THE

BRITISH CAVALRY.

INTRODUCTION.

CAVALRY forms one of the most important branches of the military service; for without this arm, victory loses half its results, and defeat is rendered doubly disastrous. The late war with Russia so soon resolved itself into a great siege, that few opportunities occurred of using the cavalry with effect; but never was the want of it more painfully proved than after our first victory of the Alma, when the Russian army lay at our mercy, whilst we stood powerless to strike the blow. The want of a sufficient cavalry force has been the common error of all our great military movements during the last century; and notwithstanding the numerous victories and glorious achievements that emblazon our military annals, there are few that have not failed to yield their full fruit, from this trivial and easily corrected deficiency. Battles have often proved more disastrous to the victors than to the vanquished. In any hard fought field the losses must be tolerably

equal whilst both parties maintain their ground; and even an orderly retreat has sometimes left the beaten army most fitted to renew the conflict. It is only when a retreat becomes a flight that great results are obtained. It is then that we see large armies disappearing, and dispersing into atoms, never to be reunited; and the fate of nations decided on a single battle-field. But this advantage never can be obtained without the aid of cavalry.* Yet this country has hitherto neglected the arm that should be her boast and her pride. The Russian war afforded a good opportunity for the comparison of the actual material of which the cavalry of different nations was composed. To every British officer who took an interest in his profession the result of those few months of service afforded matter for deep and painful reflection. The British dragoons were brought into immediate contrast with the troopers of some of the most military nations in Europe, and the immeasurable superiority of the former, too plainly proved that something must be wrong in the system, when such splendid material failed to be thoroughly effective. The want of numbers has ever been the bane of the British cavalry. Our regiments have been skeletons, mere brilliant machines, composed of first-rate metal, but badly wrought, and insufficient for the purpose intended. We have it in

* Cavalry ought to be at once the eye, the feeler, and the feeder of an army. With good cavalry an army is in comparative security, and in a condition to march into and subsist upon an enemy's country. It reaps the fruits of victory, covers a retreat, and retrieves a disaster.

With it the effects of a retreat are not always fatal, and with it the army can again resume the offensive. Cavalry: its History and

Tactics, by Nolan.

our power to excel the world in the composition and organisation of our cavalry. No difficulties lie in the way of improvement - everything urges us to take warning by the many lost opportunities of the past.

We have now at the head of the army, one who thoroughly understands each branch of the service, and is ever willing to notice any suggestion that may tend to its general efficiency.

This knowledge has induced me to publish these my past experiences. For several years of a service of very varied character, it has been my practice to note down any defect or improvement which brought itself prominently to my notice, and from these memoranda the following pages are mainly compiled.

In publishing this little volume, I trust I shall not be deemed pretentious, and should any suggestion emanating from it prove of ultimate advantage to the service, I shall indeed feel amply rewarded.