "ideal" cavalryman is really a dragoon. Which makes sense as the U.S. had two regiments of dragoons in service before the war. All five regular mounted regiments were redesignated as cavalry in August of 1861. I am not sure if volunteer regiments were ever considered anything but generic cavalry and treated and equipped as mounted jacks of all trades.

Skimming the above linked book supports this, refering to true heavy cavalry as being nearly useless and six of the 8 companies mustering into the regiment were at least called dragoons.
Love the contrasts! A proud charger in the first picture, and a scrawny, ewe-necked horse (but tough I'm sure) in the second!

Yeah, except this isn't an American, whether cavalryman or dragoon - I believe he's Danish!
 
The helmet and what seems to be an enlarged and/or thickened left sleeve indicate that the "ideal" cavalryman is really a dragoon. Which makes sense as the U.S. had two regiments of dragoons in service before the war. All five regular mounted regiments were redesignated as cavalry in August of 1861. I am not sure if volunteer regiments were ever considered anything but generic cavalry and treated and equipped as mounted jacks of all trades...
In his memoir of serving in Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade, Major James Kidd described how the regiments were divided - more by experience than design - into what he called "saber" or I believe 'carbine' or skirmish regiments. The saber regiments had been instructed in proper mounted fencing techniques, so were best used for mounted charges like real cavalry; whereas the others had been trained more as mounted infantry who were dependable as dragoons fighting on foot. Custer and later Kidd himself commanding the brigade tried to utilize the regiments according to their "specialties."
 
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I always love these comparisons as they look at lot different at the beginning of the CW and on the parade field but after a few years it was a whole lot different.
 
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