64 IRREGULAR HORSE 



ous charges, and with such heavy losses, as the Compan- 

 ions at the Hydaspes. We Americans were wiser ; our 

 cavalry was well suited to our needs, and when it became 

 worthy the name, was singularly effective on our peculiar 

 terrain. Our Western cavalry is now the pattern of the 

 cavalry of the future. Even Prussia is about to abolish 

 the peculiar scope of its cuirassiers, whose uniform Bis- 

 marck has so long honored, and cavalry will soon become 

 largely irregular if a regular dragoon, who mostly skir- 

 mishes on foot and rarely charges in the saddle, may be 

 so dubbed. 



