

290 



A HISTORY OF CAV-^ALRY 



[period hi. 



riie dragoons he 



in four lines, one behind the other, 

 placed on the wings. 



The cavalry he divided into cuirassiers and light 

 cavalry. The cuirassiers he armed with casques, breast 

 and back plates, and gauntlets of iron reaching to the 

 elbow. The offensive weapons were the long sword, 

 pistols, and some mousquetons. The force was required 

 to be firm, steady, and solid. The light cavalry were 

 employed for escorting convoys, for reconnoitring, for 

 foraging, &c., and were armed with sword and carbine, 

 and were maintained in but small numbers. 



Montecuculi has been often quoted as a great authority 

 in favour of the lance as a cavalry weapon. He says 

 that of all arms which are used on horseback, the lance 

 is the best, but it is necessary that it shall be well 

 supported, that the lancers must be vigorous, armed 

 from head to foot, have first-class horses, and a level, 

 firm, and unobstructed ground, upon which to operate. 

 If all these points are secured, and a body of cuirassiers 

 are at hand to follow up any success, he thinks great 

 results might be attained. But, if the lance is not thus 

 aided, if the man, the horse, the ground, are not exactly 

 suitable, if there are no cuirassiers at hand to follow up 

 the attack, Montecuculi says the lance is useless.^ So 

 that, after all, his opinion in favour of that arm is not 

 so decided as it might be. 



Montecuculi understood the use of dragoons thoroughly ; 

 he says, " Dragoons are still infantry to whom horses 

 have been given to enable them to move more rapidly."^ 

 The infantry he looked upon as the principal force and 

 the main portion of an army, but he still considered 

 that the heavy cavalry should be equal to one half of 

 the infantry, and the light cavalry only one quarter of 

 the heavy. 



With all Montecuculi's great genius for war, he was 

 not a cavalry officer ; and his cautious calculating method 

 of gaining campaigns, by careful manoeuvring and marches, 

 was not the style of warfare to bring prominently for- 

 ward the cavalry service. The cavalry during his time 

 > Montecuculi, 225, 226. « i^jd. 228. 



