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Cavalry In The American Civil War
The American Civil War saw extensive use of horse-mounted soldiers on both sides of the conflict. They were vital to both the Union Army and Confederate Army for conducting reconnaissance missions to locate the enemy and determine their strength and movement, and for screening friendly units from being discovered by the enemy's reconnaissance efforts. Other missions carried out by cavalry included raiding behind enemy lines, escorting senior officers, and carrying messages. In the first half of the war, the Confederates enjoyed the advantage in cavalry, not least because most of the experienced cavalry officers from the Regular Army had chosen to side with the Confederacy. Notable Confederate cavalry leaders included J. E. B. Stuart, famed for literally riding rings around the Union's Army of the Potomac, and Nathan Bedford Forrest, who caused havoc with Union supply lines. The Battle of Brandy Station in 1863 is considered the point by which Union cavalry proved itself e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hussar
A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European armies during the late 17th and 18th centuries. By the 19th century, hussars were wearing jackets decorated with braid plus shako or Busby (military headdress), busby fur hats and had developed a romanticized image of being dashing and adventurous. Several modern armies retain the designation of hussars for Armored unit, armored (tank) units. In addition, a number of mounted units survive which wear historical hussar uniforms on parade or while providing Bodyguard, ceremonial escorts. Historically, the term derives from the cavalry of late medieval Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526), Hungary, under Matthias Corvinus, with mainly Serb warriors. Etymology Etymologists are divided over the derivation of the word ''huss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carbine
A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighter weight of carbines make them easier to handle. They are typically issued to high-mobility troops such as special operations soldiers and paratroopers, as well as to mounted, artillery, logistics, or other non-infantry personnel whose roles do not require full-sized rifles, although there is a growing tendency for carbines to be issued to front-line soldiers to offset the increasing weight of other issued equipment. An example of this is the M4 carbine, the standard issue carbine of the United States Armed Forces. Etymology The name comes from its first users — cavalry troopers called " carabiniers", from the French ''carabine'', from Old French ''carabin'' (soldier armed with a musket), whose origin is unclear. One theory connects ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragoon
Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat with swords and firearms from horseback. While their use goes back to the late 16th century, dragoon regiments were established in most European armies during the 17th and early 18th centuries; they provided greater mobility than regular infantry but were far less expensive than cavalry. The name reputedly derives from a type of firearm, called a ''Dragon (firearm), dragon'', which was a handgun version of a blunderbuss, carried by dragoons of the French Army. The title has been retained in modern times by a number of armoured warfare, armoured or ceremonial mounted regiments. Origins and name The establishment of dragoons evolved from the practice of sometimes transporting infantry by horse when speed of movement was needed. During th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chevau-léger
''Chevau-légers'' ( from French ''cheval''—horse—and ''léger''—light) was a generic French name for light cavalry and medium cavalry. Their history began in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the heavy cavalry forces of the French ''Compagnies d'Ordonnance'' were undergoing a massive structural reorganization. Initially, the companies combined the ''gendarmes'' (fully armoured men-at-arms) along with lighter ''coutiliers'' and "archers" in the same mounted formation, with the better armoured men forming the foremost ranks. However, as time passed the lighter horsemen were increasingly separated into independent formations of medium cavalry, bearing lighter armour and much shorter lances than the ''gendarmes''. These lighter formations eventually gained the name of "''chevau légers''". A similar development also happened in the organization of the Austrian and Spanish cavalry with the growth of ''caballería ligera'' formations. Their original similarities ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chasseurs à Cheval
''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army originated during the War of the Austrian Succession when, in 1743, Jean Chrétien Fischer was authorized by the Marshal de Belle-Isle to raise a 600 strong mixed force of infantry and cavalry. It was called '' Chasseurs de Fischer.'' During the remainder of the 18th century various types of light troops () were employed within the French army, either as independent units or as companies within existing regiments. In 1788, there were 8 battalions of chasseurs, and in March 1793 this was expanded to 21 battalions. The first battalions of Chasseurs raised by 1788 included: * (1st) '' Chasseurs Royaux de Provence'' * (2nd) '' Chasseurs Royaux de Dauphiné'' * (3rd) '' Chasseurs Royaux Corses'' (Corsican) * (4th) '' Chasseurs Corses'' (Cors ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Light Cavalry
Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and body armor, armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily raid (military), raiding, reconnaissance, screening (tactical), screening, skirmishing, patrolling, and tactical communications. Prior to the 17th century they were usually armed with swords, spears, javelins, or bow and arrow, bows, and later on with Sabre, sabres, pistols, shotguns, or carbines. Light cavalry was used infrequently by Ancient Greece, Ancient Greeks (who used hippeis such as prodromoi or sarissophoroi) and Ancient Rome, Ancient Romans (who used auxiliaries (Roman military), auxiliaries such as Numidian cavalry, equites Numidarum or equites Maurorum), but were more common among the armies of Eastern Europe, North Africa, West Asia, Central Asia, and East Asia. The Arabs, Cossacks, Hungarian people, Hungarians, Hu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cavalry Charge
A charge is an offensive maneuver in battle in which combatants advance towards their enemy at their best speed in an attempt to engage in a decisive close combat. The charge is the dominant shock attack and has been the key tactic and decisive moment of many battles throughout history. Modern charges usually involve small groups of fireteams equipped with weapons with a high rate of fire and striking against individual defensive positions (such as a concertainer or bunker), instead of large groups of combatants charging another group or a fortified line. Ancient charges It may be assumed that the charge was used in prehistoric warfare, but clear evidence only comes with later literate societies. The tactics of the classical Greek phalanx included an ordered approach march, with a final charge to contact. Highland charge In response to the introduction of firearms, Irish and Scottish troops at the end of the 16th century developed a tactic that combined a volley o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cuirassiers
A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their lances and adopting pistols as their primary weapon. In the later part of the 17th century, the cuirassier lost his limb armour and subsequently wore only the cuirass (breastplate and backplate), and sometimes a helmet. By this time, the sword or sabre had become his primary weapon, with pistols relegated to a secondary function. Cuirassiers achieved increased prominence during the Napoleonic Wars and were last fielded in the opening stages of World War I (1914–1918). A number of countries continue to use cuirassiers as ceremonial troops. The French term means "one with a cuirass" (), the breastplate armour which they wore. 16th and 17th centuries The first cuirassiers were similar in appearance to the fully armoured Late Medieval man-at-a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carabiniers
A carabinier (also sometimes spelled carabineer or carbineer) is in principle a soldier armed with a carbine, musket, or rifle, which became commonplace by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The word is derived from the identical French word ''carabinier''. Historically, carabiniers were generally (but not always) horse soldiers. The carbine was considered a more appropriate firearm for a horseman than a full-length musket, since it was shorter in length, weighed less, and was easier to manipulate on horseback. Light infantry sometimes carried carbines because they are less encumbering when moving rapidly, especially through vegetation, but in most armies the tendency was to equip light infantry with longer-range weapons such as rifles rather than shorter-range weapons such as carbines. In Italy and Spain, carbines were considered suitable equipment for soldiers with policing roles, so the term ''carabinier'' evolved to sometimes denote gendarmes and border guard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heavy Cavalry
Heavy cavalry was a class of cavalry intended to deliver a battlefield charge and also to act as a Military reserve, tactical reserve; they are also often termed ''shock cavalry''. Although their equipment differed greatly depending on the region and historical period, heavy cavalry were generally mounted on large powerful warhorses, wore body armor, and armed with either lances, swords, Mace (bludgeon), maces, flail (weapon), flails (disputed), battle axes, or war hammers; their mounts may also have been protected by barding. They were distinct from light cavalry, who were intended for raid (military), raiding, reconnaissance, screening (tactical), screening, skirmishing, patrolling, and tactical communications. History Persian Empires Iranian tribes such as the Massagetae were believed to be the originator of the class of heavy cavalry known as cataphract. During the time of Achaemenid Empire, Achaemenid Persia cavalry was the elite arm of service (as was the case in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saber
A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as the hussars, the sabre became widespread in Western Europe during the Thirty Years' War. Lighter sabres also became popular with infantry of the early 17th century. In the 19th century, models with less curving blades became common and were also used by heavy cavalry. The military sabre was used as a duelling weapon in academic fencing in the 19th century, giving rise to a discipline of modern Sabre (fencing), sabre fencing (introduced in the Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics, 1896 Summer Olympics) loosely based on the characteristics of the historical weapon. Etymology The English ''sabre'' is recorded from the 1670s, as a direct loan from French, where ''sabre'' is an alteration of ''sable'', which was in turn loaned from German ''S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
