9H 



A mSTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[PFaiOD Vii 



fight on foot as infantry, they can then be used on any 

 kind of ground, and need not fear the danger of beino" 

 cut off in case of being obliged to retreat. This fact 

 led to the formation of draofoons. 



When Alexander the Great was pursuing Darius we 

 remember that he placed 500 of his best infantry on the 

 same numbei of cavalry horses, and thus hastened on 

 towards the enemy. Before his time chariots were used 

 with somewhat the same idea. In later times the 

 principle was revivt ., and dragoons formed for many 

 years an important portion of armies. Napoleon had a 

 good opinion of this force, he said that cavalry of all 

 descriptions should be furnished with firearms and know 

 how to manoeuvre on foot.' 



The value of a dragoon force able to move quickly to 

 a decisive point, there to fight on foot, has been appre- 

 ciated to a certain extent from the earliest periods. 

 There have been causes, however, which for many years 

 have led to this force being but little valued. The 

 extraordinary successes of the charging horsemen of 

 Frederick the Great threw the dragoon force into the 

 shade, and led to the belief that the system was faulty. 

 There were also many other weighty reasons which in 

 past times prevented the full value being derived from 

 this method of arming and employing horsemen. 



Formerly battles being fought on open plains gave 

 but little opportunity for dragoons to dismount to operate 

 with advantage. Where the ground was open and level, 

 in the then condition of the armament of the infantry, 

 it was often better for the dragoons to act as cavalry, and 

 charge the infantry at speed ; consequently, the dragoon 

 regiments became, in most armies, l ly cavalry, and 

 were almost invariably used in that capacity. In fact, 

 their equipment was not designed to enable them to 

 fight on foot with advantage, and thus the dragoon 

 principle had fallen into disfavour. 



In this matter also we must be guarded against preju- 

 dices which are based upon difficulties which existed 

 under the former state of the military art, especially if 

 ' Liskenne, vi. 356. . * 



