342 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



{!■: 



)ir 



[period IV. 



short carbine. The cavalry in 1786 wore leather 

 breeches, jack-boots, spurs, and swords with brass hilts 

 and leathern scabbards. The dragoons and carbineers 

 had their carbines fastened to the saddles, which were of 

 the German pattern, and were placed upon a folded rug 

 or pad. The Hungarian saddle was used by the light 

 cavalry. It was placed on a pad of felt made of cow- 

 hair. All the cavalry had holsters. Each troop carried 20 

 axes and four spades. They still formed in three ranks.' 

 About this period, in 1766, the "Instruction to a 

 Cavalry Colonel " was issued, and in it we see a much 

 greater attention given to the details of drilling the 

 individual soldier. The division of the squadrons into 

 troops and into subdivisions was also made in 1766. 

 Each iroop was supposed to contain about seventeen files, 

 but in reality there were often only sixty or eighty men 

 in a squadron. In the " Instruction to a Cavalry Colonel " 

 great attention is directed to the art of riding the horse 

 properly, and to the thorough training of the horses. 

 In order to improve the horsemanship, riding-masters 

 were appointed to each regiment, who were to teach all 

 the officers in the regiment, as well as two soldiers from 

 each division. Five soldiers were also chosen from each 

 regiment to be trained to act as riding-masters, and no 

 one could be appointed as an under officer or corporal, 

 unless he was acquainted with the duties of a riding- 

 master. It was considered that no officer was of any 

 value who was not a thorough horseman, nor soldier of 

 any use who could not sit firm upon his horse. This 

 idea of the drilling of the individual horseman is a 

 reflex of the principles adopted by Frederick the Great, 

 which have already been referred to.* 



Potemkin, Rumiantzoff, and Souvoroff made several 

 improvements in the Russian cavalry in the latter part 

 of the century. Rumiantzoff, who had fought in the 

 Seven Years' War, and was imbued with the spirit of that 

 age, advocated the use of the " armes blanches " alone. 

 In the campaign of 1774, when he had the command, 

 he ordered his cavalry to be formed in two ranks, 

 ^ Ivanoff, 92, 93. « Ibid. 96. 



