502 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period v. 



encamped on the north of Beaumont. From some 

 unaccountable cause the French had entirely neglected 

 to send out cavalry to reconnoitre the woods south of 

 Beaumont. This was the more inexcusable as they had 

 every reason to believe that any attack was likely to 

 come from that direction. 



The Prussians moving up under cover of the woods 

 approached close to the camp, and could plainly see the 

 French troops cooking and lying scattered about without 

 the slightest suspicion of their danger. The German 

 shells suddenly bursting among them was the first notice 

 of an attack which was vigorously made and entirely 

 successful. The French artillery had no time to harness 

 theii" horses, and so their guns were taken, and all theii- 

 tents, baggage, and stores captured.^ 



This was the prelude to the final disaster at Sedan. 

 In this last action under the Empire the cavalry again 

 proved that they did not lack the courage which has 

 always distinguished the French soldiery. Toward the 

 close of the battle General Ducrot wished to make a 

 last desperate effort to arrest the enemy by a grand 

 cavalry charge, and following it up, to break through his 

 lines. General Margueritte, with the Reserve Cavalry 

 division, was to have made the charge, and having broken 

 through the enemy's position, was to wheel to the right 

 and roll up their lines in that direction. The 2nd 

 Reserve Cavalry division, under Bonnemain, was to 

 support this attack, while the several regiments of 

 divisional cavalry of the 12th Corps wf^re massed 

 together and brought forward to act as a reserve. 



The whole force moved forward to attack ; they 

 swooped down like a whirlwind, threatening to overwhelm 

 the Prussian infantry who were advancing to the attack. 

 The charging horsemen soon burst through the skirmishers 

 and pressed on towards the German battalion, which, in 

 deployed lines and steady formation, received them with 

 a perfect tempest of bullets from the swift-loading 

 needle-guns. Every effort to bear up against such ti 

 fire failed. The horsemen, though bravely striving and 



• Borbstaedt. 



