CHAPTER XXII. 



Russian Cavalry in the latter part of the 

 Eighteenth Century. 



Peter the Great had placed the cavalry upon a very 

 effective footing, but nevertheless various changes were 

 subsequently made from time to time to suit the ideas 

 of the age. In the reign of Elizabeth the cavalry were 

 divided into squadrons, and the cuirassiers were supplied 

 with iron breastplates, long straight swords, two pistols 

 each, and jack-boots.^ They were mounted on heavy 

 German horses. Movements from the flanks by threes 

 were also adopted about this time, and the example set 

 by Frederick the Great in the management of his cavalry 

 was closely imitated by the Russians, as by all other 

 European nations. 



In 1763 a commission was appointed for the special 

 purpose of reorganising the Russian army upon the 

 Prussian model. It was therefore arranged that there 

 should be one heavy cavalry regiment for every two 

 regiments of infantry, and a squadron of hussars and 

 100 Cossacks for every two squadrons of heavy cavalry. 

 The cuirassiers were reduced and replaced by carbineers, 

 who were armed with carbines without bayonets, after 

 the custom in France under Louis XIV.* 



From 1763 till 1775 the heavy cavalry were armed 

 with large swords, two pistols each, and iron breast- 

 plates. The carbineers used long carbines and heavy 

 swords. The hussars carried a sabre, a pistol, and a 

 ' Tvanoff, 52. » ibid. 83. 



