506 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period v. 



never cliecked the onward and rapid progress of the 

 Southern horse, who wouhl have ridiculed the idea of 

 being delayed and hampered by conforming to the march 

 of infantry in a raid or partisan operation. 



The experience of the Franco-German war is very 

 remarkable on this point, for the brilliant exploits of the 

 Prussian cavalry in the beginning of the campaign 

 would lead one to expect that they would not have been 

 much embarrassed by the opposition of such undisciplined 

 and irregular troops. This is the most striking lesson 

 that the war after Sedan aflbrds to the cavalry officer, 

 and it requires very little thought to perceive the weak 

 point and the remedy for it. 



This was the last great war from which we can obtain 

 information as to the cavalry operations of the future. 

 As I am writing, a struggle is going on between Turkey 

 and Servia in reference to which one can only get vague 

 and inaccurate accounts from the public press, so that it 

 is impossible at this moment to say whether the fighting 

 contains any useful experiences. The horsemen, as far 

 as can be discovered, have exercised no important 

 influence as yet. The following extract cut from a news- 

 paper, if true, is a good illustration of the value of the 

 revolver, and worthy of perusal : — 



" In the battle of Saitschar, a Servian officer, Captain 

 Frassauovitch, distinguished himself greatly. He took 

 his sabre in his teeth, and, revolver in hand, charged 

 through a Turkish demi-battalion, captured the colours 

 and carried them off, leaving a dead or wounded Turk 

 behind him for every barrel of his weapon." 



We will here close the historical sketch of the cavaby 

 service. We have traced the force from the misty 

 periods of the most remote antiquity, through all the 

 changes and vicissitudes of the intervening centuries, 

 down to the present day. Its gradual development to 

 its present condition we hope we have made clear to the 

 reader. It will fitly conclude our labours to consider in 

 the light of the experiences of the past and the know- 

 ledge of the present, what may be the best system of 

 organisation, armament, and employment in war of the 

 horsemen of the future. 



