CHAP. XXI.] 



AUSTRIAN CAVALRY. 



339 



officer can be called upon to perform. In addition to 

 this the numbers of the attacking party were much 

 superior, and quite sufficient to ensure success. 



The incidents we have narrated, while instructive as 

 examples to study, are also useful as tending to convey 

 to the reader a tolerably clear idea of the manner in 

 which the cavalry were made use of in the wars of that 

 age, and they all tend to show the striking contrast that 

 existed betwen that service in the two contending armies. 



The great successes of the Prussian monarch in these 

 campaigns, in the face of enormous odds, gave the 

 Prussian army an extraordinary reputation, and estab- 

 lished Frederick as the most skilful general of the age. 

 The reforms in drill and organisation introduced by him 

 were naturally copied and imitated by the other European 

 nations, until the Prussian system became the model for 

 the whole civilised world. 



This naturally had an important influence upon the 

 cavalry, and for many years, in fact we may say almost 

 to the present day, the cavalry systems of most armies 

 were based in theii* main features upon the Prussian 

 cavalry of Seidlitz and Ziethen. In 1749 the Count de 

 Melfort, one of the best French cavalry officers, visited 

 the Prussian camps, and conferred with the Prussian 

 cavalry generals on the tactics of that arm.' Marshal 

 Saxe had also visited Frederick's court, and the inter- 

 change of ideas naturally resulted in a more cos- 

 mopolitan system of working cavalry, and soon in 

 England, France, Hanover, and Austria the cavalry 

 were organised, drilled, and manoeuvred in action as 

 closely as possible after the example set by the Prussian 

 horsemen. It was left to Napoleon to perfect the method 

 of using cavalry by employing it skilfully in every phase 

 of its duty, for he knew how to use it in covering the 

 movements of his army in the campaign, in making 

 decisive charges in action, in following up successes, and 

 in covering retreats. His cavalry, however, were never 

 so thoroughly and perfectly trained to manoeuvre at 

 speed as were the Prussian horsemen. The constant 



1 D'Aldeguier, 69. 



Z 2 



